NPA sabotaging peace efforts, says defense chief

From Malaya Business Insight (Jan 27): NPA sabotaging peace efforts, says defense chief

DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana yesterday said it is the New People’s Army and not the Armed Forces which is sabotaging the peace negotiations, by waging atrocities while both sides are observing unilateral ceasefires.
Lorenzana made the statement after the National Democratic Front of the Philippines accused the military of violating the government truce when soldiers engaged NPA rebels in a firefight in Makilala, North Cotabato over the weekend. An NPA rebel was killed.

“No we are not (sabotaging the talks), we are respecting the peace talks. We are not operating against them,” said Lorenzana, referring to offensive military operations against the insurgents.

The government and the communists separately declared unilateral ceasefires in August last year before the resumption of the formal peace negotiations. The two sides are working on a more permanent bilateral ceasefire.

Lorenzana, echoing military officials, said the soldiers merely conducted law enforcement operations in response to an atrocity committed by a group of armed men against a driver of a corporation which is the subject of an extortion effort.

“It turned out that they are not usual criminals but members of the NPA... We will not stop our operations against lawless elements in the area. It turned out that these are NPA rebels,” he said.

Lorenzana noted the rebels were in a populated area in Makilala. 

“They were doing, maybe, lawless acts, that’s why they were reported by the people,” he said of the NPA rebels.

Lorenzana said responding to an atrocity does not does not constitute sabotaging the peace talks. 

“In fact, I would like to throw back the question to them (NPAs). What are they doing there with their firearms in the populated area? So in a way, they are the ones sabotaging the peace talks,” he said.

Lorenzana said that from November to December, NPA rebels burned five buses in his hometown in South Cotabato when the owner refused to heed the extortion demands of the rebels.

 http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/npa-sabotaging-peace-efforts-says-defense-chief