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MANILA, Philippines – The head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Gen. Gilbert Gapay, rejected the idea of resuming peace talks with the communist rebels, saying that a pause in the counterinsurgent war would simply give the rebels time. to rebuild their ranks.
“They are just buying time, a respite from the pressure exerted by the security forces,” Gapay said at an online press conference on Friday (December 4).
“Their capabilities are on the decline, their numbers are dwindling, and indeed we are with our backs to the wall and this is not the right time to really impose or recommend such a ceasefire or even peace talks,” he told reporters. .
On Thursday, the military said they would not recommend to President Rodrigo Duterte a ceasefire for the festivities with the rebels of the New People’s Army (NPA). The government and the NPA had traditionally been declaring ceasefires during the Christmas season.
“For so many years, we have learned our lessons,” Gapay said. “First, they are not sincere here. In the past, we had a ceasefire and they continue to attack not only the security forces, but even communities with the purpose of extorting money, ”he said, speaking in Filipino. “So there are a lot of incidents,” he added.
He said that to “permanently” end the insurgency, the government has to deprive the rebels of any possibility of rebuilding, recruiting or continuing to collect taxes that, according to the AFP chief, was only extortion.
“They are already weak and I think the security sector has already gained momentum,” Gapay said. “It is only a matter of time before we really put an end to this insurgency problem,” he added.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and National Security Advisor Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said separately earlier this week that they were open to resuming peace talks as long as the Communist rebels showed sincerity.
“The government is ready, but what we want from them is a little honesty,” Lorenzana said in a television interview. “While they are waging this war against the government, I will advise the president not to resume the peace talks,” he said.
Although Esperon shared Lorenzana’s views, he said that the decision to resume talks rests solely with the president.
TSB
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