Misor guv thumbs down terrorist label on commies

By NITZ ARANCON,
LITO RULONA
Correspondents
and FROILAN GALLARDO
Special Correspondent

MISAMIS Oriental Gov. Yevgeny Vincente Emano yesterday thumbed down President Duterte’s “terrorist” label on the New People’s Army, saying he feared that the Chief Executive’s pronounce-ments in the city on Sunday would only add fuel to the fire.

Emano expressed his apprehensions even as he called on the Duterte administration and the Communist Party to find way to go back to the negotiating table.

He said he was really worried that the peace talks would collapse as a result of the NPA’s and Duterte’s recent actions and pronouncements.

“Nag-ampo pa gihapon ko nga  mobalik sila sa negotiating table,” Emano said.

Commission on Human Rights director for northern Mindanao Jeanne Ivy Abrina said the label was no longer new because the US has long assigned the terrorist label on the Maoist group.

But Abrina said the CHR’s position is that “we should not resort to labeling” especially that citizens are still hopeful that the government and the communist rebel group would arrive at a political settlement to end the half a century-old insurgency.

A militant youth organization, Kabataan, also expressed dismay over the status of the peace talks.

Vennel Chenfoo, Kabataan chairman for northern  Mindanao, said the termination of the two unilateral ceasefires and the possibility that the peace talks would collapse would impact on the economy and education.

Chenfoo urged the government and the National Democratic Front to exert more effort for the sake of peace.

At Camp Evangelista on Sunday, Duterte assigned the “terrorist” label on the CPP-NPA-NDF as he talked with the families of slain Army soldiers.

Duterte said the CPP-NPA-NDF would not not be given the protection accorded by the Geneva Convention, a series of international treaties that provides protection to civilians, prisoners of war and soldiers.

“I consider now all the NPA rebels as terrorists. They will not be accorded with the protection of the Geneva Convention. They shall be shot on sight,” Duterte said.

Later, Duterte explained to reporters that punitive actions against the NPA would be “law enforcement in nature,” and how rebels would be arrested would be up to the Armed Forces.

Duterte’s tirade on Sunday was his latest tit-for-tat reaction against the Communist Party and the New People’s Army that terminated the rebels’ declared unilateral ceasefire last Feb. 1, after accusing the government of delaying the release of political prisoners and sending troops to villages controlled by the communist rebels.

Duterte accused the NPA of treachery when they ambushed government troops, killing six soldiers on the day the rebels terminated their ceasefire.

Here, Duterte visited the wake of Army Sgt. Owen Yee, Pfc. Nino Christopher Talabor, and Cpl. Pat Non at the chapel in Camp Evangelista.

He consoled and talked with the families of slain soldiers around a small circle inside the chapel promising swift retribution.

Duterte called the killings “kababoyan” because of the apparent overkill. The military said one of the soldiers had 27 gunshot wounds, another with 26, and the other one with 24.

“Ako mosulti dili nato makab-ot sa atong henerasyon ang kapayapaan aning mga terrorista. Singkwenta anyos naman kini, magdugang kita og another 50-years para sa atong away. Kung unsa ang ilang ihatag sa gobyerno akong ihatag pud sa ila,” he said.Duterte said he have issued orders to the Bureau of Immigration and the Philippine National Police to arrest  all NDFP peace negotiators once they come back to the country.

Duterte said the locations and movements of all 22 NDFP peace negotiators who were released for the talks, are all known by the intelligence agencies of the PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“I am revoking all the passports issued to these people. They will have to decide whether want to come home and be arrested or stay abroad,” Duterte said.