By Jerome Carlo Paunan
MANILA, — President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Monday expressed confidence that with the support of local government units (LGUs), the communist movement will be put to an end, “once and for all,” after more than five decades of existence.
“With the support of our local government units, I am confident that support for the communist movement will continue to erode in the next few months. And like the decades-old Moro rebellion in Mindanao, we will also bring an end to the armed struggle of the communists once and for all,” the President said during his 6th State of the Nation Address, also highlighting the need for collaborative, “whole-of-nation” efforts to achieve lasting peace.
Duterte also cited the expoitative acts being committed by the communist in the guise of an ideology.
“I’d like to be frank with you. Everybody, as everybody in this country, are paying taxes to the communists. The Communist Party earns billions but pass on a little to their fighting men who die for an ideology that is so rotten and corrupt,” he said.
Duterte slammed the CPP-NPA high-ranking officials for taking advantage of the communist revolution and profiting from the armed struggle.
“They themselves are pocketing the money and their children are studying in Europe and in other places, which I think none of you here can finance such journey. Iyan ang masakit dito (that’s the hurtful part here). They collect taxes, support (CPP founding chair Jose Maria) Sison in the Netherlands, and they do nothing but bad-mouth government and mouth the war dogmas and everything” he said.
Duterte lamented that only the poor people are dying for pushing the communist ideologies.
“Hindi na sila napagod (they don’t get tired). It’s about 53 years in the making. And until today, the poor people are dying,” said Duterte. “The cadres and most of them belonging to the indigenous tribes of our country are fighting a losing battle between the communist and the government. They waste lives, they enlist children and they are proud of it, but they deny it.”
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. Philippine Information Agency
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