Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. / Photo courtesy of PNA.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday ruled out the possibility of resuming peace negotiations with the New People’s Army, saying the government had no reason to engage with an armed group he described as responsible for criminal and terrorist acts.
Teodoro said Filipinos were already living in peace and accused the NPA of being the ones disrupting public order through violence and other unlawful activities.
He added that reopening formal talks would only give legitimacy to a cause he does not recognize, insisting the group’s actions should be treated as terrorism “plain and simple.”
The defense chief made the remarks as the Armed Forces of the Philippines continued to defend a military operation in Toboso, Negros Occidental on April 19 that left 19 rebels and civilians dead.
The Philippine Army said it was prepared to cooperate with any inquiry into the encounter after concerns were raised over the number of fatalities, which reportedly included a community journalist and a University of the Philippines student.
The Commission on Human Rights had earlier launched an independent investigation, citing serious concern over the deaths linked to the military operation.
Meanwhile, the United States Embassy in Manila confirmed that two Americans were among those killed in the April 19 clash and issued a security advisory urging its citizens to avoid areas with heightened insurgency risks.
The embassy warned Americans to stay away from armed groups operating in remote areas of Leyte, Mindoro, Samar, and Negros, while local officials in Toboso separately reaffirmed their support for the Army unit involved in the operation and maintained their earlier declaration branding NPA members as unwelcome in the town.