DINGLE, Iloilo — President Rodrigo Duterte has offered a PHP50,000 reward to anyone who can eliminate a New People’s Army squad leader or any official of the NPA.
In a speech during his visit for the “Pagpupugay sa mga Bayani” (Salute to the Heroes” at the Camp General Adriano Hernandez here on Thursday, Duterte announced that he will give PHP25,000 for every member of the NPA killed. There will also be corresponding amount for medics and “tax collector”.
The Chief Executive made the “counter-offer” in response to the threat of Jose Ma. Sison, founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the NPA can kill one soldier or police daily.
Sison made the threat early this month to pressure the Philippine government to resume the peace talks with the terrorist group.
“I am addressing myself again to all of you NPAs. You will never even capture a barangay. Stop your dreams, surrender, I will pay you,” he said in his speech at the camp’s gymnasium.
Instead of fighting the government, he urged them to surrender and enroll at the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority as currently there is a shortage of workers.
He said that there is a lot of buildings where construction is “temporarily interrupted” due to lack of workers.
Duterte was in Iloilo on Thursday to visit the wake of Joanna Daniela Demafelis, an Ilonggo migrant worker found dead in a freezer in Kuwait, a year after she was reported missing.
After visiting Demafelis’ wake in her hometown in Sara in Iloilo province, the President proceeded to Camp Hernandez where he met with members of the Philippine Army for the launching of the Tienda Para sa mga Bayani and conferment of the “Order of Lapu-Lapu” to soldiers wounded-in-action.
