Duterte says NPA a terrorist group composed of bunch of criminals

President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday chastised the New People's Army (NPA) anew and threatened to consider it a mere terrorist group composed of bunch of criminals.

"Sawa na ako sa pininira nila ng property, pagsunog ng equipment ... and their killings  of innocent people ... may four-month old pa...," the president said at a press conference in Davao City.

Duterte said he will issue a proclamation declaring the NPA as a terrorist organization.

"I'll be issuing a proclamation. I'll remove them from the category of a legal entity or at least a semi-movement which would merit our attention, placing them pareho sa amerika, terrorist," he said.

He added: "Beginning from now, wala nang rebellion rebellion because rebellion is a [bailable] offense. We will file terroris[m], murder lahat, arson with murder."

He said he is no longer inclined to continue the peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, the political front of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

He added that the military will go on offensives against the CPP's NPA guerrillas as mere criminals, stressing that he doesn't consider them anymore a movement in rebellion, fighting for a cause.

Duterte said the NPA only pretends to fight for the people but they are killing the poor, and that they are only fighting for themselves.

He also said that he will launch a crackdown on the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) and other left-leaning legal organizations for "conspiracy" with the communist movement.

"Now it's a great conspiracy between itong mga BAYAN, pati ano... We will study and maybe, we will have a crackdown here somewhere. Nagsasawa na ako dito sa kalokohan nila," he said.

In protest actions during the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila, militant groups headed by Bayan called Duterte a "fascist."

During the earlier part of Duterte's administration, the President welcomed members of Bayan and other left-leaning groups in Malacañang back when he was still determined to push peace talks with the communist group.

The President ordered the government's peace panel to halt talks with the communist group after the NPA's attack on a convoy of the Presidential Security Group in Cotabato last July. —LBG/ALG, GMA News