With peace talks terminated, Lorenzana says military monitoring rebels released to join formal negotiations, ready to arrest them if president orders it pic.twitter.com/Mad8uX1F3t

— Christian Esguerra (@IanEsguerra) January 9, 2018

MANILA - Finishing off communist rebels within President Rodrigo Duterte’s year-long extension of martial law is “far-fetched,” his defense secretary admitted Tuesday, but did not say if this would further prolong military rule in Mindanao.

The Communist Party of the Philippines and the its armed wing, New People’s Army, were included in the list of targets of Duterte’s extended martial law in the south until the end of the year.

“To finish the communist terrorists in one year is far-fetched. It’s a tall order and we may not be able to do it,” Lorenzana told reporters.

He said the goal was to instead “degrade their capability to conduct large-scale attacks.”

Lorenzana said he could not say for now if this could mean yet another recommendation from the military to extend martial law.

“Maybe towards the end of 2018, we will know if there’s (still) a need for martial law or not. But as of now, hindi pa natin masasabi yan (we can't say yet),” he said.

Duterte’s inclusion of the CPP-NPA in his martial law list raised concerns that he might be using the rebels as an excuse to expand military rule nationwide because their forces also operate outside of Mindanao.

READY TO ARREST

The president initially placed the entire region under martial law in response to the ISIS-affiliated Maute group, which took over Marawi City in May last year.

Duterte then asked communist rebels, who were then engaged in peace talks with the government, to join the fight against Islamist extremists.

Last November, he terminated formal negotiations, citing continued attacks by the NPA on state forces and questioning their sincerity.

Lorenzana said Tuesday the military was ready to arrest communist rebel leaders who were released to join the formal talks.

At least 19 rebels, including Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, had been granted temporary liberty last year so they could participate in the negotiations as consultants.

“We will wait for the order from the President. Pag sinabi nyang arestuhin namin sila (If he says arrest them), then we are going to arrest them,” Lorenzana told reporters.

“We know where they are.”