MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte said he told the police and the military to “learn the art of assassination” and instructed them to form a liquidation unit to hunt down New People’s Army fighters.

Duterte said during an event in Iloilo City on Saturday that government troops remained vulnerable to attacks from NPA’s liquidation unit, often referred to as “sparrows.”

“I’m addressing myself to the police and the military. I’ve been telling you sparrow, sparrow, sparrow," Duterte said during the
25th annual convention of the National Federation of the Motorcycle Clubs of the Philippines.

"So you... sabi ko, learn the art of assassination,” Duterte said.

“Kung may sparrow ang NPA, bakit wala akong sparrow? O? ‘Di sabi ko sa kanila, 'Well, you form a unit, kung maghanap lang rin para sparrow-hin (sparrow) ‘yung NPA,' he added.

(If the NPA has sparrows, why don't I have sparrows? So I told them [police and military] "Well, you form a unit and sparrow the NPA.")

Last month, the president formally announced the end of government's peace talks with communist rebels as Malacañang terminated a government panel tasked to negotiate with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

• Duterte announces 'permanent termination' of peace talks with Reds

The President also told soldiers that it would be better to die than get captured by terrorist groups.

“You know, but sa southern part of our country, andiyan ‘yung Abu Sayyaf. They cannot be satisfied by whatever deal that you can offer them. No. Kasi ISIS ‘yan sila eh. They take their cue from the Middle East,” he said.

“Kung maubos na ‘yung dalawang magazine mo at palapit na itong mga Abu Sayyaf na ‘to, sabi ko huwag kang mag-surrender,” Duterte added.

(If you've used up your 2 magazines and the Abu Sayyaf is closing in, I told them don't surrender.)

“Ayaw ko kayong makita na kinakarga ng eroplano dito walang ulo. Kainin mo ‘yung baril mo, pasabugin. Bababuyin ka lang parang aso. Kung anong gagawain sa iyo, magpamasahe,"

(I don't want to see you being carried headless in an airplane. Put the gun in your mouth and pull the trigger. They will just treat you like a dog. They will do all sorts of thing to you, ask you to give a massage.)

"And there are homosexuals there. They will use you day and night. Sabi ko, do not go into that kind of s*** there. You die a warrior. You kill yourself. Do not surrender,” he said.