MANILA, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told leftist rebel leaders, who were temporarily freed from detention to participate in the peace negotiations, to surrender or face punitive actions.
In a speech before the scout rangers in San Miguel, a town north of Manila, Duterte said he had freed up to 40 detained communist leaders to show that his administration was sincere in talking peace with the insurgents.
"I am ordering those I have released temporarily to surrender or face again punitive actions. You have to go back where you belong. I released you because I thought it might help you," Duterte said in a military camp in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija province.
Duterte issued the fresh warning a day after he decided to terminate the peace negotiations with the rebel group.
Duterte accused the rebel group of being unable to control its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA) rebels, in attacking the troops and civilians who refused to give them money.
On Wednesday, Duterte also threatened to arrest armed communist rebels and all the "legal fronts" helping the leftist rebels.
Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla, the Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman, told reporters on Friday that the military was bracing for more attacks from the rebels.
"We have already provided guidance to our units to be vigilant, to stay alert," Padilla said.
Since 1986, the government has been trying to reach a peace deal with the communist rebels but failed to make any headway.
The rebellion began in 1969 and reached its peak in 1987 when it boasted 26,000 armed guerrillas.
However, the movement has since dwindled due to differences in strategy and tactics and the arrests of many of its top leaders in the late 1980s.
The military estimated the communist rebels at around 3,800 armed members.
Peace negotiations with the leftist rebels were suspended in 2011.
The Duterte administration revived the talks in August last year. But the talks have bogged down due to a series of attacks launched by the rebels against troops and civilians.
