Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Friday said the Communist Party of the Philippine-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) “never did come close to achieving its aim” in bringing down the government for the last 52 years.

“Fifty-two years ago, December 26, the Communist Party of the Philippines was founded by Jose Maria Sison with the avowed mission of supplanting our democratic government with a communist one. To achieve this aim, Sison established a military arm, the 'NPA' to wage an armed struggle to bring down the government,” Lorenzana said in a statement.

“In those 52 years the CPP-NPA never did come close to achieving its aim. It is a total failure,” he added.

The secretary said the CPP-NPA goals left a trail of death and destruction all over the country that continues to this day which are killings of innocent civilians and government troops, recruitment of young kids to their ranks to fight the government, destruction of properties, and massive extortion of businesses all over the country.

“They have no reason to celebrate. In fact, they should be ashamed of what they have done to the Filipino people,” Lorenzana said.

“They continue to champion a discredited and bankrupt ideology that has long been eschewed by former communist countries,” he added.

Lorenzana said it is not too late for the communist rebels to abandon their armed struggle as they will never succeed because the Filipino people are not swayed by their propaganda and rhetoric.

“I call upon them to work with the government if what they allege they are fighting for is the welfare and well-being of the Filipinos,” he said.

He called all Filipinos to continue to denounce the CPP-NPA.

“It is time for this long running insurgency to end. It is time for the nation to come together and move forward as one,” Lorenzana said. Ella Dionisio/DMS