Hermogenes Esperon said : “For progress to begin, communities must be first freed from the threat and influence of the NPA. The dismantling of guerilla fronts necessitates a comprehensive process of improving coordination between security operations and developmental intervention projects,”

thestandard-ph Sunday, February 21, 2021 7:54:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Eastern Mindanao ) : "Notwithstanding the geographical abundance and economic activity in Davao City, the presence of the NPA has long been a force that has hindered the development of Mindanao, the Davao Region, and of Davao City,"

pna Sunday, February 21, 2021 4:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "In fact, these programs address the issues commonly exploited by the NPA. In its entirety, the BDP consists of a package of development programs that aim to alleviate the conditions of barangay recipients,"

pna Sunday, February 21, 2021 4:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "GFs (Guerilla Fronts) consist of political and military components within a specified territory. Each territory consists of several municipalities straddling provincial and even regional boundaries. The territory of a Guerilla Front has a tactical center located at the remote common boundary of several municipalities or provinces where the NPA exerts total control or influence on the population,"

pna Sunday, February 21, 2021 4:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "The clearing operations necessitate the disassembling of firstly, the politico-military structure that has been established and controls the community; and secondly, a community effort that culminates in the rejection of the NPA and their eventual denial of access into the area they have formerly controlled,"

pna Sunday, February 21, 2021 4:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "The former NPA communities are now ripe for developmental projects through the BDP,"

pna Sunday, February 21, 2021 4:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Unlike Metro Manila, a highly urbanized area and the center for socio-economic development in the country, Davao City is characterized as a rural area despite being classified as an independent city with the largest land area among the cities in the country. The fact remains that there are numerous isolated and remote barangays within the city. Hence, with the large land area of Davao City, there still is a need for development and infrastructure for the growth of the city,"

pna Sunday, February 21, 2021 4:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “For the benefit of this alleged communist spokesman and those who read his piece, allow me to further reiterate that the P20 million worth of programs and projects he speaks of is to be given to each barangay cleared of the NPA threat and influence from 2016-2019. To set the record straight, there are 822 barangays that shall each be receiving the P20 million BDP assistance, contrary to his claim of 215,”

thestandard-ph Monday, February 1, 2021 6:07:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Yang ) : "Yang pagbabawal sa police sa UP ay galing pa yan sa estorya sa martial law... tapos na tayo sa martial law samakatuwid bakit mo ipagbabawal ang police operations sa Diliman (The act of not allowing police in UP came from the stories of martial law, we are no longer under martial law why would you prohibit police operations in Diliman),"

manilametro Wednesday, January 27, 2021 11:39:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Rodrigo Duterte ) : “The BDP is the flagship program of the Duterte administration for poverty alleviation and development in the context of addressing the root causes of insurgency,”

thestandard-ph Monday, January 25, 2021 6:55:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “While the communist rebels took advantage of the poverty and perceived lack of government presence in these areas, we at NTF-ELCAC are committed to deliver government services to these barangays,” “We intend to curb the NPA recruitment through holistic development projects that bridge the gap between the needs of the community and accessibility”

thestandard-ph Monday, January 25, 2021 6:55:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “The NTF-ELCAC, through the Whole of Nation Approach (WONA) truly values improving the lives of Filipinos, unlike the eccentric violence of the CPP-NPA. This is the type of confidence building mechanism we need; not a self-destructing measure,”

thestandard-ph Monday, January 25, 2021 6:55:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We intend to curb this recruitment through holistic development projects that bridge the need of the communities and accessibility,"

manilametro Monday, January 25, 2021 3:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Joma Sison ) : "Kaya siya mismo, kung may masasabi tayong-red tagging, siya mismo ang nag-red-tag, if others are saying that we are the ones red-tagging, it is Sison himself who did that,"

irishsun Thursday, December 17, 2020 3:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “Kung meron silang gagawing kaguluhan ay nakahanda ang ating tropa,”

tribuneonline Wednesday, December 16, 2020 12:12:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Kung mayroon mang banta ang CPP-NPA ay ano ba ang bago? Dati naman silang nand'yan na, mayroong mga armas,"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, December 16, 2020 10:06:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Sa nakita ko, nakakasiguro ako na ang cybersecurity set-up ng DITO ay sapat. It was what we required,"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, December 16, 2020 10:06:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Kung meron mang banta ang CPP-NPA eh ano ba ang bago, dati naman silang nandiyan na, meron na mga armas. Kung may gagawin silang kaguluhan ay nakahanda ang atin mga tropa (What's new, they have been there for a long time and they have weapons. If they would be creating trouble, our troops are ready for that),"

pna Wednesday, December 16, 2020 9:46:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Yes, I had said before that is an option, but we are doing it now. It is not only an option now, but we have firmed up our move and we will do that you can be sure that we will go towards that direction as soon as possible,”

thestandard-ph Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Jevilyn was not a martyr. She was deceived into sacrificing her life for a cause lacking legitimacy and noble purpose. She was a victim of a manipulative organization that has taken advantage of her from the moment she was radicalized until her recruitment into the armed struggle,”

thestandard-ph Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "That is really a guerrilla base. We do not do that in the armed forces,"

thestandard-ph Tuesday, December 1, 2020 9:25:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Secretary Año is a former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff. He was the ISAFP chief when Benito Tiamzon, the chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Central Committee in the Philippines; and his wife — the former Secretary General, were arrested in 2014. It’s only natural for Secretary Año to want to see them captured again,” “He has the whole Philippine National Police with him. Of course, the Armed Forces is also in the picture,”

tribuneonline Tuesday, December 1, 2020 8:30:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "That is really a guerilla base. We do not do that in the armed forces,"

pna Tuesday, December 1, 2020 1:14:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “They are living proof of the indisputable ties between the legal fronts and the NPA. Therefore, the Makabayan bloc cannot deny their complicity in the armed struggle,”

manilastandardtoday Thursday, November 26, 2020 10:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Activism is not terrorism but there is a boundary. If you are an activist, you will not carry arms to force the government to decide for the people. You can go to the streets as long as you have a permit, you can voice out injustices wag lang kayong pumunta sa armadong pakikibaka or magbigay ng suporta o mag recruit o magbigay ng material support (just don’t join the armed rebellion or give them support or recruit for them or give them material support),”

pna Wednesday, November 25, 2020 12:27:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It is worth noting that, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Davao area accounted for an appreciable number of cleared barangays from the period of 2016-2019. Security forces estimate that Davao City is within the vicinity of five guerilla fronts, with one guerilla front inside its jurisdiction,"

pna Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:10:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Particular to Davao City is the need for school buildings to replace the Salugpungan schools illegally operating in the area. In 2019, more than 55 Salugpungan schools were illegally operating and recruiting Indigenous children into armed conflict,"

pna Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:10:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "Data from security forces indicate that Davao region is a recruitment and training ground for the NPA,"

pna Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:10:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Eastern Mindanao ) : "In fact, eight out of ten NPAs in Eastern Mindanao have been recruited from Indigenous Peoples (communities),"

pna Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:10:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Initially, the Regional Task Force XI of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) had included geographically-isolated and disadvantaged areas of Magtuod, Tapak, Colosas, Salapawan, Lumiad, Mapula, Panalum, Mabuhay, Tibuloy, Salaysay, Malamba, Guitan, Biao Joaquin, Talandang and Dominga, totaling to 15 communities,"

pna Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:10:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Eastern Mindanao ) : "Clearly, the facts show that Davao City can be considered a province by itself. Davao City is the hub of the economy in Mindanao, with a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) rate of 9.4 percent and 40,499 businesses established within the city, and a population of 1,673,832 people as of 2018,"

pna Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:10:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "The NTF ELCAC intends to ensure that the projects in these priority areas are sustainable. Thus, to prevent the NPA from exploiting these communities, communities threatened by the influence of the armed rebels were included in the final list of priority areas,"

pna Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:10:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Jose Maria Sison ) : “Sison’s trial for 15 counts of murder for the Inopacan Massacre is an opportune time for him to exhaust all the legal and constitutional right afforded to him by the very democracy he wished to destabilize even as he enjoys luxuries in the Netherlands. He and his lot are now given the opportunity to stand in court, to present their defense, and respond to the accusations against them,”

manilastandardtoday Thursday, November 19, 2020 8:56:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Jose Maria Sison ) : “Contrary to Sison’s contention, we do not play dirty, nor do we fabricate lies against the accused. This government respects the integrity and impartiality of the judicial proceedings as well as their right to due process; hence our clamor for the trial to proceed without delay,”

manilastandardtoday Thursday, November 19, 2020 8:56:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added ( about Jose Maria Sison ) : “I am beholden to the victims and the families they left behind to seek justice. In the same light, I urge Chairman Sison, who is now in his twilight years, to contemplate on his actions as the longstanding chairman of the CPP-NPA. With certainty, it can be stated that he and the CPP-NPA have caused decades of misery and suffering in the country and in particular, to his former comrades and their families,”

manilastandardtoday Thursday, November 19, 2020 8:56:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "I have likewise presented an album of photos detailing the manner in which the victims were brutally executed,"

pna Thursday, November 19, 2020 12:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There are many more atrocities that their so-called 'revolutionary movement' have to be held accountable for,"

pna Thursday, November 19, 2020 12:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It is relevant to mention that the CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United Nations Security Council under Resolution No. 1373 of 2001. Governments of the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia have likewise classified them as terrorists,"

pna Thursday, November 19, 2020 12:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It is our intent for the truth to come out. In this instance, it is solely the court which possesses the competency and authority to decide on the merits of the case and, correspondingly, the liability of those involved,"

pna Thursday, November 19, 2020 12:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "This government respects the integrity and impartiality of the judicial proceedings as well as their right to due process; hence our clamor for the trial to proceed without delay,"

pna Thursday, November 19, 2020 12:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Joma Sison ) : "In the same light, I urge Chairman Sison, who is now in his twilight years, to contemplate on his actions as the longstanding Chairman of the CPP-NPA. With certainty, it can be stated that he and the CPP-NPA have caused decades of misery and suffering to the country, and in particular, to his former comrades and their families,"

pna Thursday, November 19, 2020 12:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “It is high time that the CPP-NPA be held accountable for the atrocities they have committed against our people, through the application of the judicial process,”

pna Monday, November 16, 2020 3:03:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "We are moving toward the Code of Conduct in our talks with China, and the ASEAN side is led by no less than the Philippines,"

manilametro Thursday, November 5, 2020 12:27:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We have already a single draft on the agreements and we still hope that by 2021, we could sign the final agreement,"

manilametro Thursday, November 5, 2020 12:27:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "We are moving toward the Code of Conduct in our talks with China, and the ASEAN side is led by no less than the Philippines,"

irishsun Thursday, November 5, 2020 10:26:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We have already a single draft on the agreements and we still hope that by 2021, we could sign the final agreement,"

irishsun Thursday, November 5, 2020 10:26:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “They were recruiting 13 to 15-year-olds to turn them into NPA rebels,” “We need not think far, they are the ones who are identifying themselves (with communist terrorist groups)”

pna Wednesday, November 4, 2020 4:49:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We admire their intentions (in going to Bicol for a relief goods distribution) but we have information that they did not go there,"

pna Wednesday, November 4, 2020 11:23:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We are saddened that they did not attend as this is the 'democratic space' given to us to talk among ourselves, to exchange ideas and opinion, and to find out who among us is right,"

pna Wednesday, November 4, 2020 11:23:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Lorraine Badoy ) : “Hindi ko dedepensahan si Gen. Parlade at saka si Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, kung hindi susuportahan. Ano bang sinasabi ni Gen. Parlade? Na ang CPP-NPA ay mayroong mga underground organizations na mayroong front, legal na front (I won’t defend Gen. Parlade and Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, but I’ll support them. What is Gen. Parlade saying? That CPP-NPA has underground organizations with legal fronts),”

pna Tuesday, November 3, 2020 12:53:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “In the strongest terms, I denounce the personalities that claim to be ‘progressive’ and are calling for the dismantling of the NTF-ELCAC and the defunding of the Barangay Development Program,”

thestandard-ph Wednesday, October 28, 2020 10:34:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon explained : “The Task Force and the Program do not infringe upon the liberties and freedoms that our people possess constitutionally,” “We in the NTF-ELCAC do not intend to stand in the way of advocacies for the rights of vulnerable sectors,”

thestandard-ph Wednesday, October 28, 2020 10:34:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “I take this opportunity to introduce the NTF-ELCAC to a wider audience, and clarify the misconceptions and disinformation being spread on social media. I need to reiterate the security and development nexus as a paradigm of the NTF-ELCAC,”

thestandard-ph Wednesday, October 28, 2020 10:34:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Gabriela Women ) : “We have determined that numerous members of these front organizations inevitably end up in the ranks, as well as armed combatants of the NPA. For instance, we have seen how young women such as Josephine Anne Lapira, the Deputy General of Gabriela Youth, and Gabriela youth members Jastine Ella Vargas and Rona Jane Manalo have engaged in armed combat and unfortunately, were killed in encounters with our security forces,”

thestandard-ph Wednesday, October 28, 2020 10:34:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Sinusuportahan ko at sinasabi ko rin, dinadagdagan ko iyong sinasabi nila kung hindi pa nila nasabi. Pero napakagaling ni Lorraine at Gen. Parlade, nasasabi nila ang lahat,"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, October 28, 2020 10:26:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "Ngayon lang kasi nangyayari na mayroon tayong mga spokespersons na ganito, talagang nagsasabi ng totoo. At kailangan talagang magising na ang buong bayan. Ano ba ang gusto natin, palalawigin ba natin itong 52 years ng CPP-NPA na ginugulo tayo, o gusto natin na wakasan ito?"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, October 28, 2020 10:26:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "the number one political security threat,"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, October 28, 2020 10:26:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Ito ay social and economic program that will free up the countryside that are conflicted. Alam naman natin na hindi maka-take off ang ekonomiya sa mga lugar na may gulo," "Sobra bang bigyan ng P20 million [worth of] projects ang barangay?"

manilametro Sunday, October 4, 2020 2:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "As chairman of the National Task Force West Philippine Sea, I say that we have been able to perform our numerous taskings there by the creation of the Area Task Force North and Area Task Force West,"

pna Friday, October 2, 2020 6:17:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about West Philippine Sea ) : "Area Task Force (West) takes care of Palawan and the rest of the area up to near the Sulu Sea, including the Sulu Sea,"

pna Friday, October 2, 2020 6:17:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Philippine Navy ) : "We were also able to conduct maritime research and marine research. You may not know it (but we) have research ships from the Navy, from the Department of Environment, plus the University of the Philippines,"

pna Friday, October 2, 2020 6:17:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We have strengthened our detachments there, the islands that we have covered. We have put up lighthouses, and on the northern side, we have even put more sovereignty markers (in) Batanes, more lighthouses. We have improved our communications, we have Wi-Fi in Pag-asa island, we have Internet, courtesy of two private entities, Smart and Globe plus our own. Maybe the third telco will also put in their Internet there,"

pna Friday, October 2, 2020 6:17:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “As vice chairman of the NTF-ELCAC, I have ensured that all its activities have been conducted within the bounds of law. The guiding principle behind the NTF-ELCAC has been the marching orders of the President to ensure Good Governance by way of the delivery of basic services, especially to the countryside,”

thestandard-ph Thursday, October 1, 2020 11:03:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “His statement clearly seeks to undermine the integrity of the administrative mechanisms and audit capabilities of the entire bureaucracy,”

tribuneonline Friday, September 18, 2020 10:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon asserted : “What Rep. Gaite has failed to note is that the funds for these will be sourced from the budgets of the agencies spearheading these projects, while the coordinated implementation will be by local chief executives,” “I question the motive behind Rep. Gaite’s comments on the budget allocation and his objection to the empowerment and development of vulnerable communities in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas,”

tribuneonline Friday, September 18, 2020 10:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon concluded : “The fabricated allegations against the NTF-ELCAC are precisely the means by which these so-called progressive groups intend to obstruct the fulfillment of universal and lasting progress in our communities. The success of NTF-ELCAC will render them as irrelevant footnotes to our history,”

tribuneonline Friday, September 18, 2020 10:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon asked : “And the Makabayan bloc don’t want this to happen? Why? Are they siding with the NPA?,” “This is a reflection of good governance by way of converging our projects. We bring all the projects in a particular area, not one by one,”

tribuneonline Friday, September 18, 2020 10:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon concluded : “This is not just an effort of the military. It’s a whole-of-government approach. We hope we can get the fund. Hopefully the Makabayan bloc won’t block it,”

tribuneonline Friday, September 18, 2020 10:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “His statement clearly seeks to undermine the integrity of the administrative mechanisms and audit capabilities of the entire bureaucracy,”

tribuneonline Thursday, September 17, 2020 10:03:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon asserted : “What Rep. Gaite has failed to note is that the funds for these will be sourced from the budgets of the agencies spearheading these projects, while the coordinated implementation will be by local chief executives,” “I question the motive behind Rep. Gaite’s comments on the budget allocation and his objection to the empowerment and development of vulnerable communities in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas,”

tribuneonline Thursday, September 17, 2020 10:03:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon concluded : “The fabricated allegations against the NTF-ELCAC are precisely the means by which these so-called progressive groups intend to obstruct the fulfillment of universal and lasting progress in our communities. The success of NTF-ELCAC will render them as irrelevant footnotes to our history,”

tribuneonline Thursday, September 17, 2020 10:03:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Ferdinand Gaite ) : “As vice chairman of the NTF-ELCAC, I have ensured that all its activities have been conducted within the bounds of the law,” “I question the motive behind Gaite’s comments on the budget allocation and his objection to the empowerment and development of vulnerable communities in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas”

thestandard-ph Thursday, September 10, 2020 7:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Ang kasong 'yon ay nagbunga ng pag-issue ng warrant of arrest for the more than 38 leaders of CPP-NPA, including Sison, Jalandoni, and others,"

manilametro Sunday, August 9, 2020 12:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "In pursuit of this policy, the government cannot prejudice respect for human rights which shall be absolute and protected at all times,"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, July 22, 2020 10:25:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Anong ikinakatakot nila? Itong ating law-abiding citizens ay walang dapat ikatakot dahil itong anti-terrorism law ay para sa kapakanan at seguridad ng law-abiding citizens,"

abs-cbnnews Saturday, July 4, 2020 9:32:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “The horror of an innocent’s exposure to terrorism or even demise will undoubtedly reverberate in the lives of their families forever altered,”

manilastandardtoday Friday, July 3, 2020 7:27:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon noted : “Under my terms, the National Security Council has been intensively involved in matters that cover terrorism and extremism, the local communist insurgency, the archipelagic and maritime security, cybersecurity, food and water security, sustainable development, global security issues, and other issues mentioned in the National Security Policy and National Security Strategy,” “Please be assured that the National Security Council remains committed to uphold its legal mandate and obligations in furtherance of the best interest of the Filipino people,”

tribuneonline Thursday, June 25, 2020 11:05:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Over 1.5 million Filipinos in islands of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi Tawi are currently living in actual and constant threat of terrorism. In these provinces, there are 63 percent of poverty incidences, proof that they are starving from development,”

pna Wednesday, June 17, 2020 4:02:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “What is unfortunate is that our isolation from the threat has caused most of us to become desensitized to the point of becoming oblivious to the true state of our troubled region,” “How soon did we forget that we all wept for the SAF (Special Action Force) 44 and witnessed Marawi crumble brick by brick”

manilatimes Wednesday, June 17, 2020 3:51:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "The Anti-Terrorism Act of our neighboring countries which were enacted before 2010 are more stringent. For instance, Australia has a minimum detention period of 14 days. In Malaysia, it can be up to two years. In Singapore, it is for 720 days. In Indonesia, it can be up to 120 days. The proposed bill prescribes only 14 days and there is a reason for that. This is for us to clearly see what they did before they can be really charged,"

pna Wednesday, June 17, 2020 12:51:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We as leaders of this country would be remiss in our duties if we failed to adopt the needed measures that would bring us at par with the international obligations aimed at combatting global terrorism in all its iterations and forms,”

manilastandardtoday Tuesday, June 16, 2020 10:24:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Terrorism often ends up in blood[shed]... To broader extent, communities suffer due to the threat. Terrorism has displaced communities, has left properties ruined. Families are being torn apart,"

manilametro Monday, June 15, 2020 7:25:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "I believe in the credibility and goodness of the Supreme Court. They will always consider what is legally correct and good for the people,"

pna Monday, June 15, 2020 3:56:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "By providing shelter to the enemy of the state, she is liable for having violated the laws of the land and she has come out to be with the force of the law, and to be able to clear her name,"

manilametro Thursday, June 11, 2020 6:12:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "By providing shelter to the enemy of the state, she is liable for having violated the laws of the land and she has come out to be with the force of the law, and to be able to clear her name,"

irishsun Thursday, June 11, 2020 4:56:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "This is a sign that the more than 50 years of nonsense armed struggle is nearing closure,"

pna Thursday, June 11, 2020 1:33:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "This legal action is a milestone in the fight against the communist terrorist group (CTG). It reaffirms our unanimity towards our cause to rid our country of this fifty-year-old menace to society,"

pna Wednesday, May 27, 2020 12:46:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "We recall that in August last year, Mrs. Lucena, along with other mothers, testified at a Senate hearing and investigation on the ongoing NPA youth recruitment in schools where their missing children had been attending,"

pna Wednesday, May 27, 2020 12:46:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "We welcome this development, and we support Mr. and Mrs. Lucena, and other parents similarly situated, in their efforts to bring their children back into the care and comfort of their families,"

pna Wednesday, May 27, 2020 12:46:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “If the left is exploiting the issue, which it is, then NTF-ELCAC must come in and at the least warn and inform the people about the issues. Freedom of the press is not the issue here. I go for law and order,”

pna Monday, May 11, 2020 12:11:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Depende sa point of view. If the left is exploiting the issue, which it is, then NTFELCAC must come in and at the least warn and inform the people about the issues,” “Freedom of the press is not the issue here. I go for law and order”

tribuneonline Sunday, May 10, 2020 6:28:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Antonio Carpio ) : “Kung ang iniisip ni Justice Carpio ay pakikipag-giyera, eh iwanan na lang niya iyan sa defense at kinikilala natin siya sa larangan hustisya, eh huwag na siyang masyadong pumapel sa pakikipag-giyera (If Justice Carpio is thinking of waging a war, he should leave it to defense [experts]. We know him in the field of justice, but he should not bother thinking of going to war),”

pna Tuesday, April 28, 2020 2:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Ang nangyayari, tuwing mag-a -attempt na sisimulan ulit, ’pag nagkaroon ng peace talks, nagkakaroon ng ceasefire, nagkakaroon naman ng violations doon sa panig ng CPP-NPA na tinatawag natin ngayon na communist terrorist group (Every time there are attempts to revive the peace talks and a ceasefire is declared, violations are committed by the CPP-NPA, which we now call a communist terror group),” “Kaya hindi mo talaga mapagkatiwalan bigyan ng ceasefire (That’s why you can’t trust them on ceasefires)”

pna Tuesday, April 28, 2020 1:21:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Justice Antonio Carpio ) : "Kung ang iniisip ni Justice Carpio ay pakikipag-giyera eh iwanan na lang niya iyan sa defense [department] at kinikilala natin siya sa larangan ng hustisya, eh huwag na siyang masyadong pumapel sa pakikipag-giyera,"

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, April 28, 2020 12:35:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Labor ) : “Mayroon ding mga karagdagang programa at proyekto na manggagaling sa iba’t-ibang ahensya ng gobyerno tulad ng Department of Labor and Employment at Department of Trade and Industry at mga lokal na pamahalaan ng gobyerno,”

reliefWeb Thursday, March 12, 2020 5:16:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “This actually is a lingering question in many of the legislatures and I want to answer that basic question during the course of this hearing,” “But I must say that on the basic question, is there any danger or any threat in so far as the national grid is concerned? There are, there are. But I’d caution immediately against being in panic about it because there are also measures that we can adopt to allow NGCP as it’s doing now to continue operations,”

manilastandardtoday Tuesday, February 4, 2020 5:46:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "I'd caution immediately against being in a panic about it because there are also measures that we can adopt to allow NGCP ... to continue operations,"

manilametro Tuesday, February 4, 2020 7:15:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “This actually is a lingering question in many of the legislatures and I want to answer that basic question during the course of this hearing,” “But I must say that on the basic question, is there any danger or any threat in so far as the national grid is concerned? There are, there are. But I’d caution immediately against being in panic about it because there are also measures that we can adopt to allow NGCP as it’s doing now to continue operations,”

thestandard-ph Monday, February 3, 2020 9:27:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Grid Corporation ) : “The administration is taking steps and precautionary measures to guarantee that the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, its facilities and infrastructure are protected with the highest security procedures,”

themalaymailonline Monday, February 3, 2020 7:28:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Grid Corporation ) : "The administration is taking steps and precautionary measures to guarantee that the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, its facilities and infrastructure are protected with the highest security procedures,"

news-yahoo Monday, February 3, 2020 4:22:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "There will always be a need for a review on the dictum that there is no impenetrable barrier,"

abs-cbnnews Monday, February 3, 2020 12:12:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon urged : "We are on the right direction, let us synchronize and harmonize our efforts in the barangays,"

reliefWeb Tuesday, January 28, 2020 6:23:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “There may not be a need anymore for national peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front since we are doing it at the local level. The results are simply coming in faster than the national peace talks,”

pna Thursday, January 23, 2020 1:23:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “Towards this call, the President, last Cabinet meeting, approved a total of PHP36 billion for 2020 until 2021 and this fund will be used for projects and programs such as farm-to-market roads, water systems, school buildings, health stations, livelihood programs and other programs that will be identified,”

pna Friday, January 17, 2020 2:27:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “Yeah, although that is not very immediate because there are negotiations on the new contracts. But we are, we have already been given some kind of a notice by the President. So it’s more likely the engineers and technicians. And we can use the Armed Forces for that… as the backbone,”

tribuneonline Friday, January 10, 2020 4:23:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “there is no decision like that but that is in the realm of possibilities”

tribuneonline Friday, January 10, 2020 4:23:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon pointed out : “It would send signals, why not? But it also sends signals that we are not for bad contracts. Meaning that’s also good for business going into contracts that are good. Bad contracts or onerous contracts should not be allowed anytime,” “So, if the government’s attitude is to have all contracts in accordance with the law, then that should be where we are,”

tribuneonline Friday, January 10, 2020 4:23:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “There were no specific names mentioned. But when you start talking about onerous contracts then some people can always think about the possibilities,”

tribuneonline Friday, January 10, 2020 4:23:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We have alternatives to the peace talks. We are now pursuing local peace engagements which have resulted in understanding and the mainstreaming of rebels,”

thestandard-ph Tuesday, January 7, 2020 11:42:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “For one, their CASER was crafted with the goal of turning the Philippine economic model to nationalist and socialist,”

bulatlat Tuesday, January 7, 2020 5:40:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon expressed : “The talks, to me, is a way for the President to tell them that indeed, he is a president who will never close that small window for peace talks. But truth to tell, what kind of peace talks are we talking about?”

tribuneonline Friday, December 20, 2019 8:56:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Why would I talk to you out of the country when there is a lot of space in the Philippines? If you really know what you are fighting for, you will not be afraid,”

tribuneonline Friday, December 20, 2019 8:56:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "tragic and violent incidents all over the country committed by the communist rebels” amid the ceasefire. Lawyer Reuben Lingating, chairman of the Indigenous People’s Peace Panel of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), said during the forum that since the communists have somehow made the peace talks as a way to strengthen their forces, the government is looking for a more practical and feasible plan. “You cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that created them. If there is anything that we shall do, we have to address the root causes of the insurgency,” he said. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., in his speech, said they are working on staging the peace talks here. Bakit naman ako makikipag-usap sa'yo sa labas ng bansa samantalang ang luwag-luwag ng Pilipinas, kung talagang alam mo ang pinaglalaban mo, hindi ka matatakot (Why would I talk to you out of the country when there is a lot of space in the Philippines. If you really know what you are fighting for, you will not be afraid),"

pna Wednesday, December 18, 2019 4:10:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict has received reports that the communist-terrorist CPP-NPA have operationalized their Special Partisan Units to conduct assassinations and terrorist activities in the urban areas to take advantage of the Yuletide season,”

thestandard-ph Tuesday, December 17, 2019 11:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We advise the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious individuals or strange activities in your area to the proper authorities,” “It is incumbent upon all Filipinos to unite and ensure the safety of our loved ones and communities, especially this Christmas and as we welcome the new year”

thestandard-ph Tuesday, December 17, 2019 11:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “There had been information that the communist terrorist group CPP, NPA, NDF have a hit list and allegedly, included ako doon,”

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, December 17, 2019 7:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “I didn’t even read the details of it, nakita ko na lang na nandun 'yung pangalan ni [Interior] Secretary [Eduardo] Año, [National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Chairman] Secretary [Allen] Capuyan and other officers, which to us is something expected, or parts of the hazards of the job,”

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, December 17, 2019 7:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “That is already a common decision, in the same manner that the lifting of the martial law is a common decision in what we call the security cluster,”

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, December 17, 2019 7:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon asked : “The talks to me is a way from the President to tell them that indeed, he is a president who will never close that small window for peace talks. But truth to tell, what kind of peace talks are we talking about?”

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, December 17, 2019 7:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “I will give you a videotape recording of Jalandoni, who has been a chairman of the NDF panel, saying the peace talks are just a platform to advance the cause of the armed struggle,”

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, December 17, 2019 7:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "During the course of the peace talks, we could not come to an agreement to have a bilateral ceasefire,"

manilametro Wednesday, December 11, 2019 4:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It came to a point when the President decided in November 2017 to terminate the peace talks,"

manilametro Wednesday, December 11, 2019 4:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "They now feel that we are all over, meaning the NTF-ELCAC of which the chairman is the President himself who is making their life miserable not only for their fighting units, as well as for their other organizations,"

manilametro Wednesday, December 11, 2019 3:08:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We do not know yet when the talks will take place,"

manilametro Wednesday, December 11, 2019 3:08:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Silvestre Bello ) : "I am of the understanding that the President sent Sec. Bello because he has gotten word that Jose Ma. Sison would like to tell him something,"

abs-cbnnews Sunday, December 8, 2019 3:08:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "The President has always said that he will always leave a window, no matter how small, for peace talks,"

abs-cbnnews Sunday, December 8, 2019 3:08:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "During the joint conference, the President stressed his desire to put an end to the more than 50 years of communist insurgency, saying that the effort is for future generations,"

pna Tuesday, November 19, 2019 3:10:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "The participants acknowledged that the President, through his unrelenting commitment to bring change to the lives of Filipinos, had provided an enabling environment for the NTF-ELCAC operationalization,"

pna Tuesday, November 19, 2019 3:10:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “In his ongoing directive to enhance existing mechanisms of good governance, the President had repeatedly called on members of his administration to address the economic and security concerns in conflict-prone and conflict-affected areas,”

pna Sunday, November 17, 2019 1:26:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “In his campaign against the communist armed conflict, which had stretched to 51 years, the President directed his government to address the causes of insurgency through the efficient and effective delivery of basic services, justice, and infrastructure development,”

pna Sunday, November 17, 2019 1:26:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Because if it will be amended, it will give us more tools to fight terrorism. Then it will be good for us,” “So, for now, our position is we are not inclined to recommend the extension of martial law in Mindanao,”

pna Wednesday, November 13, 2019 6:27:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “If the [proposed] Human Security Act, as amended, will be passed [by Congress], then we may not need to ask for any extension of martial law, we may not need this kind of martial law,”

pna Monday, November 11, 2019 2:13:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “But while these researches yielded many positive results, so much still needs to be done,”

pna Thursday, October 31, 2019 3:21:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Marine scientific research can certainly help government policy- and decision-makers to arrive at an informed and science-based policies and decisions toward a sustainable management of our maritime domain and marine resources,” “To harmonize all MSR efforts by various agencies and institutions, harnessing existing mechanisms for cooperation and cooperative undertakings is, as we know, is essential,”

pna Thursday, October 31, 2019 3:21:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “That is why it is a must for all our security forces to take precautionary actions and if there are ongoing operations [carried out by the terrorists], we will operate against them,”

manilatimes Tuesday, October 29, 2019 4:24:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “MSR is the first step for the sustainable development of the marine resources which will benefit both Filipinos and the rest of mankind,” “So we will lift shortly the moratorium on marine scientific research by foreign government and institutions,”

FIS Monday, October 28, 2019 1:58:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “If they don’t allow us, then what benefit do we get out of it since they are supposed to deposit with us their findings as well as the materials,”

FIS Monday, October 28, 2019 1:58:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “Maritime scientific research is good for us and other research institutions simply because we get to know more of the maritime domain,”

FIS Monday, October 28, 2019 1:58:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “We will step up our efforts here because the East Asian Seas are connected. We will explore the possibility of connecting our marine protected areas with neighboring countries, especially within the coral triangle and the rest of the region,”

FIS Monday, October 28, 2019 1:58:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Province ) : “Umiray River sa (in) Quezon Province, Aurora simply goes to the Pacific Ocean. So what did the Ramos Administration do then (was to) tap that water and put it to Angat (Dam),” “Now, if we are able to get more into Angat and develop, protect more the forest cover there, then we will get more water,”

pna Saturday, October 26, 2019 9:03:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “The most immediate that we could get from would be of course from Laguna Lake, but it turns out that Laguna Lake costs so much more to purify because of the character and quality of water that is there. It’s no longer as pure, as good as we want it,” “So, part of the solution would be also to make Laguna Lake clean. How do you do that? Probably dredge it,”

pna Saturday, October 26, 2019 9:03:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “It is a desirable sharing, but it is not final. It could even go up to 61 or more,” “They are spending for it and we are getting more from the net share which is more than fair, right?”

tribuneonline Friday, October 25, 2019 9:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “You will know after the talks,”

tribuneonline Friday, October 25, 2019 9:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “I do not have the names now, but the steering committee would be chaired by Foreign Affairs. The members are from the Department of Energy and as well as Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” “We had it formed a week ago and in fact they are getting ready for the first round of talks within October. At the same time, we will have close to the time, we will have our bilateral consultative mechanisms,”

tribuneonline Friday, October 25, 2019 9:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “For this reason, the closure of Salugpungan schools supports the whole-of-nation objective to end communist atrocities and bring basic services to those who need it most,” “We reiterate that it is within the mandate of the government, through the Department of Education, to regulate the establishment and recognition of private schools in the basic education level,”

tribuneonline Friday, October 25, 2019 9:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “We will build a national academic research fleet and we will lift shortly the moratorium on marine scientific research by foreign government and institutions,”

manilatimes Friday, October 25, 2019 8:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will have to get into the details… You will know after the talks,”

manilatimes Friday, October 25, 2019 8:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “For one, if you commit a mistake in arresting somebody, detaining somebody with all the files that you have and later you are not able to prove it in court, you will be fined P500,000 a day, which is about $10,000 dollars a day, which is approximately my salary a year. So, it’s so unfriendly, so it is a disincentive to law enforcement,” “So, we could ask for that extension or if we have the amended Human Security Act, then that is a better tool for us,”

tribuneonline Friday, October 25, 2019 7:29:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “Whatever we spend on defense should strengthen our position on developing our maritime domain especially the West Philippine Sea into what we call the blue economy,”

arabnews Friday, October 25, 2019 4:55:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “It’s no longer academic. It’s going into an agreement on how we could make the wealth of the seabed work for us,” “We have already formed the joint steering committee and shortly there will be talks with China in pursuance of the earlier memorandum of understanding that was signed in 2018 for the development of this energy fields,”

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 3:26:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “MSR is the first step for the sustainable development of the marine resources which will benefit both Filipinos and the rest of mankind,” “So we will lift shortly the moratorium on marine scientific research by foreign government and institutions,”

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 2:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “If they don’t allow us, then what benefit do we get out of it since they are supposed to deposit with us their findings as well as the materials,”

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 2:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “Maritime scientific research is good for us and other research institutions simply because we get to know more of the maritime domain,”

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 2:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “We will step up our efforts here because the East Asian Seas are connected. We will explore the possibility of connecting our marine protected areas with neighboring countries, especially within the coral triangle and the rest of the region,”

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 2:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We are looking at some developments that could give some guidance to us,”

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 2:16:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “There are features in martial law that we could still take advantage, could use. I'd like to assure you that there had been no cases against our troops on abuses on the provisions of martial law as applied in Mindanao,”

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 2:16:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “They’re (China) spending for it and we’re getting more. More than fair right?”

abs-cbnnews Friday, October 25, 2019 1:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "Whatever we spend on defence should strengthen our position on developing our maritime domain especially the West Philippine Sea into what we call the blue economy,"

straitstimesSG Friday, October 25, 2019 1:18:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "Whatever we spend on defence should strengthen our position on developing our maritime domain especially the West Philippine Sea into what we call the blue economy"

yenisafak-en Friday, October 25, 2019 1:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "Whatever we spend on defence should strengthen our position on developing our maritime domain especially the West Philippine Sea into what we call the blue economy"

news-yahoo Friday, October 25, 2019 12:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "Whatever we spend on defence should strengthen our position on developing our maritime domain especially the West Philippine Sea into what we call the blue economy"

trust Friday, October 25, 2019 11:55:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “That’s the net because they spend for all construction and all other things,”

inquirer Friday, October 25, 2019 11:48:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We assure the public that the government has taken all possible steps to ensure that the right of children to education is protected, and that due process was followed throughout the closure of the 55 Salugpungan schools in the Davao Region,"

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 8:04:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “In the entire country, we have 798 insurgent-influenced villages, while we have 2,385 threatened villages. Of this number, our priority for the ‘right-hand actions’, which means the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, along with other security forces, will be the first to go there and conduct an operation. The civilian government agencies would just follow,”

pna Wednesday, October 16, 2019 4:28:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “In this aspect, we can address the problem through the retooled community support program with security element but right from the beginning, it is civilian-led. In civilian-led, it means that the leader is the barangay captain, mayor, or governor,”

pna Wednesday, October 16, 2019 4:28:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “In short, no province is exempted here because no province like bad governance. What will happen is that the governor will be supported by the national government,”

pna Wednesday, October 16, 2019 4:28:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Yung plano nila is just a plan, so kung meron silang plano then we will look at it,” “They can always have their plans but we might put up a detachment there”

abs-cbnnews Thursday, September 26, 2019 5:11:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Therefore, covering to international norms and Philippine laws on the status of children in situations of armed conflict, the Salugpungan in Region 11 teaches the students with different beliefs and systems far from what government prescribes,”

pna Tuesday, August 27, 2019 12:21:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Through good governance, we can address the lingering problems that we have especially in the countryside, especially in impoverished areas,”

reliefWeb Monday, August 26, 2019 5:58:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It just so happened that in our record, we do not have it on record that China asked for diplomatic clearance,"

manilametro Thursday, August 1, 2019 4:45:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It just so happened that in our record, we do not have it on record that China asked for diplomatic clearance,"

irishsun Thursday, August 1, 2019 1:26:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “There were many Chinese fishing vessels there. On Feb. 8, there were 61 and on July 24 it reached 113. I have recommended diplomatic actiont,”

manilastandardtoday Wednesday, July 31, 2019 11:51:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Scarborough Shoal ) : “It remains a fact that we lost Scarborough Shoal, because of some miscalculations,”

manilastandardtoday Wednesday, July 31, 2019 11:51:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Philippine Amusement ) : "On the matter of Chinese coming in, are we surprised about that? Of course," "What's really happening is that there are businesses, offshore gaming, coming in to the Philippines-- these are regulated by the PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation). But there are illegal players, illegal operators, that's our problem, because some of these Chinese could come in as tourists and they could end up for the period that they are allowed here to be workers,"

pna Wednesday, July 31, 2019 12:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "As the National Security Adviser, I have the tendency to look at it as a threat... I’m on the cautious side. When foreigners, regardless of nationality, come in, and their intent is not clear. Or when some of them are undocumented, or have false documentation,"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, July 31, 2019 10:38:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Customarily, lahat ng military vessels that pass through our territory ask for diplomatic clearance. Nagkataon na in our record (It just so happened that according to our record), we do not have it on record that China asked for diplomatic clearance,"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, July 31, 2019 8:59:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “They have the positional advantage right now and they have the equipment to enforce their position,”

manilastandardtoday Tuesday, July 23, 2019 10:54:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We have not abandoned any island, no island was taken from us since 2016, and we are strengthening our positions and possession,”

taipeitimes Tuesday, July 23, 2019 8:13:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Bonifacio Global City ) : “Positionally, they have the big advantage because of the naval forces in the artificial islands. Fiery Cross is twice bigger than Bonifacio Global City and reclaimed that in 2016. They have positional advantage and equipment to enforce their position,” “Our response is to strengthen and enhance our positions there, our 11 positions in the South China Sea. We have been strengthening Pag-asa (Thitu) Island,”

manilatimes Tuesday, July 23, 2019 7:22:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “I’ll go for [another] one year,”

manilatimes Tuesday, July 23, 2019 7:22:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "start and end with the West Philippine Sea,"

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, July 23, 2019 1:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We have not abandoned any island, no island was taken from us since 2016 and we are strengthening our positions and possession,"

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, July 23, 2019 1:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We have not abandoned any island, no island was taken from us since 2016 and we are strengthening our positions and possession,"

channelnewsasia Tuesday, July 23, 2019 12:11:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We have not abandoned any island, no island was taken from us since 2016 and we are strengthening our positions and possession,"

news-yahoo Tuesday, July 23, 2019 9:58:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "They have the positional advantage right now and they have the equipment to enforce their position,"

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, July 23, 2019 8:58:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We may not be a very strong country militarily, but we can say we are able to hold on to our sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea,"

BangkokPost Wednesday, July 17, 2019 2:39:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "While much had been achieved in past years towards the enhancement of security cooperation between the security and law-enforcement agencies of both countries, more avenues were nonetheless explored, including the conduct of regular dialogues at various levels, information-sharing, and capacity-building activities,"

xinhuanet_en Sunday, July 14, 2019 2:42:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “It’s a serious matter but we will not speculate on what would be the result, we will not speculate. Baka ang implication niyan hindi sa atin, baka sa US. So why don’t they come out with the report and bring it out in the open with all the facts rather than…floating it,”

inquirer Thursday, July 4, 2019 6:12:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It's a serious matter but we will not speculate on what would be the result,"

pna Thursday, July 4, 2019 11:57:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “For so long a time, many of these so-called cause-oriented organizations have deceived the public into believing that their actions, especially those that are directed against the government, had been legitimate,” “Some, in fact, had misled foreign funding institutions into giving foreign grants and donations to support their supposed cause, but were instead diverted to the CPP-NPA-NDF in furtherance of the latter’s communist terrorist objectives,”

pna Wednesday, July 3, 2019 3:22:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “But when we looked into their background, they were not registered with the SEC. It backfired on them. You can go to the SEC right now but you won’t find their registration. It was back in 2003 they last registered; it’s been expired for 16 years. But they are still saying they are registered and collecting donations from everywhere to fund the activities of the Communist Party of the Philippines New People’s Army [CPP-NPA],”

pna Tuesday, July 2, 2019 4:12:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “They are running the schools of the NPA in Region 11 [Davao Region]. These are the schools of the lumad where their youth are taught hate, hatred against the government,”

pna Tuesday, July 2, 2019 4:12:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon answered : "Very hard. West Philippine Sea has 2,000 nautical miles"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, May 22, 2019 11:42:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Rodrigo Duterte ) : “Arbitral ruling was mentioned. (Duterte) said ‘I will bring up the arbitral ruling in another 2 years,’ but by saying so, what message was he putting across?’”

abs-cbnnews Saturday, April 27, 2019 1:29:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Xi Jinping ) : “I think this is the best bilateral that the President has had so far with President Xi Jinping. There were things that he said that I thought he would not say,”

abs-cbnnews Saturday, April 27, 2019 1:29:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “It means that we keep to our positions, if they keep to their positions, let it be,” “But let us continue, even improve on the things that we are doing together. It’s not all war, in fact that should be the last resort”

abs-cbnnews Saturday, April 27, 2019 1:29:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon alleged : "EU funds are used to sustain terrorist activities of the longest existing communist-terrorist organization in the world, the CPP-NPA"

abs-cbnnews Thursday, April 11, 2019 1:21:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "The Belgian government, through different NGOs based in Belgium, has indirectly and unwittingly partnered with various NGOs in the Philippines that act as legal fronts of the CPP-NPA,"

abs-cbnnews Saturday, March 30, 2019 1:37:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Constitution and Program: Communist Party of the Philippines, 2016,"

pna Thursday, March 28, 2019 2:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added ( about Peace ) : “Security forces have tightened up the systems to secure Sulu and the rest of BARMM. Peace must prevail over war,”

manilametro Saturday, February 2, 2019 12:28:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We are looking at some persons of interest caught in the CCTV that we reviewed. Nothing is conclusive yet, but their actuations seem to tell us that they appear to have a participation in the attack,”

eurasiareview Tuesday, January 29, 2019 8:45:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

manilametro Monday, January 28, 2019 9:05:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We have yet to establish if the two explosions are related to the all-important BOL. The BOL ends the secessionist narrative. The BOL signifies the end of war for secession. It stands for peace in Mindanao,” “The perpetrators are mass murderers. They are extremist criminals. We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

manilametro Monday, January 28, 2019 5:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

capitalfm Monday, January 28, 2019 12:22:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

phnompenhpost Monday, January 28, 2019 10:16:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

muscatdaily Monday, January 28, 2019 10:03:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

eurasiareview Monday, January 28, 2019 8:12:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "security forces have tightened up the systems to secure Sulu and the rest of BARMM"

ecns Monday, January 28, 2019 5:15:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

channelnewsasia Monday, January 28, 2019 12:11:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We have yet to establish if the two explosions are related to the all-important BOL. The BOL ends the secessionist narrative. The BOL signifies the end of war for secession. It stands for peace in Mindanao,” “The perpetrators are mass murderers. They are extremist criminals. We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

arabnews Monday, January 28, 2019 12:08:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

yahoo-au Sunday, January 27, 2019 11:44:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

digitaljournal Sunday, January 27, 2019 11:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

gulf-times Sunday, January 27, 2019 11:19:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

capitalfm Sunday, January 27, 2019 9:30:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

capitalfm Sunday, January 27, 2019 9:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

BangkokPost Sunday, January 27, 2019 7:51:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

digitaljournal Sunday, January 27, 2019 6:42:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

afp-en Sunday, January 27, 2019 6:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

timesofmalta Sunday, January 27, 2019 6:13:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

afp-en Sunday, January 27, 2019 4:40:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

naharnet-en Sunday, January 27, 2019 4:08:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

capitalfm Sunday, January 27, 2019 2:45:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

yahoo-au Sunday, January 27, 2019 1:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

digitaljournal Sunday, January 27, 2019 1:08:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

afp-en Sunday, January 27, 2019 12:44:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “That’s how democracy works. There are those who are not for it and there are those who would go for it, that is why the plebiscite will be a good indicator on Monday if whether most people are willing to join the BOL,”

manilametro Saturday, January 19, 2019 12:14:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about National Security Strategy ) : "The National Security Council and the security sector succeeded in adequately managing national security in the face of numerous issues and concerns that continue to challenge the security of the nation,"

pna Sunday, December 30, 2018 10:12:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told ( about Isnilon Totoni Hapilon ) : "We saw it coming. We have been getting reports from the time that the Maute clan have been in Butig a town nearby near Marawi until they moved to Marawi itself, also the time that Hapilon came in.. Of course, there had been consultations but we wanted to of course be discreet on a lot of things because we want to strike at the leadership immediately,"

abs-cbnnews Friday, September 22, 2017 3:42:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We are guarding Lake Lanao, and just the same it's a built up area, so we are very careful about this. They still have hostages and that hae been one primary consideration in the operations, saving as many lives as possible, meaning the lives of those hostages even if they had been reported to have been forced to be converted to Islam,"

abs-cbnnews Friday, September 22, 2017 3:42:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “They [the kidnapped Dutertes] may not be related to President Duterte,”

manilastandardtoday Sunday, March 5, 2017 4:01:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Memorandum of Understanding on these fields are being finalized by concerned agencies and are expected to be signed during the planned President’s visit to Moscow,”

manilastandardtoday Saturday, March 4, 2017 2:20:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “I don’t think there should be anything to worry about. This is a weekend of celebration, this is a happy celebration of peaceful transformation,”

manilastandardtoday Saturday, February 25, 2017 1:30:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Baka naman yung dating pa-mutiny mutiny dyan eh pagdating ng pulis pala eh magtataas ng kamay,"

abs-cbnnews Friday, February 24, 2017 9:48:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Terrorism is an international concern, that’s what he meant. If he may have mentioned one country, all countries are also concerned on terrorism,”

seatrade-global Wednesday, February 1, 2017 12:51:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We have other more important matters… This should not be the flavor of the day or the month since this is just something that we already know,”

manilatimes Tuesday, January 10, 2017 5:26:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We have other more important matters...This should not be the flavor of the day or the month since this is just something that we already know,"

sunstar Tuesday, January 10, 2017 8:24:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “That could be part of the overall work but as I said, this should not be the flavor of the day or the month, this is something that we already know. And the best way to address this is to show that we are effective in anti-drugs, that we could address the problems that they are concerned with,”

manilatimes Monday, January 9, 2017 9:42:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Oh, wow, LeniLeaks? We have a meeting today, it happens that it will not be one of the matters that will be taken up. It just tells you that we have other more important matters,”

sunstar Monday, January 9, 2017 1:11:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “The President has decided to declare that as a sanctuary. That is a unilateral action from government,”

manilatimes Monday, November 21, 2016 9:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It is our position not to have fishing activities inside the triangle,"

ABCnews Monday, November 21, 2016 2:52:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "If they don't want to allow fishing there, we don't want to allow fishing there either,"

ABCnews Monday, November 21, 2016 2:52:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “It is our position not to have fishing activities inside the triangle,” “Diyan tayo may congruence: kung ayaw nila (China) magpa-fishing doon, ayaw din natin magpa-fishing doon”

abs-cbnnews Sunday, November 20, 2016 10:55:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “You would expect na merong kanya-kayang plano (both sides) as a matter of democratic advocacies,”

abs-cbnnews Sunday, November 20, 2016 10:55:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

digitaljournal Tuesday, November 1, 2016 2:01:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

digitaljournal Tuesday, November 1, 2016 2:01:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

digitaljournal Tuesday, November 1, 2016 8:57:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

digitaljournal Tuesday, November 1, 2016 8:57:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

digitaljournal Tuesday, November 1, 2016 5:09:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

digitaljournal Tuesday, November 1, 2016 5:09:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Maybe not now but when we go to another round of talks we will again assert it,”

manilastandardtoday Monday, October 31, 2016 10:35:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “It was win-win on both sides, but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim because we have asserted it,”

manilastandardtoday Monday, October 31, 2016 10:35:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "There was no expressed agreement but it seems like the traditional rights of our fishermen are being respected,"

muscatinejournal Monday, October 31, 2016 6:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Now that there's no resolution, why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?"

muscatinejournal Monday, October 31, 2016 6:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "The president reiterated that we won in the court, the other leader also reiterated that it is historically their territory, so it was not resolved,"

reuters Monday, October 31, 2016 5:48:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "There was no expressed agreement but it seems like the traditional rights of our fishermen are being respected,"

ABCnews Monday, October 31, 2016 5:39:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Now that there's no resolution, why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?"

ABCnews Monday, October 31, 2016 5:39:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Maybe not now but when we go to another round of talks, we will again assert it,"

ABCnews Monday, October 31, 2016 5:39:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "The president reiterated that we won in the court, the other leader also reiterated that it is historically their territory, so it was not resolved,"

marinelink Monday, October 31, 2016 4:59:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "The president reiterated that we won in the court, the other leader also reiterated that it is historically their territory, so it was not resolved,"

abs-cbnnews Monday, October 31, 2016 4:26:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

abs-cbnnews Monday, October 31, 2016 4:26:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

abs-cbnnews Monday, October 31, 2016 4:26:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "The President reiterated that we won in the court, the other leader also reiterated that it is historically their territory, so it was not resolved,"

abc-au Monday, October 31, 2016 4:21:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

digitaljournal Monday, October 31, 2016 2:17:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

digitaljournal Monday, October 31, 2016 2:17:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

naharnet-en Monday, October 31, 2016 1:32:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

naharnet-en Monday, October 31, 2016 1:32:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

channelnewsasia Monday, October 31, 2016 12:23:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

channelnewsasia Monday, October 31, 2016 12:23:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

afp-en Monday, October 31, 2016 10:53:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

afp-en Monday, October 31, 2016 10:53:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "From Oct. 17 to 27, there had been only two Chinese ships,"

reuters-af Sunday, October 30, 2016 9:29:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We’re going into some kind of demilitarization in the area. So that’s okay. They are just exercises after all,”

manilastandardtoday Thursday, September 29, 2016 7:44:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Don’t you want that, so it becomes quiet, peaceful?” “If the navy of China is not therethose are our traditional fishing groundsthen things will be okay”

manilastandardtoday Thursday, September 29, 2016 7:44:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “If indeed we prove that there is a destabilization attempt, in due time, we will come up with a statement,” “In my view, I don’t think there’s any plot from the military”

manilastandardtoday Wednesday, September 28, 2016 7:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “If indeed we prove that there is a destabilization attempt, in due time, we will come up with a statement,” “In my view, I don’t think there’s any plot from the military”

japantimes Wednesday, September 28, 2016 10:32:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "We cannot allow this situation to continue, this should end once and for all,"

AsiaOne Thursday, June 16, 2016 8:48:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “We cannot allow this situation to continue, this should end once and for all,”

JakartaPost Wednesday, June 15, 2016 8:39:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “For progress to begin, communities must be first freed from the threat and influence of the NPA. The dismantling of guerilla fronts necessitates a comprehensive process of improving coordination between security operations and developmental intervention projects,”

thestandard-ph Sunday, February 21, 2021 7:54:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Eastern Mindanao ) : "Notwithstanding the geographical abundance and economic activity in Davao City, the presence of the NPA has long been a force that has hindered the development of Mindanao, the Davao Region, and of Davao City,"

pna Sunday, February 21, 2021 4:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "In fact, these programs address the issues commonly exploited by the NPA. In its entirety, the BDP consists of a package of development programs that aim to alleviate the conditions of barangay recipients,"

pna Sunday, February 21, 2021 4:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "GFs (Guerilla Fronts) consist of political and military components within a specified territory. Each territory consists of several municipalities straddling provincial and even regional boundaries. The territory of a Guerilla Front has a tactical center located at the remote common boundary of several municipalities or provinces where the NPA exerts total control or influence on the population,"

pna Sunday, February 21, 2021 4:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "The clearing operations necessitate the disassembling of firstly, the politico-military structure that has been established and controls the community; and secondly, a community effort that culminates in the rejection of the NPA and their eventual denial of access into the area they have formerly controlled,"

pna Sunday, February 21, 2021 4:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "The former NPA communities are now ripe for developmental projects through the BDP,"

pna Sunday, February 21, 2021 4:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Unlike Metro Manila, a highly urbanized area and the center for socio-economic development in the country, Davao City is characterized as a rural area despite being classified as an independent city with the largest land area among the cities in the country. The fact remains that there are numerous isolated and remote barangays within the city. Hence, with the large land area of Davao City, there still is a need for development and infrastructure for the growth of the city,"

pna Sunday, February 21, 2021 4:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “For the benefit of this alleged communist spokesman and those who read his piece, allow me to further reiterate that the P20 million worth of programs and projects he speaks of is to be given to each barangay cleared of the NPA threat and influence from 2016-2019. To set the record straight, there are 822 barangays that shall each be receiving the P20 million BDP assistance, contrary to his claim of 215,”

thestandard-ph Monday, February 1, 2021 6:07:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Yang ) : "Yang pagbabawal sa police sa UP ay galing pa yan sa estorya sa martial law... tapos na tayo sa martial law samakatuwid bakit mo ipagbabawal ang police operations sa Diliman (The act of not allowing police in UP came from the stories of martial law, we are no longer under martial law why would you prohibit police operations in Diliman),"

manilametro Wednesday, January 27, 2021 11:39:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Rodrigo Duterte ) : “The BDP is the flagship program of the Duterte administration for poverty alleviation and development in the context of addressing the root causes of insurgency,”

thestandard-ph Monday, January 25, 2021 6:55:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “While the communist rebels took advantage of the poverty and perceived lack of government presence in these areas, we at NTF-ELCAC are committed to deliver government services to these barangays,” “We intend to curb the NPA recruitment through holistic development projects that bridge the gap between the needs of the community and accessibility”

thestandard-ph Monday, January 25, 2021 6:55:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “The NTF-ELCAC, through the Whole of Nation Approach (WONA) truly values improving the lives of Filipinos, unlike the eccentric violence of the CPP-NPA. This is the type of confidence building mechanism we need; not a self-destructing measure,”

thestandard-ph Monday, January 25, 2021 6:55:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We intend to curb this recruitment through holistic development projects that bridge the need of the communities and accessibility,"

manilametro Monday, January 25, 2021 3:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Joma Sison ) : "Kaya siya mismo, kung may masasabi tayong-red tagging, siya mismo ang nag-red-tag, if others are saying that we are the ones red-tagging, it is Sison himself who did that,"

irishsun Thursday, December 17, 2020 3:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “Kung meron silang gagawing kaguluhan ay nakahanda ang ating tropa,”

tribuneonline Wednesday, December 16, 2020 12:12:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Kung mayroon mang banta ang CPP-NPA ay ano ba ang bago? Dati naman silang nand'yan na, mayroong mga armas,"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, December 16, 2020 10:06:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Sa nakita ko, nakakasiguro ako na ang cybersecurity set-up ng DITO ay sapat. It was what we required,"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, December 16, 2020 10:06:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Kung meron mang banta ang CPP-NPA eh ano ba ang bago, dati naman silang nandiyan na, meron na mga armas. Kung may gagawin silang kaguluhan ay nakahanda ang atin mga tropa (What's new, they have been there for a long time and they have weapons. If they would be creating trouble, our troops are ready for that),"

pna Wednesday, December 16, 2020 9:46:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Yes, I had said before that is an option, but we are doing it now. It is not only an option now, but we have firmed up our move and we will do that you can be sure that we will go towards that direction as soon as possible,”

thestandard-ph Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Jevilyn was not a martyr. She was deceived into sacrificing her life for a cause lacking legitimacy and noble purpose. She was a victim of a manipulative organization that has taken advantage of her from the moment she was radicalized until her recruitment into the armed struggle,”

thestandard-ph Wednesday, December 2, 2020 11:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "That is really a guerrilla base. We do not do that in the armed forces,"

thestandard-ph Tuesday, December 1, 2020 9:25:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Secretary Año is a former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff. He was the ISAFP chief when Benito Tiamzon, the chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Central Committee in the Philippines; and his wife — the former Secretary General, were arrested in 2014. It’s only natural for Secretary Año to want to see them captured again,” “He has the whole Philippine National Police with him. Of course, the Armed Forces is also in the picture,”

tribuneonline Tuesday, December 1, 2020 8:30:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "That is really a guerilla base. We do not do that in the armed forces,"

pna Tuesday, December 1, 2020 1:14:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “They are living proof of the indisputable ties between the legal fronts and the NPA. Therefore, the Makabayan bloc cannot deny their complicity in the armed struggle,”

manilastandardtoday Thursday, November 26, 2020 10:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Activism is not terrorism but there is a boundary. If you are an activist, you will not carry arms to force the government to decide for the people. You can go to the streets as long as you have a permit, you can voice out injustices wag lang kayong pumunta sa armadong pakikibaka or magbigay ng suporta o mag recruit o magbigay ng material support (just don’t join the armed rebellion or give them support or recruit for them or give them material support),”

pna Wednesday, November 25, 2020 12:27:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It is worth noting that, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Davao area accounted for an appreciable number of cleared barangays from the period of 2016-2019. Security forces estimate that Davao City is within the vicinity of five guerilla fronts, with one guerilla front inside its jurisdiction,"

pna Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:10:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Particular to Davao City is the need for school buildings to replace the Salugpungan schools illegally operating in the area. In 2019, more than 55 Salugpungan schools were illegally operating and recruiting Indigenous children into armed conflict,"

pna Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:10:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "Data from security forces indicate that Davao region is a recruitment and training ground for the NPA,"

pna Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:10:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Eastern Mindanao ) : "In fact, eight out of ten NPAs in Eastern Mindanao have been recruited from Indigenous Peoples (communities),"

pna Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:10:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Initially, the Regional Task Force XI of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) had included geographically-isolated and disadvantaged areas of Magtuod, Tapak, Colosas, Salapawan, Lumiad, Mapula, Panalum, Mabuhay, Tibuloy, Salaysay, Malamba, Guitan, Biao Joaquin, Talandang and Dominga, totaling to 15 communities,"

pna Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:10:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Eastern Mindanao ) : "Clearly, the facts show that Davao City can be considered a province by itself. Davao City is the hub of the economy in Mindanao, with a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) rate of 9.4 percent and 40,499 businesses established within the city, and a population of 1,673,832 people as of 2018,"

pna Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:10:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "The NTF ELCAC intends to ensure that the projects in these priority areas are sustainable. Thus, to prevent the NPA from exploiting these communities, communities threatened by the influence of the armed rebels were included in the final list of priority areas,"

pna Saturday, November 21, 2020 10:10:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Jose Maria Sison ) : “Sison’s trial for 15 counts of murder for the Inopacan Massacre is an opportune time for him to exhaust all the legal and constitutional right afforded to him by the very democracy he wished to destabilize even as he enjoys luxuries in the Netherlands. He and his lot are now given the opportunity to stand in court, to present their defense, and respond to the accusations against them,”

manilastandardtoday Thursday, November 19, 2020 8:56:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Jose Maria Sison ) : “Contrary to Sison’s contention, we do not play dirty, nor do we fabricate lies against the accused. This government respects the integrity and impartiality of the judicial proceedings as well as their right to due process; hence our clamor for the trial to proceed without delay,”

manilastandardtoday Thursday, November 19, 2020 8:56:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added ( about Jose Maria Sison ) : “I am beholden to the victims and the families they left behind to seek justice. In the same light, I urge Chairman Sison, who is now in his twilight years, to contemplate on his actions as the longstanding chairman of the CPP-NPA. With certainty, it can be stated that he and the CPP-NPA have caused decades of misery and suffering in the country and in particular, to his former comrades and their families,”

manilastandardtoday Thursday, November 19, 2020 8:56:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "I have likewise presented an album of photos detailing the manner in which the victims were brutally executed,"

pna Thursday, November 19, 2020 12:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There are many more atrocities that their so-called 'revolutionary movement' have to be held accountable for,"

pna Thursday, November 19, 2020 12:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It is relevant to mention that the CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United Nations Security Council under Resolution No. 1373 of 2001. Governments of the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia have likewise classified them as terrorists,"

pna Thursday, November 19, 2020 12:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It is our intent for the truth to come out. In this instance, it is solely the court which possesses the competency and authority to decide on the merits of the case and, correspondingly, the liability of those involved,"

pna Thursday, November 19, 2020 12:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "This government respects the integrity and impartiality of the judicial proceedings as well as their right to due process; hence our clamor for the trial to proceed without delay,"

pna Thursday, November 19, 2020 12:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Joma Sison ) : "In the same light, I urge Chairman Sison, who is now in his twilight years, to contemplate on his actions as the longstanding Chairman of the CPP-NPA. With certainty, it can be stated that he and the CPP-NPA have caused decades of misery and suffering to the country, and in particular, to his former comrades and their families,"

pna Thursday, November 19, 2020 12:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “It is high time that the CPP-NPA be held accountable for the atrocities they have committed against our people, through the application of the judicial process,”

pna Monday, November 16, 2020 3:03:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "We are moving toward the Code of Conduct in our talks with China, and the ASEAN side is led by no less than the Philippines,"

manilametro Thursday, November 5, 2020 12:27:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We have already a single draft on the agreements and we still hope that by 2021, we could sign the final agreement,"

manilametro Thursday, November 5, 2020 12:27:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "We are moving toward the Code of Conduct in our talks with China, and the ASEAN side is led by no less than the Philippines,"

irishsun Thursday, November 5, 2020 10:26:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We have already a single draft on the agreements and we still hope that by 2021, we could sign the final agreement,"

irishsun Thursday, November 5, 2020 10:26:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “They were recruiting 13 to 15-year-olds to turn them into NPA rebels,” “We need not think far, they are the ones who are identifying themselves (with communist terrorist groups)”

pna Wednesday, November 4, 2020 4:49:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We admire their intentions (in going to Bicol for a relief goods distribution) but we have information that they did not go there,"

pna Wednesday, November 4, 2020 11:23:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We are saddened that they did not attend as this is the 'democratic space' given to us to talk among ourselves, to exchange ideas and opinion, and to find out who among us is right,"

pna Wednesday, November 4, 2020 11:23:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Lorraine Badoy ) : “Hindi ko dedepensahan si Gen. Parlade at saka si Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, kung hindi susuportahan. Ano bang sinasabi ni Gen. Parlade? Na ang CPP-NPA ay mayroong mga underground organizations na mayroong front, legal na front (I won’t defend Gen. Parlade and Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, but I’ll support them. What is Gen. Parlade saying? That CPP-NPA has underground organizations with legal fronts),”

pna Tuesday, November 3, 2020 12:53:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “In the strongest terms, I denounce the personalities that claim to be ‘progressive’ and are calling for the dismantling of the NTF-ELCAC and the defunding of the Barangay Development Program,”

thestandard-ph Wednesday, October 28, 2020 10:34:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon explained : “The Task Force and the Program do not infringe upon the liberties and freedoms that our people possess constitutionally,” “We in the NTF-ELCAC do not intend to stand in the way of advocacies for the rights of vulnerable sectors,”

thestandard-ph Wednesday, October 28, 2020 10:34:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “I take this opportunity to introduce the NTF-ELCAC to a wider audience, and clarify the misconceptions and disinformation being spread on social media. I need to reiterate the security and development nexus as a paradigm of the NTF-ELCAC,”

thestandard-ph Wednesday, October 28, 2020 10:34:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Gabriela Women ) : “We have determined that numerous members of these front organizations inevitably end up in the ranks, as well as armed combatants of the NPA. For instance, we have seen how young women such as Josephine Anne Lapira, the Deputy General of Gabriela Youth, and Gabriela youth members Jastine Ella Vargas and Rona Jane Manalo have engaged in armed combat and unfortunately, were killed in encounters with our security forces,”

thestandard-ph Wednesday, October 28, 2020 10:34:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Sinusuportahan ko at sinasabi ko rin, dinadagdagan ko iyong sinasabi nila kung hindi pa nila nasabi. Pero napakagaling ni Lorraine at Gen. Parlade, nasasabi nila ang lahat,"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, October 28, 2020 10:26:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "Ngayon lang kasi nangyayari na mayroon tayong mga spokespersons na ganito, talagang nagsasabi ng totoo. At kailangan talagang magising na ang buong bayan. Ano ba ang gusto natin, palalawigin ba natin itong 52 years ng CPP-NPA na ginugulo tayo, o gusto natin na wakasan ito?"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, October 28, 2020 10:26:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "the number one political security threat,"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, October 28, 2020 10:26:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Ito ay social and economic program that will free up the countryside that are conflicted. Alam naman natin na hindi maka-take off ang ekonomiya sa mga lugar na may gulo," "Sobra bang bigyan ng P20 million [worth of] projects ang barangay?"

manilametro Sunday, October 4, 2020 2:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "As chairman of the National Task Force West Philippine Sea, I say that we have been able to perform our numerous taskings there by the creation of the Area Task Force North and Area Task Force West,"

pna Friday, October 2, 2020 6:17:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about West Philippine Sea ) : "Area Task Force (West) takes care of Palawan and the rest of the area up to near the Sulu Sea, including the Sulu Sea,"

pna Friday, October 2, 2020 6:17:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Philippine Navy ) : "We were also able to conduct maritime research and marine research. You may not know it (but we) have research ships from the Navy, from the Department of Environment, plus the University of the Philippines,"

pna Friday, October 2, 2020 6:17:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We have strengthened our detachments there, the islands that we have covered. We have put up lighthouses, and on the northern side, we have even put more sovereignty markers (in) Batanes, more lighthouses. We have improved our communications, we have Wi-Fi in Pag-asa island, we have Internet, courtesy of two private entities, Smart and Globe plus our own. Maybe the third telco will also put in their Internet there,"

pna Friday, October 2, 2020 6:17:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “As vice chairman of the NTF-ELCAC, I have ensured that all its activities have been conducted within the bounds of law. The guiding principle behind the NTF-ELCAC has been the marching orders of the President to ensure Good Governance by way of the delivery of basic services, especially to the countryside,”

thestandard-ph Thursday, October 1, 2020 11:03:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “His statement clearly seeks to undermine the integrity of the administrative mechanisms and audit capabilities of the entire bureaucracy,”

tribuneonline Friday, September 18, 2020 10:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon asserted : “What Rep. Gaite has failed to note is that the funds for these will be sourced from the budgets of the agencies spearheading these projects, while the coordinated implementation will be by local chief executives,” “I question the motive behind Rep. Gaite’s comments on the budget allocation and his objection to the empowerment and development of vulnerable communities in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas,”

tribuneonline Friday, September 18, 2020 10:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon concluded : “The fabricated allegations against the NTF-ELCAC are precisely the means by which these so-called progressive groups intend to obstruct the fulfillment of universal and lasting progress in our communities. The success of NTF-ELCAC will render them as irrelevant footnotes to our history,”

tribuneonline Friday, September 18, 2020 10:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon asked : “And the Makabayan bloc don’t want this to happen? Why? Are they siding with the NPA?,” “This is a reflection of good governance by way of converging our projects. We bring all the projects in a particular area, not one by one,”

tribuneonline Friday, September 18, 2020 10:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon concluded : “This is not just an effort of the military. It’s a whole-of-government approach. We hope we can get the fund. Hopefully the Makabayan bloc won’t block it,”

tribuneonline Friday, September 18, 2020 10:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “His statement clearly seeks to undermine the integrity of the administrative mechanisms and audit capabilities of the entire bureaucracy,”

tribuneonline Thursday, September 17, 2020 10:03:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon asserted : “What Rep. Gaite has failed to note is that the funds for these will be sourced from the budgets of the agencies spearheading these projects, while the coordinated implementation will be by local chief executives,” “I question the motive behind Rep. Gaite’s comments on the budget allocation and his objection to the empowerment and development of vulnerable communities in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas,”

tribuneonline Thursday, September 17, 2020 10:03:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon concluded : “The fabricated allegations against the NTF-ELCAC are precisely the means by which these so-called progressive groups intend to obstruct the fulfillment of universal and lasting progress in our communities. The success of NTF-ELCAC will render them as irrelevant footnotes to our history,”

tribuneonline Thursday, September 17, 2020 10:03:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Ferdinand Gaite ) : “As vice chairman of the NTF-ELCAC, I have ensured that all its activities have been conducted within the bounds of the law,” “I question the motive behind Gaite’s comments on the budget allocation and his objection to the empowerment and development of vulnerable communities in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas”

thestandard-ph Thursday, September 10, 2020 7:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Ang kasong 'yon ay nagbunga ng pag-issue ng warrant of arrest for the more than 38 leaders of CPP-NPA, including Sison, Jalandoni, and others,"

manilametro Sunday, August 9, 2020 12:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "In pursuit of this policy, the government cannot prejudice respect for human rights which shall be absolute and protected at all times,"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, July 22, 2020 10:25:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Anong ikinakatakot nila? Itong ating law-abiding citizens ay walang dapat ikatakot dahil itong anti-terrorism law ay para sa kapakanan at seguridad ng law-abiding citizens,"

abs-cbnnews Saturday, July 4, 2020 9:32:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “The horror of an innocent’s exposure to terrorism or even demise will undoubtedly reverberate in the lives of their families forever altered,”

manilastandardtoday Friday, July 3, 2020 7:27:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon noted : “Under my terms, the National Security Council has been intensively involved in matters that cover terrorism and extremism, the local communist insurgency, the archipelagic and maritime security, cybersecurity, food and water security, sustainable development, global security issues, and other issues mentioned in the National Security Policy and National Security Strategy,” “Please be assured that the National Security Council remains committed to uphold its legal mandate and obligations in furtherance of the best interest of the Filipino people,”

tribuneonline Thursday, June 25, 2020 11:05:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Over 1.5 million Filipinos in islands of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi Tawi are currently living in actual and constant threat of terrorism. In these provinces, there are 63 percent of poverty incidences, proof that they are starving from development,”

pna Wednesday, June 17, 2020 4:02:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “What is unfortunate is that our isolation from the threat has caused most of us to become desensitized to the point of becoming oblivious to the true state of our troubled region,” “How soon did we forget that we all wept for the SAF (Special Action Force) 44 and witnessed Marawi crumble brick by brick”

manilatimes Wednesday, June 17, 2020 3:51:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "The Anti-Terrorism Act of our neighboring countries which were enacted before 2010 are more stringent. For instance, Australia has a minimum detention period of 14 days. In Malaysia, it can be up to two years. In Singapore, it is for 720 days. In Indonesia, it can be up to 120 days. The proposed bill prescribes only 14 days and there is a reason for that. This is for us to clearly see what they did before they can be really charged,"

pna Wednesday, June 17, 2020 12:51:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We as leaders of this country would be remiss in our duties if we failed to adopt the needed measures that would bring us at par with the international obligations aimed at combatting global terrorism in all its iterations and forms,”

manilastandardtoday Tuesday, June 16, 2020 10:24:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Terrorism often ends up in blood[shed]... To broader extent, communities suffer due to the threat. Terrorism has displaced communities, has left properties ruined. Families are being torn apart,"

manilametro Monday, June 15, 2020 7:25:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "I believe in the credibility and goodness of the Supreme Court. They will always consider what is legally correct and good for the people,"

pna Monday, June 15, 2020 3:56:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "By providing shelter to the enemy of the state, she is liable for having violated the laws of the land and she has come out to be with the force of the law, and to be able to clear her name,"

manilametro Thursday, June 11, 2020 6:12:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "By providing shelter to the enemy of the state, she is liable for having violated the laws of the land and she has come out to be with the force of the law, and to be able to clear her name,"

irishsun Thursday, June 11, 2020 4:56:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "This is a sign that the more than 50 years of nonsense armed struggle is nearing closure,"

pna Thursday, June 11, 2020 1:33:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "This legal action is a milestone in the fight against the communist terrorist group (CTG). It reaffirms our unanimity towards our cause to rid our country of this fifty-year-old menace to society,"

pna Wednesday, May 27, 2020 12:46:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "We recall that in August last year, Mrs. Lucena, along with other mothers, testified at a Senate hearing and investigation on the ongoing NPA youth recruitment in schools where their missing children had been attending,"

pna Wednesday, May 27, 2020 12:46:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "We welcome this development, and we support Mr. and Mrs. Lucena, and other parents similarly situated, in their efforts to bring their children back into the care and comfort of their families,"

pna Wednesday, May 27, 2020 12:46:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “If the left is exploiting the issue, which it is, then NTF-ELCAC must come in and at the least warn and inform the people about the issues. Freedom of the press is not the issue here. I go for law and order,”

pna Monday, May 11, 2020 12:11:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Depende sa point of view. If the left is exploiting the issue, which it is, then NTFELCAC must come in and at the least warn and inform the people about the issues,” “Freedom of the press is not the issue here. I go for law and order”

tribuneonline Sunday, May 10, 2020 6:28:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Antonio Carpio ) : “Kung ang iniisip ni Justice Carpio ay pakikipag-giyera, eh iwanan na lang niya iyan sa defense at kinikilala natin siya sa larangan hustisya, eh huwag na siyang masyadong pumapel sa pakikipag-giyera (If Justice Carpio is thinking of waging a war, he should leave it to defense [experts]. We know him in the field of justice, but he should not bother thinking of going to war),”

pna Tuesday, April 28, 2020 2:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Ang nangyayari, tuwing mag-a -attempt na sisimulan ulit, ’pag nagkaroon ng peace talks, nagkakaroon ng ceasefire, nagkakaroon naman ng violations doon sa panig ng CPP-NPA na tinatawag natin ngayon na communist terrorist group (Every time there are attempts to revive the peace talks and a ceasefire is declared, violations are committed by the CPP-NPA, which we now call a communist terror group),” “Kaya hindi mo talaga mapagkatiwalan bigyan ng ceasefire (That’s why you can’t trust them on ceasefires)”

pna Tuesday, April 28, 2020 1:21:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Justice Antonio Carpio ) : "Kung ang iniisip ni Justice Carpio ay pakikipag-giyera eh iwanan na lang niya iyan sa defense [department] at kinikilala natin siya sa larangan ng hustisya, eh huwag na siyang masyadong pumapel sa pakikipag-giyera,"

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, April 28, 2020 12:35:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Labor ) : “Mayroon ding mga karagdagang programa at proyekto na manggagaling sa iba’t-ibang ahensya ng gobyerno tulad ng Department of Labor and Employment at Department of Trade and Industry at mga lokal na pamahalaan ng gobyerno,”

reliefWeb Thursday, March 12, 2020 5:16:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “This actually is a lingering question in many of the legislatures and I want to answer that basic question during the course of this hearing,” “But I must say that on the basic question, is there any danger or any threat in so far as the national grid is concerned? There are, there are. But I’d caution immediately against being in panic about it because there are also measures that we can adopt to allow NGCP as it’s doing now to continue operations,”

manilastandardtoday Tuesday, February 4, 2020 5:46:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "I'd caution immediately against being in a panic about it because there are also measures that we can adopt to allow NGCP ... to continue operations,"

manilametro Tuesday, February 4, 2020 7:15:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “This actually is a lingering question in many of the legislatures and I want to answer that basic question during the course of this hearing,” “But I must say that on the basic question, is there any danger or any threat in so far as the national grid is concerned? There are, there are. But I’d caution immediately against being in panic about it because there are also measures that we can adopt to allow NGCP as it’s doing now to continue operations,”

thestandard-ph Monday, February 3, 2020 9:27:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Grid Corporation ) : “The administration is taking steps and precautionary measures to guarantee that the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, its facilities and infrastructure are protected with the highest security procedures,”

themalaymailonline Monday, February 3, 2020 7:28:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Grid Corporation ) : "The administration is taking steps and precautionary measures to guarantee that the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, its facilities and infrastructure are protected with the highest security procedures,"

news-yahoo Monday, February 3, 2020 4:22:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "There will always be a need for a review on the dictum that there is no impenetrable barrier,"

abs-cbnnews Monday, February 3, 2020 12:12:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon urged : "We are on the right direction, let us synchronize and harmonize our efforts in the barangays,"

reliefWeb Tuesday, January 28, 2020 6:23:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “There may not be a need anymore for national peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front since we are doing it at the local level. The results are simply coming in faster than the national peace talks,”

pna Thursday, January 23, 2020 1:23:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “Towards this call, the President, last Cabinet meeting, approved a total of PHP36 billion for 2020 until 2021 and this fund will be used for projects and programs such as farm-to-market roads, water systems, school buildings, health stations, livelihood programs and other programs that will be identified,”

pna Friday, January 17, 2020 2:27:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “Yeah, although that is not very immediate because there are negotiations on the new contracts. But we are, we have already been given some kind of a notice by the President. So it’s more likely the engineers and technicians. And we can use the Armed Forces for that… as the backbone,”

tribuneonline Friday, January 10, 2020 4:23:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “there is no decision like that but that is in the realm of possibilities”

tribuneonline Friday, January 10, 2020 4:23:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon pointed out : “It would send signals, why not? But it also sends signals that we are not for bad contracts. Meaning that’s also good for business going into contracts that are good. Bad contracts or onerous contracts should not be allowed anytime,” “So, if the government’s attitude is to have all contracts in accordance with the law, then that should be where we are,”

tribuneonline Friday, January 10, 2020 4:23:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “There were no specific names mentioned. But when you start talking about onerous contracts then some people can always think about the possibilities,”

tribuneonline Friday, January 10, 2020 4:23:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We have alternatives to the peace talks. We are now pursuing local peace engagements which have resulted in understanding and the mainstreaming of rebels,”

thestandard-ph Tuesday, January 7, 2020 11:42:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “For one, their CASER was crafted with the goal of turning the Philippine economic model to nationalist and socialist,”

bulatlat Tuesday, January 7, 2020 5:40:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon expressed : “The talks, to me, is a way for the President to tell them that indeed, he is a president who will never close that small window for peace talks. But truth to tell, what kind of peace talks are we talking about?”

tribuneonline Friday, December 20, 2019 8:56:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Why would I talk to you out of the country when there is a lot of space in the Philippines? If you really know what you are fighting for, you will not be afraid,”

tribuneonline Friday, December 20, 2019 8:56:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "tragic and violent incidents all over the country committed by the communist rebels” amid the ceasefire. Lawyer Reuben Lingating, chairman of the Indigenous People’s Peace Panel of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), said during the forum that since the communists have somehow made the peace talks as a way to strengthen their forces, the government is looking for a more practical and feasible plan. “You cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking that created them. If there is anything that we shall do, we have to address the root causes of the insurgency,” he said. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., in his speech, said they are working on staging the peace talks here. Bakit naman ako makikipag-usap sa'yo sa labas ng bansa samantalang ang luwag-luwag ng Pilipinas, kung talagang alam mo ang pinaglalaban mo, hindi ka matatakot (Why would I talk to you out of the country when there is a lot of space in the Philippines. If you really know what you are fighting for, you will not be afraid),"

pna Wednesday, December 18, 2019 4:10:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict has received reports that the communist-terrorist CPP-NPA have operationalized their Special Partisan Units to conduct assassinations and terrorist activities in the urban areas to take advantage of the Yuletide season,”

thestandard-ph Tuesday, December 17, 2019 11:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We advise the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious individuals or strange activities in your area to the proper authorities,” “It is incumbent upon all Filipinos to unite and ensure the safety of our loved ones and communities, especially this Christmas and as we welcome the new year”

thestandard-ph Tuesday, December 17, 2019 11:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “There had been information that the communist terrorist group CPP, NPA, NDF have a hit list and allegedly, included ako doon,”

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, December 17, 2019 7:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “I didn’t even read the details of it, nakita ko na lang na nandun 'yung pangalan ni [Interior] Secretary [Eduardo] Año, [National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Chairman] Secretary [Allen] Capuyan and other officers, which to us is something expected, or parts of the hazards of the job,”

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, December 17, 2019 7:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “That is already a common decision, in the same manner that the lifting of the martial law is a common decision in what we call the security cluster,”

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, December 17, 2019 7:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon asked : “The talks to me is a way from the President to tell them that indeed, he is a president who will never close that small window for peace talks. But truth to tell, what kind of peace talks are we talking about?”

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, December 17, 2019 7:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “I will give you a videotape recording of Jalandoni, who has been a chairman of the NDF panel, saying the peace talks are just a platform to advance the cause of the armed struggle,”

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, December 17, 2019 7:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "During the course of the peace talks, we could not come to an agreement to have a bilateral ceasefire,"

manilametro Wednesday, December 11, 2019 4:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It came to a point when the President decided in November 2017 to terminate the peace talks,"

manilametro Wednesday, December 11, 2019 4:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "They now feel that we are all over, meaning the NTF-ELCAC of which the chairman is the President himself who is making their life miserable not only for their fighting units, as well as for their other organizations,"

manilametro Wednesday, December 11, 2019 3:08:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We do not know yet when the talks will take place,"

manilametro Wednesday, December 11, 2019 3:08:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Silvestre Bello ) : "I am of the understanding that the President sent Sec. Bello because he has gotten word that Jose Ma. Sison would like to tell him something,"

abs-cbnnews Sunday, December 8, 2019 3:08:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "The President has always said that he will always leave a window, no matter how small, for peace talks,"

abs-cbnnews Sunday, December 8, 2019 3:08:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "During the joint conference, the President stressed his desire to put an end to the more than 50 years of communist insurgency, saying that the effort is for future generations,"

pna Tuesday, November 19, 2019 3:10:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "The participants acknowledged that the President, through his unrelenting commitment to bring change to the lives of Filipinos, had provided an enabling environment for the NTF-ELCAC operationalization,"

pna Tuesday, November 19, 2019 3:10:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “In his ongoing directive to enhance existing mechanisms of good governance, the President had repeatedly called on members of his administration to address the economic and security concerns in conflict-prone and conflict-affected areas,”

pna Sunday, November 17, 2019 1:26:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “In his campaign against the communist armed conflict, which had stretched to 51 years, the President directed his government to address the causes of insurgency through the efficient and effective delivery of basic services, justice, and infrastructure development,”

pna Sunday, November 17, 2019 1:26:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Because if it will be amended, it will give us more tools to fight terrorism. Then it will be good for us,” “So, for now, our position is we are not inclined to recommend the extension of martial law in Mindanao,”

pna Wednesday, November 13, 2019 6:27:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “If the [proposed] Human Security Act, as amended, will be passed [by Congress], then we may not need to ask for any extension of martial law, we may not need this kind of martial law,”

pna Monday, November 11, 2019 2:13:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “But while these researches yielded many positive results, so much still needs to be done,”

pna Thursday, October 31, 2019 3:21:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Marine scientific research can certainly help government policy- and decision-makers to arrive at an informed and science-based policies and decisions toward a sustainable management of our maritime domain and marine resources,” “To harmonize all MSR efforts by various agencies and institutions, harnessing existing mechanisms for cooperation and cooperative undertakings is, as we know, is essential,”

pna Thursday, October 31, 2019 3:21:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “That is why it is a must for all our security forces to take precautionary actions and if there are ongoing operations [carried out by the terrorists], we will operate against them,”

manilatimes Tuesday, October 29, 2019 4:24:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “MSR is the first step for the sustainable development of the marine resources which will benefit both Filipinos and the rest of mankind,” “So we will lift shortly the moratorium on marine scientific research by foreign government and institutions,”

FIS Monday, October 28, 2019 1:58:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “If they don’t allow us, then what benefit do we get out of it since they are supposed to deposit with us their findings as well as the materials,”

FIS Monday, October 28, 2019 1:58:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “Maritime scientific research is good for us and other research institutions simply because we get to know more of the maritime domain,”

FIS Monday, October 28, 2019 1:58:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “We will step up our efforts here because the East Asian Seas are connected. We will explore the possibility of connecting our marine protected areas with neighboring countries, especially within the coral triangle and the rest of the region,”

FIS Monday, October 28, 2019 1:58:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Province ) : “Umiray River sa (in) Quezon Province, Aurora simply goes to the Pacific Ocean. So what did the Ramos Administration do then (was to) tap that water and put it to Angat (Dam),” “Now, if we are able to get more into Angat and develop, protect more the forest cover there, then we will get more water,”

pna Saturday, October 26, 2019 9:03:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “The most immediate that we could get from would be of course from Laguna Lake, but it turns out that Laguna Lake costs so much more to purify because of the character and quality of water that is there. It’s no longer as pure, as good as we want it,” “So, part of the solution would be also to make Laguna Lake clean. How do you do that? Probably dredge it,”

pna Saturday, October 26, 2019 9:03:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “It is a desirable sharing, but it is not final. It could even go up to 61 or more,” “They are spending for it and we are getting more from the net share which is more than fair, right?”

tribuneonline Friday, October 25, 2019 9:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “You will know after the talks,”

tribuneonline Friday, October 25, 2019 9:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “I do not have the names now, but the steering committee would be chaired by Foreign Affairs. The members are from the Department of Energy and as well as Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” “We had it formed a week ago and in fact they are getting ready for the first round of talks within October. At the same time, we will have close to the time, we will have our bilateral consultative mechanisms,”

tribuneonline Friday, October 25, 2019 9:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “For this reason, the closure of Salugpungan schools supports the whole-of-nation objective to end communist atrocities and bring basic services to those who need it most,” “We reiterate that it is within the mandate of the government, through the Department of Education, to regulate the establishment and recognition of private schools in the basic education level,”

tribuneonline Friday, October 25, 2019 9:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “We will build a national academic research fleet and we will lift shortly the moratorium on marine scientific research by foreign government and institutions,”

manilatimes Friday, October 25, 2019 8:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will have to get into the details… You will know after the talks,”

manilatimes Friday, October 25, 2019 8:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “For one, if you commit a mistake in arresting somebody, detaining somebody with all the files that you have and later you are not able to prove it in court, you will be fined P500,000 a day, which is about $10,000 dollars a day, which is approximately my salary a year. So, it’s so unfriendly, so it is a disincentive to law enforcement,” “So, we could ask for that extension or if we have the amended Human Security Act, then that is a better tool for us,”

tribuneonline Friday, October 25, 2019 7:29:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “Whatever we spend on defense should strengthen our position on developing our maritime domain especially the West Philippine Sea into what we call the blue economy,”

arabnews Friday, October 25, 2019 4:55:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “It’s no longer academic. It’s going into an agreement on how we could make the wealth of the seabed work for us,” “We have already formed the joint steering committee and shortly there will be talks with China in pursuance of the earlier memorandum of understanding that was signed in 2018 for the development of this energy fields,”

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 3:26:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “MSR is the first step for the sustainable development of the marine resources which will benefit both Filipinos and the rest of mankind,” “So we will lift shortly the moratorium on marine scientific research by foreign government and institutions,”

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 2:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “If they don’t allow us, then what benefit do we get out of it since they are supposed to deposit with us their findings as well as the materials,”

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 2:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “Maritime scientific research is good for us and other research institutions simply because we get to know more of the maritime domain,”

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 2:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : “We will step up our efforts here because the East Asian Seas are connected. We will explore the possibility of connecting our marine protected areas with neighboring countries, especially within the coral triangle and the rest of the region,”

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 2:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We are looking at some developments that could give some guidance to us,”

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 2:16:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “There are features in martial law that we could still take advantage, could use. I'd like to assure you that there had been no cases against our troops on abuses on the provisions of martial law as applied in Mindanao,”

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 2:16:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “They’re (China) spending for it and we’re getting more. More than fair right?”

abs-cbnnews Friday, October 25, 2019 1:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "Whatever we spend on defence should strengthen our position on developing our maritime domain especially the West Philippine Sea into what we call the blue economy,"

straitstimesSG Friday, October 25, 2019 1:18:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "Whatever we spend on defence should strengthen our position on developing our maritime domain especially the West Philippine Sea into what we call the blue economy"

yenisafak-en Friday, October 25, 2019 1:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "Whatever we spend on defence should strengthen our position on developing our maritime domain especially the West Philippine Sea into what we call the blue economy"

news-yahoo Friday, October 25, 2019 12:20:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "Whatever we spend on defence should strengthen our position on developing our maritime domain especially the West Philippine Sea into what we call the blue economy"

trust Friday, October 25, 2019 11:55:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “That’s the net because they spend for all construction and all other things,”

inquirer Friday, October 25, 2019 11:48:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We assure the public that the government has taken all possible steps to ensure that the right of children to education is protected, and that due process was followed throughout the closure of the 55 Salugpungan schools in the Davao Region,"

pna Friday, October 25, 2019 8:04:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “In the entire country, we have 798 insurgent-influenced villages, while we have 2,385 threatened villages. Of this number, our priority for the ‘right-hand actions’, which means the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, along with other security forces, will be the first to go there and conduct an operation. The civilian government agencies would just follow,”

pna Wednesday, October 16, 2019 4:28:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “In this aspect, we can address the problem through the retooled community support program with security element but right from the beginning, it is civilian-led. In civilian-led, it means that the leader is the barangay captain, mayor, or governor,”

pna Wednesday, October 16, 2019 4:28:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “In short, no province is exempted here because no province like bad governance. What will happen is that the governor will be supported by the national government,”

pna Wednesday, October 16, 2019 4:28:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Yung plano nila is just a plan, so kung meron silang plano then we will look at it,” “They can always have their plans but we might put up a detachment there”

abs-cbnnews Thursday, September 26, 2019 5:11:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Therefore, covering to international norms and Philippine laws on the status of children in situations of armed conflict, the Salugpungan in Region 11 teaches the students with different beliefs and systems far from what government prescribes,”

pna Tuesday, August 27, 2019 12:21:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Through good governance, we can address the lingering problems that we have especially in the countryside, especially in impoverished areas,”

reliefWeb Monday, August 26, 2019 5:58:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It just so happened that in our record, we do not have it on record that China asked for diplomatic clearance,"

manilametro Thursday, August 1, 2019 4:45:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It just so happened that in our record, we do not have it on record that China asked for diplomatic clearance,"

irishsun Thursday, August 1, 2019 1:26:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “There were many Chinese fishing vessels there. On Feb. 8, there were 61 and on July 24 it reached 113. I have recommended diplomatic actiont,”

manilastandardtoday Wednesday, July 31, 2019 11:51:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Scarborough Shoal ) : “It remains a fact that we lost Scarborough Shoal, because of some miscalculations,”

manilastandardtoday Wednesday, July 31, 2019 11:51:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Philippine Amusement ) : "On the matter of Chinese coming in, are we surprised about that? Of course," "What's really happening is that there are businesses, offshore gaming, coming in to the Philippines-- these are regulated by the PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation). But there are illegal players, illegal operators, that's our problem, because some of these Chinese could come in as tourists and they could end up for the period that they are allowed here to be workers,"

pna Wednesday, July 31, 2019 12:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "As the National Security Adviser, I have the tendency to look at it as a threat... I’m on the cautious side. When foreigners, regardless of nationality, come in, and their intent is not clear. Or when some of them are undocumented, or have false documentation,"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, July 31, 2019 10:38:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Customarily, lahat ng military vessels that pass through our territory ask for diplomatic clearance. Nagkataon na in our record (It just so happened that according to our record), we do not have it on record that China asked for diplomatic clearance,"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, July 31, 2019 8:59:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “They have the positional advantage right now and they have the equipment to enforce their position,”

manilastandardtoday Tuesday, July 23, 2019 10:54:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We have not abandoned any island, no island was taken from us since 2016, and we are strengthening our positions and possession,”

taipeitimes Tuesday, July 23, 2019 8:13:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Bonifacio Global City ) : “Positionally, they have the big advantage because of the naval forces in the artificial islands. Fiery Cross is twice bigger than Bonifacio Global City and reclaimed that in 2016. They have positional advantage and equipment to enforce their position,” “Our response is to strengthen and enhance our positions there, our 11 positions in the South China Sea. We have been strengthening Pag-asa (Thitu) Island,”

manilatimes Tuesday, July 23, 2019 7:22:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “I’ll go for [another] one year,”

manilatimes Tuesday, July 23, 2019 7:22:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "start and end with the West Philippine Sea,"

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, July 23, 2019 1:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We have not abandoned any island, no island was taken from us since 2016 and we are strengthening our positions and possession,"

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, July 23, 2019 1:47:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We have not abandoned any island, no island was taken from us since 2016 and we are strengthening our positions and possession,"

channelnewsasia Tuesday, July 23, 2019 12:11:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We have not abandoned any island, no island was taken from us since 2016 and we are strengthening our positions and possession,"

news-yahoo Tuesday, July 23, 2019 9:58:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "They have the positional advantage right now and they have the equipment to enforce their position,"

abs-cbnnews Tuesday, July 23, 2019 8:58:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We may not be a very strong country militarily, but we can say we are able to hold on to our sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea,"

BangkokPost Wednesday, July 17, 2019 2:39:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "While much had been achieved in past years towards the enhancement of security cooperation between the security and law-enforcement agencies of both countries, more avenues were nonetheless explored, including the conduct of regular dialogues at various levels, information-sharing, and capacity-building activities,"

xinhuanet_en Sunday, July 14, 2019 2:42:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “It’s a serious matter but we will not speculate on what would be the result, we will not speculate. Baka ang implication niyan hindi sa atin, baka sa US. So why don’t they come out with the report and bring it out in the open with all the facts rather than…floating it,”

inquirer Thursday, July 4, 2019 6:12:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It's a serious matter but we will not speculate on what would be the result,"

pna Thursday, July 4, 2019 11:57:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “For so long a time, many of these so-called cause-oriented organizations have deceived the public into believing that their actions, especially those that are directed against the government, had been legitimate,” “Some, in fact, had misled foreign funding institutions into giving foreign grants and donations to support their supposed cause, but were instead diverted to the CPP-NPA-NDF in furtherance of the latter’s communist terrorist objectives,”

pna Wednesday, July 3, 2019 3:22:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “But when we looked into their background, they were not registered with the SEC. It backfired on them. You can go to the SEC right now but you won’t find their registration. It was back in 2003 they last registered; it’s been expired for 16 years. But they are still saying they are registered and collecting donations from everywhere to fund the activities of the Communist Party of the Philippines New People’s Army [CPP-NPA],”

pna Tuesday, July 2, 2019 4:12:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “They are running the schools of the NPA in Region 11 [Davao Region]. These are the schools of the lumad where their youth are taught hate, hatred against the government,”

pna Tuesday, July 2, 2019 4:12:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon answered : "Very hard. West Philippine Sea has 2,000 nautical miles"

abs-cbnnews Wednesday, May 22, 2019 11:42:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Rodrigo Duterte ) : “Arbitral ruling was mentioned. (Duterte) said ‘I will bring up the arbitral ruling in another 2 years,’ but by saying so, what message was he putting across?’”

abs-cbnnews Saturday, April 27, 2019 1:29:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about Xi Jinping ) : “I think this is the best bilateral that the President has had so far with President Xi Jinping. There were things that he said that I thought he would not say,”

abs-cbnnews Saturday, April 27, 2019 1:29:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “It means that we keep to our positions, if they keep to their positions, let it be,” “But let us continue, even improve on the things that we are doing together. It’s not all war, in fact that should be the last resort”

abs-cbnnews Saturday, April 27, 2019 1:29:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon alleged : "EU funds are used to sustain terrorist activities of the longest existing communist-terrorist organization in the world, the CPP-NPA"

abs-cbnnews Thursday, April 11, 2019 1:21:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "The Belgian government, through different NGOs based in Belgium, has indirectly and unwittingly partnered with various NGOs in the Philippines that act as legal fronts of the CPP-NPA,"

abs-cbnnews Saturday, March 30, 2019 1:37:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Constitution and Program: Communist Party of the Philippines, 2016,"

pna Thursday, March 28, 2019 2:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added ( about Peace ) : “Security forces have tightened up the systems to secure Sulu and the rest of BARMM. Peace must prevail over war,”

manilametro Saturday, February 2, 2019 12:28:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We are looking at some persons of interest caught in the CCTV that we reviewed. Nothing is conclusive yet, but their actuations seem to tell us that they appear to have a participation in the attack,”

eurasiareview Tuesday, January 29, 2019 8:45:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

manilametro Monday, January 28, 2019 9:05:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We have yet to establish if the two explosions are related to the all-important BOL. The BOL ends the secessionist narrative. The BOL signifies the end of war for secession. It stands for peace in Mindanao,” “The perpetrators are mass murderers. They are extremist criminals. We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

manilametro Monday, January 28, 2019 5:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

capitalfm Monday, January 28, 2019 12:22:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

phnompenhpost Monday, January 28, 2019 10:16:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

muscatdaily Monday, January 28, 2019 10:03:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

eurasiareview Monday, January 28, 2019 8:12:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "security forces have tightened up the systems to secure Sulu and the rest of BARMM"

ecns Monday, January 28, 2019 5:15:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

channelnewsasia Monday, January 28, 2019 12:11:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We have yet to establish if the two explosions are related to the all-important BOL. The BOL ends the secessionist narrative. The BOL signifies the end of war for secession. It stands for peace in Mindanao,” “The perpetrators are mass murderers. They are extremist criminals. We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

arabnews Monday, January 28, 2019 12:08:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

yahoo-au Sunday, January 27, 2019 11:44:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

digitaljournal Sunday, January 27, 2019 11:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

gulf-times Sunday, January 27, 2019 11:19:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

capitalfm Sunday, January 27, 2019 9:30:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

capitalfm Sunday, January 27, 2019 9:00:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

BangkokPost Sunday, January 27, 2019 7:51:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

digitaljournal Sunday, January 27, 2019 6:42:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

afp-en Sunday, January 27, 2019 6:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

timesofmalta Sunday, January 27, 2019 6:13:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

afp-en Sunday, January 27, 2019 4:40:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

naharnet-en Sunday, January 27, 2019 4:08:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,”

capitalfm Sunday, January 27, 2019 2:45:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

yahoo-au Sunday, January 27, 2019 1:09:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

digitaljournal Sunday, January 27, 2019 1:08:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We will not allow them to spoil the preference of the people for peace,"

afp-en Sunday, January 27, 2019 12:44:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “That’s how democracy works. There are those who are not for it and there are those who would go for it, that is why the plebiscite will be a good indicator on Monday if whether most people are willing to join the BOL,”

manilametro Saturday, January 19, 2019 12:14:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said ( about National Security Strategy ) : "The National Security Council and the security sector succeeded in adequately managing national security in the face of numerous issues and concerns that continue to challenge the security of the nation,"

pna Sunday, December 30, 2018 10:12:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told ( about Isnilon Totoni Hapilon ) : "We saw it coming. We have been getting reports from the time that the Maute clan have been in Butig a town nearby near Marawi until they moved to Marawi itself, also the time that Hapilon came in.. Of course, there had been consultations but we wanted to of course be discreet on a lot of things because we want to strike at the leadership immediately,"

abs-cbnnews Friday, September 22, 2017 3:42:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We are guarding Lake Lanao, and just the same it's a built up area, so we are very careful about this. They still have hostages and that hae been one primary consideration in the operations, saving as many lives as possible, meaning the lives of those hostages even if they had been reported to have been forced to be converted to Islam,"

abs-cbnnews Friday, September 22, 2017 3:42:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “They [the kidnapped Dutertes] may not be related to President Duterte,”

manilastandardtoday Sunday, March 5, 2017 4:01:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Memorandum of Understanding on these fields are being finalized by concerned agencies and are expected to be signed during the planned President’s visit to Moscow,”

manilastandardtoday Saturday, March 4, 2017 2:20:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “I don’t think there should be anything to worry about. This is a weekend of celebration, this is a happy celebration of peaceful transformation,”

manilastandardtoday Saturday, February 25, 2017 1:30:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Baka naman yung dating pa-mutiny mutiny dyan eh pagdating ng pulis pala eh magtataas ng kamay,"

abs-cbnnews Friday, February 24, 2017 9:48:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Terrorism is an international concern, that’s what he meant. If he may have mentioned one country, all countries are also concerned on terrorism,”

seatrade-global Wednesday, February 1, 2017 12:51:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We have other more important matters… This should not be the flavor of the day or the month since this is just something that we already know,”

manilatimes Tuesday, January 10, 2017 5:26:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "We have other more important matters...This should not be the flavor of the day or the month since this is just something that we already know,"

sunstar Tuesday, January 10, 2017 8:24:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “That could be part of the overall work but as I said, this should not be the flavor of the day or the month, this is something that we already know. And the best way to address this is to show that we are effective in anti-drugs, that we could address the problems that they are concerned with,”

manilatimes Monday, January 9, 2017 9:42:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Oh, wow, LeniLeaks? We have a meeting today, it happens that it will not be one of the matters that will be taken up. It just tells you that we have other more important matters,”

sunstar Monday, January 9, 2017 1:11:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “The President has decided to declare that as a sanctuary. That is a unilateral action from government,”

manilatimes Monday, November 21, 2016 9:15:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "It is our position not to have fishing activities inside the triangle,"

ABCnews Monday, November 21, 2016 2:52:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "If they don't want to allow fishing there, we don't want to allow fishing there either,"

ABCnews Monday, November 21, 2016 2:52:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “It is our position not to have fishing activities inside the triangle,” “Diyan tayo may congruence: kung ayaw nila (China) magpa-fishing doon, ayaw din natin magpa-fishing doon”

abs-cbnnews Sunday, November 20, 2016 10:55:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “You would expect na merong kanya-kayang plano (both sides) as a matter of democratic advocacies,”

abs-cbnnews Sunday, November 20, 2016 10:55:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

digitaljournal Tuesday, November 1, 2016 2:01:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

digitaljournal Tuesday, November 1, 2016 2:01:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

digitaljournal Tuesday, November 1, 2016 8:57:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

digitaljournal Tuesday, November 1, 2016 8:57:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

digitaljournal Tuesday, November 1, 2016 5:09:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

digitaljournal Tuesday, November 1, 2016 5:09:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Maybe not now but when we go to another round of talks we will again assert it,”

manilastandardtoday Monday, October 31, 2016 10:35:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “It was win-win on both sides, but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim because we have asserted it,”

manilastandardtoday Monday, October 31, 2016 10:35:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "There was no expressed agreement but it seems like the traditional rights of our fishermen are being respected,"

muscatinejournal Monday, October 31, 2016 6:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Now that there's no resolution, why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?"

muscatinejournal Monday, October 31, 2016 6:43:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "The president reiterated that we won in the court, the other leader also reiterated that it is historically their territory, so it was not resolved,"

reuters Monday, October 31, 2016 5:48:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "There was no expressed agreement but it seems like the traditional rights of our fishermen are being respected,"

ABCnews Monday, October 31, 2016 5:39:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Now that there's no resolution, why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?"

ABCnews Monday, October 31, 2016 5:39:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "Maybe not now but when we go to another round of talks, we will again assert it,"

ABCnews Monday, October 31, 2016 5:39:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "The president reiterated that we won in the court, the other leader also reiterated that it is historically their territory, so it was not resolved,"

marinelink Monday, October 31, 2016 4:59:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "The president reiterated that we won in the court, the other leader also reiterated that it is historically their territory, so it was not resolved,"

abs-cbnnews Monday, October 31, 2016 4:26:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

abs-cbnnews Monday, October 31, 2016 4:26:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

abs-cbnnews Monday, October 31, 2016 4:26:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "The President reiterated that we won in the court, the other leader also reiterated that it is historically their territory, so it was not resolved,"

abc-au Monday, October 31, 2016 4:21:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

digitaljournal Monday, October 31, 2016 2:17:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

digitaljournal Monday, October 31, 2016 2:17:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

naharnet-en Monday, October 31, 2016 1:32:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

naharnet-en Monday, October 31, 2016 1:32:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

channelnewsasia Monday, October 31, 2016 12:23:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

channelnewsasia Monday, October 31, 2016 12:23:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon added : "There is no talk on territorial rights, there is no talk on assertion of rights, but they respect our traditional rights,"

afp-en Monday, October 31, 2016 10:53:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "There is no resolution, so why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations, trade relations?" "It is win-win for both but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim"

afp-en Monday, October 31, 2016 10:53:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : "From Oct. 17 to 27, there had been only two Chinese ships,"

reuters-af Sunday, October 30, 2016 9:29:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “We’re going into some kind of demilitarization in the area. So that’s okay. They are just exercises after all,”

manilastandardtoday Thursday, September 29, 2016 7:44:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “Don’t you want that, so it becomes quiet, peaceful?” “If the navy of China is not therethose are our traditional fishing groundsthen things will be okay”

manilastandardtoday Thursday, September 29, 2016 7:44:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “If indeed we prove that there is a destabilization attempt, in due time, we will come up with a statement,” “In my view, I don’t think there’s any plot from the military”

manilastandardtoday Wednesday, September 28, 2016 7:50:00 PM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon said : “If indeed we prove that there is a destabilization attempt, in due time, we will come up with a statement,” “In my view, I don’t think there’s any plot from the military”

japantimes Wednesday, September 28, 2016 10:32:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : "We cannot allow this situation to continue, this should end once and for all,"

AsiaOne Thursday, June 16, 2016 8:48:00 AM EAT

Hermogenes Esperon told : “We cannot allow this situation to continue, this should end once and for all,”

JakartaPost Wednesday, June 15, 2016 8:39:00 AM EAT