HEADLINE-INSURGENCY | MANILA- Communist rebels declare 2-day truce

UPDATE) THE Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), have declared a two-day ceasefire beginning Christmas Day.

The two organizations said in a statement on Saturday they were calling the ceasefire to mark the 55th anniversary of the CPP.

All NPA units will “observe a two-day suspension of tactical offensives starting at 0001 hours (12:01 a.m.) of December 25 and ending at 2359 hours (11:59 p.m.) of December 26,” the statement read.

The ceasefire “aims to allow the peasant masses and NPA units in their area to conduct assemblies, meetings or gatherings to celebrate the Party’s anniversary, look back at past achievements, and pay tribute to all heroes and martyrs of the Philippine revolution. This ceasefire declaration is also in solidarity with people’s traditional holiday celebrations,” the insurgent groups said.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Saturday shrugged off the NPA’s unilateral declaration of a ceasefire.

AFP spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar said the military has already weakened the communist movement, and a ceasefire will have little consequence.

“We don’t talk about it anymore,” Aguilar said.

He said majority of the rebels’ cadres and leaders have surrendered, making the movement irrelevant.

“We have ignored them, and we don’t give much emphasis on the CPP-NPA,” Aguilar said.

The rebels have also lost the support of the masses, he said.

Aguilar said the military will continue its offensive against the NPA.

“We will continue to hunt them down. Until there is an armed element, they pose a threat to our security and to our peaceful environment. We have to eliminate them,” he said.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is also wary of the ceasefire announcement, saying it will not recommend a reciprocal truce to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“We will not recommend a ceasefire this holiday season, especially after the encounter in Balayan, Batangas, between NPA and government forces wherein one of our comrades in the AFP was killed,” PNP Public Affairs chief Col. Jean Fajardo said on Saturday.

The PNP had reinforced police stations, especially in areas vulnerable to NPA attacks, Fajardo said.

“We are working with AFP to make sure that police stations and detachments are ready to face any security threats,” she said.

Last year, the AFP and the PNP did not declare a ceasefire with the rebels, saying there was a leadership vacuum in the communist ranks.

The fighting between the two sides continued despite a preliminary agreement reached in Oslo, Norway, to restart peace negotiations.