NPA ends ceasefire

By CONG B. CORRALES,
Associate Editor
and NITZ ARANCON,
Correspondent

THE Communist Party  of the Philippines-New People’s Army yesterday announced its decision to terminate its unilateral interim ceasefire with the country’s Armed Forces.

The termination of the ceasefire would take effect on Feb. 10.

The Department of Defense and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp) said they would recommend that President Duterte keep the government’s own ceasefire declaration despite the announcement of the CPP-NPA.

Jorge Madlos a.k.a. Ka Oris, NPA spokesperson, declared in a live video stream online that the Aug. 28, 2016 ceasefire the CPP issued has been terminated.

“The negotiating panel of the government of the Republic of the Philippines shall be given notice today (Feb. 1) of this termination by the negotiating panel of the National Democratic Front,” Madlos said.

Madlos gave two reasons for the termination of the CPP-NPA’s unilateral ceasefire: the national government supposedly reneged on its bilateral agreements and international obligations, and the military violated the government’s own ceasefire declaration.

“The GRP has not complied with its obligation to amnesty and release all political prisoners under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees as a matter of justice and in fulfillment of the promise of President Duterte,” said Madlos.

He said the military did not honor its own unilateral ceasefire.

“The GRP has treacherously taken advantage of the unilateral declaration of interim ceasefire to encroach on the territory of the people’s democratic government.

“Across 164 municipalites and 43 provinces, the GRP’s armed forces have occupied at least 500 barrios which are within the authority of the revolutionary government,” Madlos said.

After declaring the termination of their unilateral ceasefire, Madlos called on all NPA commands and units, including its militia and self-defense corps, to “vigorously carry out active defense in order to defend the people and revolutionary forces.”

Madlos also directed its guerrillas to “frustrate and punish” the interior patrol operations of military, police and militia groups.

“Subsequent to the expiration of our unilateral ceasefire, all territorial and unit commands of the NPA are hereby ordered to take full initiative in planning, coordinating and carrying out military campaigns and tactical offensives against the reactionary Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the various paramilitary units and death squads of the Duterte government, drug traffickers and operators of the drug trade and large-scale gambling, private armies and private armed groups of warlords, local tyrants as well as spies,” he said.

At Camp Evangelista, presidential adviser on the peace process Jesus Dureza could not say how the CPP-NPA announcement would affect the peace negotiations.

What is certain, he said, is that the government is bent on pursuing the peace talks with the communist rebels.

Dureza said he was looking forward to the 4th round of peace talks scheduled this April.

“The road to peace is not concrete or asphalted  road, but  there are  hams and bombs. There are curves, detours, but it is very important that all of us should be all together,” Dureza said.

He said he and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana would ask President Duterte not to take back the government’s own ceasefire declaration.

“We will recommend to the President that we  still maintain a unilateral   ceasefire as far as government is concerned,” he said.

But he and Lorenzana said the military should continue with its defensive stance against lawlessness, suppress terrorism, and continue to protect citizens.

Lorenzana, for his part, said that while his position is for government to continue with its unitlateral ceasefire, he could not guarantee that there would be no clashes between government and rebel forces.

Lorenzana said the military would be on the defensive.

“We are still on  defensive move. But if government troops will   be under attack by the  rebels, they should defend themselves,” Lorenzana said.

Lorenzana and Dureza were here yesterday to grace the  47th  founding anniversary  of the  4th  Infantry Division.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin Madrigal, 4th ID commander, complained that rebels abducted a soldier identified as Pfc. Erwin Salan in Alegria, Surigao  del Norte over the weekend, and tried to explode grenades near  soldiers in Valencia, Bukidnon the other day despite the CPP-NPA’s ceasefire declaration.