CAGAYAN DE ORO (MindaNews / 23 December) — The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) ordered its guerilla forces to suspend for two days their offensives against the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police units all over the country.
In an email sent by CPP spokesperson Marco Valbuena to news organizations nationwide, he said the suspension of guerilla actions would start from December 25 to 26.
Valbuena said the two-day unilateral ceasefire would mark the underground party’s 55th anniversary on December 26.
He said it would take effect at “0001 hours of December 25 and end on 2359 hours of December 26.”
“The ceasefire declaration is also in solidarity with the people’s traditional holiday celebration,” the communique said.
This is the first time the CPP declared a unilateral suspension of hostilities after its peace talks with the Philippine government broke down during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017.
Major General Jose Maria Cuerpo II, commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division in Northern Mindanao, said they have yet to receive any instructions from the President of the Philippines and the AFP to reciprocate the ceasefire declared by the communists.
“As for us, our offensive against remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA) will continue and our patrols will scour the mountains in search of them,” Cuerpo said.
He said the 4ID soldiers are on deployment to ensure the safe celebration of Christmas by residents of Northern Mindanao.
He said the NPA is already “a spent force in two weakened guerilla fronts in Surigao provinces and is down from 3,000 regulars to about 300 armed members at present.”
Last Nov. 23, the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, the CPP’s political wing, agreed “to a principled and peaceful resolution” to the decades-old armed conflict.
“Cognizant of the serious socioeconomic and environmental issues, the foreign security threats facing the country, the parties recognize the need to unite as a nation in order to urgently address these challenges and resolve the reasons for the armed conflict,” the joint communique signed in Oslo, Norway on Nov. 23 said.
The CPP was founded on Dec. 26, 1968 while the NPA was formed on March 29, 1969. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)
