Duterte to decide on proposed Christmas ceasefire on Monday — Palace

MANILA, Philippines — The government and communist rebels have agreed to recommend the issuance of holiday ceasefires in preparation for the resumption of the peace talks, the Palace has confirmed.

The peace panels of the two parties would recommend to their respective principals the issuance of "unilateral and reciprocal nationwide ceasefires" from Dec. 23 to Jan. 7, a joint statement by the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) posted online by communist leader Jose Maria Sison said.

The NDF represents the communists in the peace talks with the government.

The joint statement dated Dec. 21 was signed by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, government negotiator Hernani Braganza, NDF senior adviser Luis Jalandoni, and NDF chair Fidel Agcaoili. Kristina Lie Revheim, the third party facilitator representing the Royal Norwegian Government, signed as witness.

READ: Government, NDFP panels agree to recommend Christmas ceasefire

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo confirmed that the government peace panel made such a recommendation to President Rodrigo Duterte.

"There is a recommendation but we do not know yet whether it would be approved by the president," Panelo told radio station dzBB Sunday.

Panelo said the president is expected to decide on the recommendation on Monday, the day that the recommended ceasefire is supposed to start.

The joint statement said the government and the CPP-NPA would separately issue corresponding ceasefire orders. During the ceasefire period, the armed units of the two sides are expected to "cease and desist from carrying out offensive military operations against the other."  

The two parties said the ceasefires are "intended to generate a positive environment conducive to the holding of informal talks preparatory to the formal meeting to resume the peace negotiations." The ceasefires will also serve as "measures of goodwill and confidence-building during the traditional celebrations of Christmas and New Year holidays."

In 2017, Duterte terminated the peace negotiations with the communists after the New People's Army, the armed wing of the rebels, launched successive attacks against government forces.

The president changed his tone last month and revealed that he is sending Bello to the Netherlands to talk to Sison for what he described his "last card" to finish the five decade-conflict with the rebels.

Last week, the Defense department and the military announced that they would not recommend a ceasefire, saying communists had used previous suspensions of offensives to celebrate their anniversary and to launch attacks.