Troops told to observe holiday truce with Reds

MANILA, Philippines — Despite attacks that left a soldier dead and eight others wounded on the first day of the holiday ceasefire, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has directed its commanders to faithfully observe the government’s unilateral and reciprocal truce with communist rebels.

AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said orders were issued by AFP chief Gen. Noel Clement to adhere to their end of the truce.

Clement ordered military units to stop all combat operations against the NPA during the holidays.

“They received orders directing them to stop all combat operations. They may, however, conduct patrols that are intended to secure their bases and camps as well as the communities within their areas of responsibility,” Arevalo said.

With the ceasefire that took effect Monday and will be in place until Jan. 7, Arevalo said the troops along with their police counterparts would implement law enforcement activities.

He said Clement’s order also reminded frontline unit commanders to intensify intelligence to thwart possible attacks.

Wide areas of Easter Visayas, Caraga, Bicol and Southern Tagalog where the NPA rebels are based are expected to be affected by Tropical Storm Ursula, and soldiers are the designated first responders to any form of manmade and natural calamities over these areas.

“We exercise guarded optimism and assure our people that the AFP will be, as always, faithful to its commitment to peace. We warn sternly violators to this armistice that we will deal with them under military rules and regulations,” Arevalo said.

Senators, meanwhile, lamented the NPA attack on government troops on the first day of the holiday ceasefire.

With this development, Sen. Panfilo Lacson said it is about time for the Duterte administration to pursue peace talks with local NPA units instead. “It simply means that the NPA guerrillas don’t listen to Sison anymore. Either that or he cannot and should not be trusted. Localizing the peace talks is the better way, I think,” Lacson said in referring to self-exiled communist leader Jose Maria Sison.

Lacson recalled preliminary agreements in previous peace negotiations with Sison and other exiled communist leaders in the Netherlands were not followed by NPA commanders.

He said not all provinces have communist insurgency problems, so holding peace talks at the local level could be more effective than holding negotiations at the national level.

Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, for his part, said the attack—staged just hours after the holiday ceasefire between government and communist insurgents took effect on Monday—was “nothing new.” 

“We have been used to their duplicitous personality and treacherous intentions,” he said.

Dela Rosa, a former chief of the Philippine National Police, said he has always been wary of negotiating with communist rebels.

Meanwhile, 12 rebels have surrendered to the police and military in Nueva Ecija.

Regional police director Brig. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia said the former rebels decided to surrender to start a new life this Christmas.

The former rebels surrendered their high powered firearms during a ceremony in Fort Magsaysay, the headquarters of the military’s Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom).

Nolcom commander Lt. Gen. Ramiro Manuel Rey said he is glad that the former rebels chose to surrender and start a new life.
“I would rather see them alive and working hard to live peacefully than discover them in a cold, unmarked grave with nothing to identify them with,” Rey said.  – With Paolo Romero, Ric Sapnu