(Eagle News) — Defense Secretary Delfin Delfin Lorenzana said the ceasefire termination declared by the New People’s Army (NPA) would have “no effect” at all on the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
In a statement, Lorenzana also said the NPA rebels themselves, even during the ceasefire, continued their ambushes and kidnapping of soldiers.
“If the CPP-NPA (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army) will terminate or stop their unilateral ceasefire it is up to them. It will not affect the AFP,” Lorenzana said.
“Anyway, despite their declared ceasefire they have not stopped extorting under the guise of their so-called revolutionary taxation, and went on recruiting, burning buses and equipment, ambushing and kidnapping soldiers,” he said.
The defense chief said the AFP “will continue to enforce the government unilateral ceasefire” absent any instruction from the President.
“Our troops will not actively operate against the NPA while our ceasefire is in effect,” he said.
But he said the military “will continue to maintain “peace and order and run after lawless elements, whoever they are.”
“We do not recognize any areas under NPA control nor they are allowed to roam around with their firearms intimidating people,” Lorenzana said.
NPA spokesperson “Ka Oris” Madlos on Wednesday morning declared the termination of the August 28 unilateral ceasefire effective February 10
He directed NPA rebels that “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.”
The NPA rebels expressed displeasure that government forces occupied what they called NPA territories.
“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,” he said.
“The suspension of military operations (SOMO) and suspension of police operations (SOPO) issued by the AFP and PNP as basis of the GRP’s unilateral declaration of interim ceasefire have served as license for its armed troops, police personnel, paramilitary units and death squads to engage in hostile actions, provocations or movements, surveillance and other offensive operations that are labelled as ‘peace and development’, ‘civil-military’, ‘peace and order’, ‘anti drugs campaign,’ ‘medical missions’ or ‘law enforcement,’” the NPA declaration on Wednesday read.
But the NPA spokesman said the rebel group would still support ongoing peace talks between the communists and the government.
“Even as we terminate the unilateral declaration of interim ceasefire, we continue to support the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations within the framework of The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992. In our experience and in the experience of other peoples, it is possible to negotiate while fighting until the substantive agreements are forged to address the roots of the armed conflict and lay the basis for a just and lasting peace,” the NPA statement read.