Reds to heed holiday truce despite order to attack

Communist rebels would heed a holiday truce declared by their leaders despite an order for them to intensify attacks against government targets, according to a rebel statement.

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), in the statement, said the five-day cessation of hostilities on the rebel side was “in solidarity with the people’s traditional holidays and to commemorate the historic 50th anniversary of CPP.”

The directive to cease fire “will be strictly complied” with by New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas, CPP said.

This was despite an order made by CPP leaders to intensify guerilla attacks against the military and other government targets, the statement said.

Martial law

The order was given following Congress’ approval of President Rodrigo Duterte’s request to extend martial law in Mindanao until the end of 2019.

In justifying martial law extension, Malacañang said it was necessary to quell rebellion in Mindanao.

CPP said it would be NPA’s “duty to the people to carry out extensive tactical offensives” against “worsening abuses” of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police.

CPP ordered NPA “to exert all possible effort” to punish state forces who have committed crimes against the people and the revolution.

Despite the order, CPP said rebels would heed the truce that would take effect at midnight of Dec. 24 to end midnight of Dec. 26.

Another truce would take effect at midnight of Dec. 31 and end at midnight of Jan. 1 next year.

Communist rebels would celebrate the 50th anniversary of CPP on Dec. 26.

Noncombat activities

The revolutionary movement, the CPP statement said, was determined to celebrate the anniversary through rallies and gatherings of allies and supporters nationwide.

But a ranking military official in Southern Tagalog said the mass surrender of rebels would spoil the anniversary celebration of CPP.

Maj. Gen. Rhoderick Parayno, head of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division based in Tanay, Rizal, said more than 70 alleged rebels in Occidental Mindoro had already surrendered to the military on Dec. 10.

They were mostly members of the Mangyan community.

“Such number will impede the communist party anniversary preparation in the area and we will give them no time to celebrate their futile cause,” Parayno said in a statement on Friday.