Palace to let military decide on truce extension with Reds

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang will let the military decide on the possible extension of the ceasefire with communist rebels which ends at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.

“We will defer that to the recommendation of the military,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing when asked about Communist rebel leader Jose Maria “Joma” Sison’s pronouncement that the holiday truce may be extended if the government releases the supposed “peace consultants” it captured.

The holiday truce began at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 23 and will end at 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 7.

The declaration of the ceasefire came after President Rodrigo Duterte gave peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines another shot when he sent Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to reach out to communist leaders.

Duterte earlier this year officially shut down possible resumption of peace talks with the communist rebels, asking them to just “talk to the next President.”