Eastern Samar mayor backs no respite in gunfights with Reds for holidays

TACLOBAN CITY—The mayor of Borongan City, Eastern Samar province expressed support for the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to give no respite to the war on communist rebels through a ceasefire during the holidays.

Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda said New People’s Army (NPA), armed wing of Communist Party of the Philippines, only use ceasefires to its advantage, echoing military line.

“I am with the opinion of the President,” said Agda in an interview. He said ceasefires are just “being abused by the NPAs to consolidate their ranks and strength,” he said.

Duterte, in a televised address on Monday (Dec. 7), announced he was ending the tradition of declaring a pause in the war on insurgency during the holidays. He said there won’t be any ceasefire with communist rebels again during his term, which ends in 2022.

The President also said the prospects of resuming peace talks between his administration and rebels are now “dead.”

On Dec. 13, the city will mark the second anniversary of an attack by rebels that killed a police officer and a civilian and wounded eight others.

On Nov. 11, 2019, six soldiers were killed in a clash with NPA in the city.

Agda said justice remained elusive for the families of those killed and wounded in the NPA attacks.

Borongan continues to grapple with insurgency. Last Nov. 23, at least 100 militiamen were added to the city’s security force in anticipation of NPA attacks.

TSB