National Security Adviser Eduardo Año. INQUIRER.net file photo / NOY MORCOSO
MANILA, Philippines — Despite the tentative agreement between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) to seek a peaceful resolution, the National Security Council still won’t recommend the declaration of a Christmas truce against its armed wing, the New People’s Army.
“I don’t recommend Somo (suspension of military operations); I don’t recommend any ceasefire,” National Security Adviser Eduardo Año told reporters in a phone interview on Wednesday.
“Let’s give the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) the chance and the opportunity to accomplish their objective,” Año also said, adding that the military still targets to neutralize the remaining guerrilla fronts by the end of the year.
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Año said the AFP “will continue its activities, including military operations and law enforcement” against the NPA.
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Established on March 29, 1969, the NPA wages the longest-running Maoist insurgency in the world.
To date, the NPA is now down to around 1,800 fighters, according to AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar.