The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on Saturday announced that it is set to declare a unilateral ceasefire not later than March 31.
It said that this is in anticipation and support of the fourth round of peace talks between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP), which is set in the Netherlands on April 2-6.
“The revolutionary forces are encouraged by the determination of the NDFP and GRP to continue with peace negotiations and accelerate negotiations on the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER) and the Comprehensive Agreement on Political and Constitutional Reforms (CAPCR),” the CPP said in a statement.
“Through peace negotiations, the Duterte government and the NDFP can unite on addressing the pressing socio-economic problems confronting the Filipino people amid the worsening crisis of the semicolonial and semifeudal system and the global capitalist system,” it added.
The CPP said it looks forward to a similar unilateral ceasefire declaration by the GRP as mutually agreed upon in the March 10-11 backchannel talks, and “anticipates the government to release 19 elderly and sick political prisoners, as well as four detained NDFP consultants and one other recently rearrested.”
To help create a favorable atmosphere for the mutual ceasefire, it also urged the government to order the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to slow down its ongoing all-out aggressive military operations and aerial bombing and shelling campaigns against rural barangays (villages).
The AFP has been pursuing New People’s Army (NPA) rebels aggressively since President Rodrigo Duterte declared an all-out war against the communist insurgents when the initial peace talks fell.
READ: Duterte orders AFP, PNP to wage war vs NPA
The five-month-old ceasefire was announced terminated by the NPA last February 1, which took effect on February 10 because of the alleged non-compliance of the government in the release and amnesty of political prisoners.
READ: Communist rebels to terminate unilateral ceasefire
The CPP said it also supports efforts of the NDFP and GRP to “forge a bilateral ceasefire even as it anticipates difficult negotiations.” IDL