No stop to hostilities this Christmas

Responding to communist taunts that the “overstretched, tired and ineffective” military needs a rest, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Tuesday that he was not inclined to recommend a Christmas truce.

“I will not, because there was an order by [New People’s Army (NPA)] commanders to intensify operations against us,” Lorenzana said a day after communist leaders Jose Maria Sison and Luis Jalandoni suggested they might declare a unilateral truce during the Christmas season.

“If we declare a [suspension of military operations (Somo) and] stand down, they will attack us again,” Lorenzana said.

In fact, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero noted that the NPA had stepped up operations instead of slowing down.

Atrocities

“We have seen how the NPAs have stepped up their atrocities nationwide,” Guerrero said, adding that the military was conducting “intensified, focused operations” against communist rebels.

Guerrero said the military’s “response is to make sure we are able to address this concern” after communist rebel attacks in Sultan Kudarat, Ilocos Sur and Abra over the weekend.

“We can always break tradition,” Lorenzana responded when reminded that a Christmas ceasefire had been a tradition over the years.

“As of now, as of today, I am not inclined to recommend a Somo. Some other situations may arise that could change my mind,” he said.

Lorenzana made the remarks hours before President Duterte declared as terrorist organizations the NPA and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

On Monday, Sison, who is based in the Netherlands, said the CPP was studying plans to observe the traditional Christmas truce.

“The CPP may decide to issue the ceasefire order to the NPA to show magnanimity and generosity because, after all, Duterte’s troops and the police are already overstretched, tired and ineffective,” Sison said in a statement from The Hague.

“The NPA can, at will, give them rest and time to visit their families,” he said, adding, however, that the decision would have to be made by the CPP leadership.

Peace talks

The government had earlier tried to conclude decadeslong peace talks with the communist movement, but Mr. Duterte ended the talks last month when he accused the rebels of insincerity.

“If they want war, I will give it to them,” Mr. Duterte said in Davao City on Nov. 21.

“I cannot do anything because I tried to talk to them and asked them if we can reach a settlement,” the President said.

“If you behave like that and we will go to war—even the civilians are being dragged into this—then we should just stop talking,” he added.

The Philippine government has yet to formally inform the CPP, NPA and the National Democratic Front and the Norwegian government, as the third party facilitator, of the termination of talks.

Mr. Duterte also wanted the military and police to shoot and kill armed communist rebels after he issued his presidential proclamation.