PNP on full alert after Reds end ceasefire with government

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Saturday said it is now on full alert after communist insurgents ended its truce – supposedly to give way for COVID-19 efforts – with the government.

The full alert was raised upon the instruction of Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, the PNP noted.

PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said the 205,000-strong police force “is ready and able to defend the country against any atrocities” of the Communist Party of the Philippines -New People’s Army-National Democratic Front  (CPP-NPA-NDF).

“On top of our duty to implement strict quarantine measures to stop the spread of this pandemic, the PNP assures Filipinos that your police and military are united behind our Commander-in-Chief President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to enforce our mandate to uphold public safety against this communist terrorist group,” he added.

Año earlier directed the PNP to go on full alert after the CPP on Thursday ordered the NPA to end its ceasefire with the government troops despite calls from the United Nations and left-leaning lawmakers for a “humanitarian pause” on offensives amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As government condemns this rebellion by the CPP-NPA-NDF as a threat to public safety amid the pandemic; we will continue to uphold the imposition of [enhanced community quarantine] ECQ n high-risk areas and [general community quarantine] GCQ in the rest of the country from May 1 to May 15, 2020, based on government guidelines,” Banac also said.