Reds Declare Unilateral Ceasefire

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the National Operational Command of the New People’s Army (NPA) issued a unilateral declaration of a seven-day ceasefire on 19 August to celebrate and bolster the resumption of formal peace negotiations between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). Addressed to all commands and units of the NPA and the people’s militia, the ceasefire starts 12:01 a.m. of August 21 ending on 11:59 p.m. of August 27. The formal talks between the negotiating panels of the NDFP and the government are scheduled for August 22-26 and will be held in Oslo, Norway.

“This ceasefire declaration is encouraged by the government’s facilitation of the release of nearly all NDFP consultants who are set to participate in peace negotiations in the course of the next several months,” said the CPP and NPA.

The CPP reiterated its “deep appreciation of the determined efforts of President Duterte to push forward and accelerate the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations as a means of addressing the roots of the civil war in the Philippines.”

“We hope that this ceasefire declaration will be reciprocated by the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) as a show of all-out determination to move forward with peace negotiations,” said the CPP. It clarified, however, that the ceasefire declaration will take effect even without GRP reciprocation.

“To further bolster peace negotiations, the CPP and NPA are also open to discuss the possibility of a longer ceasefire upon completion of the release of all political prisoners,” said the CPP.

Guidelines

During the ceasefire period, all NPA units and people’s militia shall cease and desist from carrying out offensive military campaigns and operations against the uniformed armed personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines.

Personnel of the AFP and PNP who have no serious liabilities other than their membership in their armed units shall not be subjected to arrest or punitive actions. They may be allowed individually to enter the territory of the people’s democratic government to make personal visits to relatives and friends.

All units of the NPA and the people’s militias shall remain on defensive mode at both the strategic and tactical levels. They shall nonetheless maintain a high degree of militancy and vigilance against any hostile actions or movements by enemy armed forces with the aim of encirclement and suppression.

The NPA shall consider as hostile action encroachments on the territory of the people’s democratic government by operating troops of the AFP and its paramilitaries to conduct surveillance, psywar and other offensive operations that are labelled as “peace and development”, “civil-military”, “peace and order” and “law enforcement” operations.

Active-defense operations by the NPA shall be undertaken only in the face of clear and imminent danger and actual armed attack by the enemy forces and only after exhausting counter-maneuvers to avoid armed encounters.

All leading organs and branches of the CPP, commands and units of the NPA and people’s militias and revolutionary mass organizations shall closely monitor any hostile actions, provocations or movements being carried out by the enemy armed forces. Such information should be reported to the concerned commands of the New People’s Army and leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines. ●