THE Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) declared a seven-day unilateral ceasefire late Friday “to celebrate and bolster” the resumption peace talks with the government.
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“President Rodrigo Duterte has restored the effects of unilateral ceasefire with the CPP-NPA-NDF (P), effective 12 midnight tonight, 21 August 2016”, Dureza said.
“This ceasefire declaration is encouraged by the (Philippine government’s) facilitation of the release of the almost all National Democratic Front of the Philippines consultants who are set to participate in peace negotiations in the course of the next several months”, the rebels said in a statement.
“This ceasefire declaration is encouraged by the GRP’s facilitation of the release of almost all NDFP consultants who are set to participate in peace negotiations in the course of the next several months”, the CPP said in a statement.
The communists earlier slammed the government for not releasing their supposed peace consultants who they claimed should be covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).
He said the restoration of the ceasefire came a few days after Duterte has released from detention about 20 prisoners who are needed in the peace negotiations.
Today, the President restores the effects of that ceasefire declaration precisely at this strategic time when we are all at the onset of the formal resumption of peace talks that had previously stalled for the last four years.
“Along with the expectation of peace loving community, EMC is hopeful that this restoration of Ceasefire by the President will be matched with the same sincerity by the other party, so that the sense of security, stability and progress will be enjoyed by our people”, EMC public affairs office chief Major Ezra Balagtey said.
“With or without reciprocation”, the NPA “must maintain a high-level of alertness against enemy troop movements”, said the CPP and NPA.
Duterte, on his first State-of-the-Nation Address last July 25, declared a unilateral ceasefire against the rebels as a sign of goodwill.
The NDF is the political arm of the Maoists that has been representing the rebels in their on-again, off-again peace talks with the government. The duration of the ceasefire will last for as long as necessary to bring peace in the land and also in order to provide an enabling environment for the success of the peace negotiations that will start in Oslo, Norway on August 22.
I say again: “the Duterte government will walk the extra mile for peace”.
The military estimates the current number of communist armed rebels to be around 4,000.
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“We are very happy for this development”, he said.
