THE military on Tuesday suspended operations against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), in adherence to the unilateral cease-fire ordered by President Duterte with the rebels on Monday.
The suspension of offensive military operations (Somo) against the rebels was ordered by the Armed Forces chief of staff, Gen. Ricardo R. Visaya, in his directives to all commanders and ground units, immediately after the Commander in Chief declared the cease-fire.
“The Somo covers the cessation of all military offensives against the CPP, particularly its armed group, the NPA, including the conduct of combat maneuvers that may be construed as provocative acts that may be deemed violative of the Somo,” Visaya’s order read.
“While the Somo is in effect, however, the Armed Forces shall continue to perform its mandate of protecting the communities and its people from terrorist groups; secure and protect from attacks or sabotage vital government facilities, military camps, infrastructures and projects,” it added.
Col. Edgard Arevalo, Armed Forces Public Affairs Office chief, said the directive for a Somo with an effectivity date of July 25, was issued to all commanders of the unified commands, major services and Armed Forces-wide service support units.
The National Police, on the other hand, has yet to issue orders to its ground commander for the suspension of offensive police operations (Sopo), against communist rebels, in obedience to Duterte’s directive.
Director General Ronald dela Rosa, National Police chief, is currently in Malaysia attending a regional police conference.
The National Police is currently working for the release of its four personnel who were abducted by the communist guerrillas in Surigao del Norte on Sunday while they were on their way to attend a wedding ceremony.
On Monday Duterte declared a cease-fire with the CPP-NPA, adding he was hoping the rebels would respond to the gesture by declaring their own cease-fire with the government.
The rebels, however, have yet to respond.
The government’s declaration of a cease-fire came less than three weeks before the scheduled reopening of its peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front (NDF), the umbrella organization of leftist forces in the country.
Arevalo said the military will exhaust “all efforts to support the Commander in Chief’s peace initiatives with the CNN [CPP, NPA, NDF] to attain an enduring peace and sustained development for our country’s posterity.”
CPP welcomes truce offer
THE CPP, meanwhile, welcomed Duterte’s unilateral declaration of cease-fire and is waiting for the detail of his offered truce.
“We await the release of the operational details, schedules and specific orders of President Duterte’s declaration. The leadership of the CPP will soon issue its own unilateral cease-fire declaration as a reciprocal act to boost the peace talks,” the statement of the CPP Central Committee (CC) said.
“President Duterte’s unilateral cease-fire declaration is a positive boost to the NDF-government peace talks scheduled from August 20 to 27. We expect that such a declaration will be complemented soon with the earlier declared plan to release all NDF peace consultants and the rest of the 550 political prisoners,” the CPP added.
The CPP’s central committee said it has already issued orders for the NPA “to maintain an active defense mode.”
A more detailed order for the conduct of the NPA during the cease-fire will be issued in earnest by the National Operations Command of the NPA.
“President Duterte’s appeal for the NPA to cease the ambuscades can immediately be reciprocated. However, to the people longing for peace, what is more important and urgent is for the operating troops of the Armed Forces to withdraw from the civilian communities and homes, their community schools, barangay halls and health centers,” the party added.
CPP-CC argued that Duterte should issue an order for the Armed Forces to end the implementation of the anticommunist insurgency Integrated Peace and Security Plan Bayanihan.
“Such attacks against civilians is often justified, by the apologists of the US counterinsurgency dogma,” it added.
“As we welcome the unilateral declaration of cease-fire as a boost to peace talks, we must remind ourselves that it is not so much the absence of war than the presence of justice and freedom that makes peace. To the oppressed and exploited masses of peasants and workers, waging people’s war has always been the only viable recourse to attain their aspirations for peace,” CPP-CC explained.
“Indeed, we seek the peace of the living, not the peace of the dead, as President Duterte declared in his State of the Nation Address. To this, we must add, the people can only live in peace if they are free from landlessness, joblessness, hunger, ignorance, disease, environmental destruction and hopelessness,” the party concluded.
(With Marvyn Benaning)