Duterte lifts ceasefire with CPP-NPA, places troops on ‘high alert’

President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday night lifted the unilateral ceasefire and placed troops on "high alert" after the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) failed his deadline to make their own declaration.

"Let me now announce that I am hereby ordering for the immediate lifting of the unilateral ceasefire that I ordered last July 25 against the communist rebels," Duterte said in a statement released to the media after the 5 p.m. deadline on Saturday lapsed.

"I am ordering all security forces to be on high alert and continue to discharge their normal functions and mandate to neutralize all threats to national security, protect the citizenry, enforce the laws and maintain peace in the land," he added.

Duterte ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police to withdraw the operational guidelines" issued to their units after his declaration, which he made during his first State of the Nation Address last Monday.

Duterte issued the deadline following an ambush by the NPA in Davao del Norte, which resulted in the killing of an AFP civilian volunteer and wounding of four others.

The NPA had said that it was the AFP that violated Duterte's ceasefire declaration.

The AFP said that the lifting of the ceasefire declaration was a "missed opportunity." It said that it will abide by Duterte's new instructions.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa also said that the police will also abide by the instructions.

"The PNP will follow the instructions of the commander-in-chief," Dela Rosa said in a statement.

Talks to resume

In a television interview, National Democratic Front (NDF) chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison said that the CPP-NPA was supposed to declare a ceasefire at 8 p.m.

Sison said the ceasefire declaration was recommended by the NDF to the CPP-NPA.

The communist leader said the NDF is still open to continue talks with the Philippine government.

Dureza also believes the government's lifting of the ceasefire declaration will not affect the resumption of peace negotiations.

"Let's wait and see. But so far, as of the moment, there is no supervening factor that will affect the upcoming talks in Oslo," he said in a text message to GMA News Online.

Peace panels of the NDF and government were scheduled to resume talks on August 20 in Oslo, Norway.

Unilateral truce not implemented

Before Duterte made the announcement, the NPA alleged that the unilateral ceasefire was not implemented in Southern Mindanao.

Rigoberto Sanchez, spokesperson of the NPA-Southern Mindanao Regional Operations Command, said that there was no "conspicuous and veritable unilateral ceasefire" exercised by the AFP, PNP and paramilitary troops in the region.