PNoy OKs 26-day holiday truce with NPA rebels

Published December 20, 2013 3:32pm

(Updated 4:16 p.m.) President Benigno Aquino III has approved a holiday truce with communist rebels, a Palace official said Friday.

"The President has approved the recommendation of the Secretary of National Defense and the AFP chief of staff and the secretary [of] OPAPP on the suspension of offensive military operations (SOMO) effective midnight 12:01 a.m. Dec .21, 2013 until 11:59 p.m. Jan. 15, 2014," Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a text message.

In a separate statement, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles said the ceasefire will "allow those in conflict areas, whether soldier, rebel or civilian, safe passage to celebrate Advent with their families, far from all harm."

"This year, a Christmas ceasefire gains added urgency with the call for healing and rebuilding that resonate in this Season and its promise of a new life to all," she said.

She cited the "major tragedies" which devastated the country, among them Typhoon Yolanda.

"It has stretched our nation, indeed all our minds and hearts, to its limits. Our nation needs to bind our wounds and focus our energies and resources on the tasks at hand," she said.

"May the peace and goodwill that must dwell in our hearts become building blocks for a healing and enduring peace in our land," she added.

Deles, however, said "security forces will maintain their defensive readiness in the protection of our people."

Earlier, the military said the truce was recommended not only because of the holiday season but also because of the devastation brought by Typhoon Yolanda.

Earlier, the Communist Party of the Philippines declared two three-day ceasefires with the military to mark the holidays as well as the CPP's 45th founding anniversary on Dec. 26.

In a statement, the CPP's Central Committee said it set a truce from 12:00 a.m. on December 24 to 11:59 p.m. on December 26, and another from 12:00 a.m. on December 31 to 11:59 p.m. on January 2, 2014.

But military chief General Emmanuel Bautista said the six-day truce is too short, adding the communist rebels should declare a ceasefire "forever."

“Napakaiksi naman ng dineclare nila, nag-declare pa sila. (Kung) gusto nila, forever wala nang putukan e, di ba yun ang gusto natin,” Bautista told reporters Thursday.

Last year, the AFP had a two-week holiday truce with New People's Army (NPA) rebels, while the insurgents observed its own ceasefire in places affected by Typhoon Pablo (Bopha). — Kimberly Jane Tan/RSJ, GMA News

Tags: cppnpa, insurgency, holidaytruce, benignoaquinoiii