Army soldiers allowed to go home for Holy Week

The Philippine Army has allowed its soldiers to go home for two days to observe Holy Week, its spokesperson said Tuesday.

 

Major Harold Cabunoc, Army spokesperson, said Army chief Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista has approved the two-day break for soldiers under his command.

 

“Every soldier has the freedom to choose a religion, and the Army grants holiday breaks to its soldiers so they can participate in the religious activities their faith requires,” Cabunoc said in a statement.

 

He added that Muslim soldiers are also allowed to go on break during the Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan.

 

The Army spokesperson said soldiers will go home in two batches: one on April 5 to 6, and one on April 7 to 8.

 

In observance of the Holy Week, the Army chaplain services will also spearhead Lenten traditions such as pabasa and Stations of the Cross, he added.

 

Appeal to NPA rebels

 

Meanwhile, the chief of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division appealed to members of the New People’s Army “to stop deliberate offensive operations against the people” during the Holy Week.

 

Major Enrico Gil Ileto, the division’s public affairs office chief, called on the communist rebels “to spend a week of peace, freedom and tranquility.”

 

“As the nation observes the Lenten week, the 3rd Infantry Division calls on members of the NPA to take advantage of this and spend the time with their families, embrace peace and turn their backs from violence and aggression,” Ileto said in a separate statement.

 

Ileto, however, said that soldiers in his unit, which is deployed in provinces in Western and Central Visayas, will “maintain their vigilance” particularly in the countryside and places frequented by tourists.

 

No Lenten truce with NPA

 

Earlier, Malacañang did not declare a Lenten truce with NPA rebels, saying the government has no tradition of declaring Lenten ceasefires.

 

The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), which has been waging war against the Philippine government for over four decades now.

 

The Philippine government is having peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), the CPP’s political wing, through chief negotiator Alex Padilla.

 

The resumption of formal talks, however, has suffered several delays after the CPP-NDFP demanded the release of several political prisoners whom they claimed were their consultants. — RSJ, GMA News