Scrapping of Christmas truce up to Palace - AFP

(Updated 4:40 p.m.) The military on Sunday said it is up to Malacañang whether to scrap the 22-day truce declared by the government following the ambush of three Marines by communist guerrillas in Palawan on the first day of the ceasefire. “[The] suspension of military offensive against the rebels is a decision to be taken by the Executive (branch of government) and on the part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines," Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said. “We will comply with whatever decision that will be made by our political leaders," he said. New People’s Army guerillas greeted the truce that went into effect Saturday in view of the Christmas season with an ambuscade, killing three Marines on marketing duty in Palawan. Marine spokesman Lt. Col. Ariel Caculitan said the three Marines - a private and two privates first class - were on an administrative mission when they were waylaid by at least 20 rebels in Sitio Kauban in Barangay (village) Binga in San Vicente town around 7:30 a.m. Caculitan said the three, assigned with the Marine Battalion Landing Team 9, were traveling on foot, in plainclothes and unarmed when they were attacked by the rebels led by one Gilbert Ilagan. “Its unfortunate that the other side did not reciprocate the good gesture of the Armed Forces to declare SOMO (suspension of military offensive) in the spirit of Christmas…They (Marines) should not be complacent in view of this development. Definitely, there would be adjustment in the security," said Caculitan. Caculitan said the rebels should have exercised restraint in attacking the three Marines who were in civilian clothes and unarmed. “They (Marines) were on an administrative movement. It’s not in a way related to the conduct of combat operations. They were on marketing. They were about to buy something in the town proper," said Bacarro. The Christmas truce, declared on the recommendation of the military, is way too long compared to the previous season when the government declared four days of truce with the rebels - two days each for Christmas Day and another two days for the New Year. Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. has said that the military endorsed a longer truce this season because “we want a better enjoyment of the Yuletide season." He added: “We want everybody to feel that peace is better than going to war." - GMANews.TV