Reds finally declare holiday truce

Communist rebels on Sunday finally declared a four-day ceasefire on December 24 to 25 and December 31 to January 1, 2008 "as a matter of policy and tradition in deference to the people's holiday celebrations." In a press statement, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) spokesman Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal said the New People's Army "practices unilateral military restraint on the eve and days of Christmas and New Year." "As practiced for many years, the Filipino people, their people's army and revolutionary forces unite in humble traditional holiday celebrations and in the commemoration of the anniversary of the Communist Party, which falls on December 26," he said. He said even as a four-day Christmas and New Year ceasefire is observed, the order to intensify tactical offensives against government forces remain in force. "However, NPA units have been instructed to remain alert against enemy operations, and - if provoked - fend off or repulse its fascist offensives," he said. He added all units of the NPA are instructed to closely monitor the movements of the AFP, maintain vigilance, be on active defense and decisively counter all forms of treachery by the armed forces. "The need to intensify the people's war remains as the Arroyo regime relentlessly pursues its brutal war of terror," he said. He said the practice of observing a four-day ceasefire during the traditional holiday celebrations has nothing to do with the 22-day 'suspension of military operations' (SOMO) earlier declared by Malacañang. He said SOMO is being used to camouflage the continuing military operations including patrol, surveillance and offensive operations against the NPA. "In actual fact, the AFP has been completely ignoring its self-declared ceasefire since Day One. Its units continue to be on offensive mode against the NPA despite their unilateral SOMO declaration. They have been scouring peasant and minority communities, committing military abuses, forcibly displacing thousands of residents and wreaking havoc on peasant and tribal communities," Rosal said. He added SOMO is also being used as a bait to paralyze the NPA for three weeks and allow the government's fascist forces free rein to continue attacking the revolutionary forces. Rosal noted reports of continuing AFP military operations even after the AFP's supposed SOMO starting December 16. He cited the case of the tribal folk of General Nakar, Quezon, who have been forced to go on an exodus to Infanta in order to escape continuing AFP operations against the NPA. In Surigao del Sur, Manobo national minorities were forced to evacuate again to Tandag City after AFP troops refuse to heed the pleadings of the tribes people for the government armed forces to leave their villages. In MacArthur town, a Philippine Army armored personnel carrier forcibly entered Barangay Hibodhibod to conduct "pursuit operations against the NPA. Rosal owned up the ambush that killed three Marines in Palawan over the weekend. In an earlier statement, Rosal even congratulated the NPA troops for "the successful ambush" in Barangay Binga, San Vicente town. "Those Marines were ambushed for their armed transgression into known revolutionary territory," Rosal said. - GMANews.TV