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By Anthony Vargas, Reporter
GOVERNMENT security officials on Monday,
Christmas Eve, were “furious” over the four-day ceasefire
declared by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) for the
Yuletide.
The CPP’s declaration of a ceasefire came a
day after New People’s Army (NPA) rebels attacked a police station
in Samar province in the country’s Visayas region. The rebels
killed a militiaman and carted away several high-powered firearms.
Military officials viewed the declaration of
ceasefire of the CPP-NPA as a “treacherous” ploy by the rebels.
“It is an insincere gesture given the standing
order to intensify attacks against government and civilians,” the
Army chief, Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano, said in a statement Monday.
Yano added that the communists’ ceasefire
declaration is a plot meant to create a false sense of security
among soldiers and policemen for the rebels to be able to carry out
more attacks.
“The four-day NPA ceasefire is a reactionary
move. The Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police (PNP) will
continue to be vigilant and ready to defend the populace,” the
Army chief said in his statement.
Lt. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang, commander of the
military’s Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), said the NPA’s
ceasefire declaration is a desperate move on the part of the rebels.
“The late ceasefire declaration of the rebels
is a desperate effort to atone for their sins against the people who
wanted peace,” Maclang added also in a statement.
He said the ill-timed tactical offensives of the
NPA against the military and national police have backfired,
demonstrating the rebel’s callousness to the desire of the people
to have lasting peace.
The military started its own three-week
Christmas ceasefire on December 16. Both sides have been observing
the practice yearly in mainly Roman Catholic Philippines while
fighting one of the world’s longest-running Maoist insurgencies.
Communist guerrillas said Monday that they are
observing a unilateral four-day truce over Christmas and hinted of a
longer ceasefire if the Philippine government met certain
conditions.
But “even as a four-day Christmas and New
Year’s ceasefire is observed, the order to intensify tactical
offensive against fascist government forces remain in force,” CPP
spokesman, Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal said in a statement posted
on its website.
Rosal said the NPA will observe a ceasefire on
December 24 to 25, and on December 31 to January 1, 2008, but
“tactical offensives” will continue on government troops on
mission orders.
The rebel spokesman quickly clarified that they
are not reciprocating the government’s 22-day long ceasefire,
saying it was meant to celebrate their anniversary on December 26.
The party earlier rejected a three-year
ceasefire offered by the military. But Rosal also said on Monday
that the insurgents would agree to a longer truce if the military
retreated to its barracks, among other conditions.
-- With AFP
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