Reds vow to ‘walk extra mile’ to forge peace

BAGUIO CITY: Communist guerillas are willing to “walk an extra mile” if only to forge a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the Philippine government (GRP), the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said in a press statement.

While criticizing President Rodrigo Duterte’s “unfulfilled peace vows,” the CPP denounced the continued detention of over 400 political prisoners and the President’s continued deployment of combat troops in rural communities “despite having ordered a ceasefire, resulting in rampant military abuses against the peasant masses.” However, the statement said the CPP is still supporting the National Democratic Front (NDF) negotiating panel’s effort to forge a bilateral ceasefire agreement “with clear provisions protecting civilian communities from so-called civil-military operations which shall take effect upon the promised release of all political prisoners.”