The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has ordered yesterday the New People’s Army (NPA) to extend the nationwide ceasefire for 15 more days to “prioritize the fight against the pandemic and ensure the safety, health and well-being of everyone.” The CPP Central Committee extended to 11:59 p.m. of April 30 its earlier ceasefire declaration which started on March 25.
According to the CPP, the aim of the ceasefire extension “is to ensure quick and unimpeded support to all people requiring urgent medical, health and socioeconomic assistance in the face of the public emergency over the Covid-19 pandemic.” It also emphasized that all revolutionary forces are “ever ready to cooperate with all other forces and elements to achieve this objective.”
While expressing the desire for the resumption of the NDFP-GRP peace negotiations, the CPP also reiterated the call for the “urgent release” of all political prisoners and for declaring a general amnesty.
The CPP praised all units of the people’s army and people’s militias for their discipline in observing the ceasefire order and shifting priority to the anti-Covid-19 campaign.
“Despite the difficulties and dangers brought about by the continuing occupation of AFP combat troops of guerrilla zones and base areas, the widespread and intense intelligence and psywar operations, and the attacks mounted by the AFP’s strike forces against detected NPA units,” the CPP stressed.
It cautioned the NPA to “maintain strictest secrecy” and not allow themselves to be exposed to AFP attacks. The recent armed encounters which the AFP misreported as NPA ceasefire violations are the result of the offensive actions of the AFP, the CPP affirmed.
It reiterated that all NPA units must strictly limit themselves to active defense operations which shall be carried out only in the face of imminent danger and actual armed attacks by the enemy forces.
The NDFP, meanwhile, wrote United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, to inform him of the decision of the CPP Central Committee extending its unilateral ceasefire declaration.
In a letter, Luis Jalandoni, Member of the Executive Committee and National Council of the NDFP, reiterated that the CPP declaration of the unilateral ceasefire on March 25 to April 15, was issued in response to the UN Secretary General’s call for a global ceasefire of warring parties to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Despite violations of the Duterte government’s unilateral ceasefire, which we informed Your Honor a few days ago, this unilateral ceasefire declaration by the CPP Central Committee issued yesterday calls again for the release of political prisoners and declares its openness to resume peace negotiations with the Duterte government,” Jalandoni emphasized.
Jalandoni said the NDFP is assuring the UN Secretary General that the CPP, the New People’s Army (NPA) and National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) are fully committed to carry out health and other programs to effectively combat the COVID-19 pandemic.#
