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| the Armed Forces of the Philippines / photo file from Manila Bulletin (ctto) |
President
Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday announced the suspension of military operations
against the communist insurgents starting December 24 to January 2, 2018.
Against the
recommendation of the Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the Chief Executive
has decided to declare the temporary ceasefire to lessen the worry of the
public this Christmas.
“Christmas
holds a special place in the hearts of our countrymen. This unilateral
ceasefire would lessen the apprehension of the public this Christmas season,”
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement.
He added that
the government is also expecting the same gesture from the Communist Party of
the Philippines (CPP), National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and
New People’s Army (NPA).
“We expect
that the CPP-NPA-NDFP would do a similar gesture of goodwill. In the observance
of this occasion, we hope that all Filipinos would stand together as one nation
and aspire for peace,” Roque said.
On the other
hand, Lorenzana welcomed the declaration of the president of a suspension of
military operations (SOMO) against the rebels for ten days.
“We will
follow the directive of the President,” he said.
“I was
actually adamant [on this suspension]. I did not recommend for the cessation of
military operations against the CPP-NPA,” he said.
“But if the
President declared so, then we are going to implement and abide by the
directive of the President,” Lorenzana added.
Earlier, the defense
secretary already expressed that he is not in favor to suspend military
operations during Christmas season citing the intel that commanders of the NPA
have ordered to intensify offensives against the military troops.
Following the
AFP, the Philippine National Police also said that it would follow the
president’s order.
“The
corresponding memo circular will be issued soonest so that all PNP units,
offices and stations will be guided accordingly,” says PNP spokesman Chief
Supt.Dionardo Carlos.
For years, a
bilateral ceasefire during the holiday season is a tradition between the
military men and the rebels in the country.
source: Manila Times
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