Police Gen. Debold Sinas, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, reminded all police field units Friday to remain alert and vigilant against possible increased hostilities by the New People's Army (NPA) ahead of the Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) 52nd founding anniversary on Dec. 26.
Sinas said the communist groups are known to launch high-profile attacks to "drumbeat the commemoration of significant dates in the underground movement" over the past five decades.
"The recent rash of hostile actions initiated by the CPP-NPA-NDFP (National Democratic Front of the Philippines) is all part of that long vicious cycle and 50-year tradition of violence of the local communist movement," he said.
He alerted all field units to maintain their defensive security posture amid the latest series of communist attacks against government personnel, isolated government installations, and civilian communities.
The latest is a roadside attack against personnel of the Tubungan Municipal Police Station who were conducting anti-communist operations in Iloilo last Thursday.
A team of cops led by Police Lt. Jose Rommel Samson of the Tubungan MPS were patrolling Barangay Balicua around 2:45 p.m. when their patrol car was hit by an explosion from an anti-personnel mine believed to be planted by communist rebels belonging to the NPA southern front of the Kilusang Rehiyon Panay.
Samson's team was left unscathed as they called for backup and went after the suspects. A manhunt was launched against the perpetrators of the attack even as Sinas condemned the use of anti-personnel landmine by the NPA.
Two military trucks transporting relief goods for typhoon victims in Sorsogon were struck by a landmine reportedly planted by communist rebels in Barangay Sogoy, Castilla last Dec. 5.
Another incident involved personnel of the Marabut MPS in Samar who were ambushed by suspected communist rebels while escorting a detainee from a court hearing back to the police station last Dec. 10. The police mobile was hit by a landmine which resulted in the death of Police Corporal Earl Hembra of the Marabut MPS.
Sinas noted that the use of anti-personnel landmine was "long outlawed by international conventions for use in warfare." The use of landmine is prohibited under Republic Act No. 9851 or the Crimes against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and other Crimes Against Humanity.
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon had earlier said that the military and police have been placed on red alert to thwart possible attacks by the CPP-NPA to mark their 52nd founding anniversary.
President Duterte had opted not to announce a holiday ceasefire with the CPP-NPA-NDF this year due to their "insincerity." The government has been accusing the communist groups of supposedly violating the truce in the previous years by attacking government forces.
Major Gen. Edgard Arevalo, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, said the decision of Duterte to reject the declaration of a holiday ceasefire was justified by the communist groups' attacks against government forces.
"It's immaterial whether the communist terrorist group declares a holiday ceasefire or not. They have been consistently and treacherously violating that after all," Arevalo said.