After much speculation, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) revealed Wednesday, Dec. 14, that it will not recommend to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the declaration of a ceasefire with communist guerillas for the holiday break.
Col. Medel Aguilar, acting AFP spokesperson, repudiated rumors that the military might declare a cessation of hostilities with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and their armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA) in the spirit of the Yuletide season.
“The ceasefire is out of question now because we do not know who to talk to. Their leaders have gone into hiding, some are neutralized. Number two, there is a leadership vaccum,” Aguilar said in a television interview at CNN Philippines.
In previous years, the AFP has been implementing a truce with the communist groups during the holidays that usually lasted for one to two weeks.
But this practice has since been stopped by the previous Duterte administration due to allegations from both the government and the CPP-NPA of violations of the truce.
Under the present administration, Aguilar said a declaration of ceasefire is no longer needed since the CPP-NPA is already suffering from a “leadership crisis,” claiming that most of their leaders were either killed or arrested during encounters or have surrendered to authorities.
“How can they enforce a ceasefire to make sure the compliance of all its force?” Aguilar asked.
Instead of a ceasefire, the AFP can implement a suspension of military operations (SOMO) in areas where there is still presence of communist insurgents, particularly in Visayas and Soccsksargen (Region 12), according to the military spokesperson.
“We will shift to active defense. This will allow also our troops to be with their families. Hopefully, the CPP will allow its members, its fighters, the NPA members, to visit their families,” Aguilar said.
“And by the time that they are supposed to go back, they will realize that armed struggle is no longer relevant. It will be a futile exercise because reforms can be achieved without resorting to violence,” he added.
Last Monday, Brig. Gen. Joel Alejandro Nacnac, director of AFP Center for Law of Armed Conflict, said in a televised public briefing that he welcomes the prospect of a truce with the CPP-NPA so that the soldiers can take a break from fighting.