The Philippine National Police (PNP) has renewed calls for the remaining communist rebels and their supporters to surrender and start a new life following the death of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria "Joma" Sison.
PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, Jr. said the death of Sison should serve as a wake-up call for the members of the CPP-New People's Army (NPA) to give up armed struggle and contribute to nation building instead.
"After so many years (of fighting), maybe those who still believe in him (Sison) should heed to the call for unity," said Azurin.
"They should go down from the mountains so that we can finally start a peaceful and orderly start to make this country progressive," he added.
On Saturday, Dec. 17, the CPP confirmed the death of Sison in the Netherlands where he had been staying. Reportedly, he died on Friday, Dec. 16, after more or less two weeks of staying in the hospital.
Defense and security analysts said this could be a big blow to the CPP-NPA since there is no one else in its hierarchy that enjoys the same status as Sison.
The closest possible replacement of Sison, couple Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, were reported to have died in August this year.
Alert status remains
The CPP is set to celebrate its 54th founding anniversary on Dec. 26. Over the years, the celebration is marked with attacks on government troops and installations.
Azurin earlier alerted all PNP units, especially its elite forces, to prepare for any attacks.
"We remain vigilant. That's why we ordered our units to be on alert for possible treacherous attacks," said Azurin.
Unseen justice
The CPP-NPA has been waging more than five decades of armed struggle against the government, considered as one of the oldest armed struggles in the world.
The CPP-NPA reached the peak of its campaign against the government in the 1980s wherein its armed fighters reached over 25,000 nationwide.
Based on the latest. military assessment, the remaining NPA fighters is now only at a little over 2,000.
For Azurin, the death of Sison marks the end in the search for justice for over 50,000 people who died in the communist insurgency over the years.