The Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) refusal to reciprocate the truce declared by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) might affect the government’s peace negotiations in the future.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III warned this after the Army’s 4th Infantry Division launched an operation in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon where nine (9) New People’s Army (NPA) rebels were killed in an armed encounter on Christmas Day.

The AFP has decided to ignore the CPP’s ceasefire, which began on Monday, December 25. The CPP had ordered the NPA, its armed wing, to observe a two-day unilateral ceasefire to mark the party anniversary on December 26.

Pimentel said the military’s refusal to observe a ceasefire “doesn’t build trust and it shows mistrust.”

“(It’s) not good for the planned peace talks,” Pimentel said.

“During the suspension of military operations, both sides must exhibit good faith and observe to the letter and to the spirit any declaration of ceasefire or SOMO (suspension of military operations),” he further said.

“Trust must be earned thru consistency of words with actions,” he said.

House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, for her part, expressed hope that the peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) will resume next year.

Castro aired her wish in her Christmas message for this year.

“Sana ay pormal na uling masimulan ang usapang pangkapayapaan sa pagitan ng GRP at NDFP upang tugunan ang mga batayang suliranin ng sambayanang Pilipino (I hope that the peace talks between the GRP and NDFP can be formally restarted to address the basic problems of the Filipino people),” Castro said in a statement.

Last November, the government and the NDFP, the political wing of the CPP and NPA, have agreed to a “principled and peaceful resolution to the armed conflict and end to the armed struggle.”

In a four-paragraph Joint Statement signed in Nov. 23, 2023, released by Malacañang through the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (PAPRU), Sec. Carlito Galvez said both parties has recognized the need to address the serious socio-economic, environmental issues and the foreign security threats facing the country.

Both sides have agreed to hold dialogues in order to come up with a peace and transformation framework to end the more than five decades old armed struggle.