AFP chief Bautista says communists’ 4-day truce is too short

From InterAksyon (Dec 19): AFP chief Bautista says communists’ 4-day truce is too short

Even as the government has yet to act on a recommendation to declare a suspension of military operations for the holidays, Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Emmanuel Bautista on Thursday said the 4-day cease-fire declared by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) is “too short.”

“Napakaiksi naman ang di-neclare nila, nag-declare pa sila, two days for Christmas and two days New Year,” Bautista said, in reaction to the declaration on Wednesday of the Communist Party of the Philippines Central Committee of a unilateral ceasefire that it said was meant to allow the people to enjoy peaceful holidays.

Bautista said they had already recommended a cease-fire with the NPA through the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP). Until presstime, the Palace has not released any statement on the matter.

Bautista said if they had their own way, they would rather have a declaration of an indefinite ceasefire. “Di ba yun ang gusto natin? . . . Sana kung magde-declare sila (NPA), pangmatagalan na para yung ating mga kababayan hindi na magdusa sa armed struggle. Masyadong matagal na tayong nagdudusa diyan [Isn’t that what we all want?

I wish if they would declare something like that it would be for a longer period, because our people are suffering from the effects of the armed struggle],” he said.

Various units of the AFP have also been busy the past few months doing civil engineering work, rescue and humanitarian action in connection with a string of disasters since August (habagat), September (typhoon Santi and the Zamboanga siege), October (Bohol-Cebu earthquake) and November (super typhoon Yolanda or “Haiyan”).

On the expected Palace action on the AFP recommendation for a ceasefire, Bautista said Thursday, “Whatever is the order, we will follow.”

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/77118/afp-chief-bautista-says-communists-4-day-truce-is-too-short