NPA lifting of unilateral ceasefire won't affect military -- DND chief

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 1): NPA lifting of unilateral ceasefire won't affect military -- DND chief

The decision of the New People's Army (NPA) to lift the unilateral ceasefire, which will end noon of Feb. 10, will have no effect on the military.

This was stressed by Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in a message Wednesday.

"If the CPP-NPA (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army) will terminate or stop their unilateral ceasefire it is up to them. It will not affect the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), anyway despite their declared ceasefire they have not stopped extorting under the guise of their so-called revolutionary taxation, went on recruiting, burning buses and equipment, ambushing and kidnapping soldiers," he added.

Pending instructions from President Rodrigo Duterte, Lorenzana said the DND will continue to enforce the government unilateral ceasefire.

"Our troops will not actively operate against the NPA while our ceasefire is in effect. However, it will continue to maintain peace and order and run after lawless elements whoever they are. We do not recognize any areas under NPA control nor are they allowed to roam around with their firearms intimidating people," Lorenzana stressed.

“The August 28, 2016 unilateral declaration of interim ceasefire issued by the Central Committee of the CPP (CPP-CC) and the National Operations Command of the New People’s Army (NPA-NOC) is hereby terminated,” NPA spokesperson Ka Oris said in a statement.

“From today (Feb. 1, 2017) until the expiration of the ceasefire declaration, all commands and units of the NPA, including the people’s militia and self-defense corps, are tasked to take initiative and more vigorously carry out active defense in order to defend the people and revolutionary forces,” he added.

The rebels attribute the lifting of their unilateral ceasefire to the government’s failure to release all political prisoners under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees as one of the reasons for the termination of the unilateral declaration of interim ceasefire.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=960021