Continuing AFP offensives defy Pres. Duterte’s ceasefire call

From the often pro-CPP online publication the Northern Dispatch Weekly (NORDIS) (Dec 25): Continuing AFP offensives defy Pres. Duterte’s ceasefire call

The Antonio Licawen Front Operational Command (ALFOC) of the New People’s Army (NPA) condemns the continuing military operations of the 81st IB troops of the Philippine Army in the bounderies of Ilocos Sur and Abra.

ALFOC in a statement emailed to the media pointed out that the Government of the Philippines (GRP) through Duterte and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) issued reciprocal unilateral ceasefire declarations as part of confidence building measures in the current peace negotiations.

“But the 81st IB PA stationed in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur has repeatedly acted in clear defiance of President Duterte’s unilateral ceasefire order issued last July 25, and again on August 21,” the ALFOC statement read.

The rebels said that 81st IB soldiers conducted military operations in barangays Patungcaleo, Malideg, Banoen, Lamag and Legleg in Quirino, Ilocos Sur and barangays Tiempo, Kili and Baclingayan in Tubo, Abra amid the unilateral ceasfire declarations of President Rodrigo Duterte.

According to ALFOC, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has instructed the NPA and its militia units to observe the ceasefire it issued. Since then, the NPA forces have taken an active defense stance “in consideration of the positive developments of the first round of talks paving the way for further talks on the more substantive agenda of socio-economic reforms”.

The rebels claimed that the AFP on the other hand continued with their Oplan Bayanihan program deploying Peace and Development Teams (PDT). “This habitual insubordination of the AFP manifests its insincerity in achieving peace through a comprehensive resolution of the root causes of the ongoing armed conflict,” the NPA unit said.

The NPA accused the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) of serving the US by sabotaging the peace talks. The rebel group said the “ AFP is a pillar of US military might in the Philippines”. The rebel group added that the collapse of the current talks with socio-economic reforms as the main agenda will be a major setback in reaching a final peace agreement.

“Evidently, the US has nothing to lose and everything to gain in case of a breakdown of the ongoing GRP-NDFP peace negotiations,” the NPA statement said.

ALFOC further claimed that the US has been trying to outmanuever the Duterte administration especially after President Duterte’s announcement that he wants US troops out of the country.

ALFOC challenged the Duterte administration to stand up against this obvious US intervention in the peace negotiations. # nordis.net

http://www.nordis.net/2016/12/continuing-afp-offensives-defy-pres-dutertes-ceasefire-call/