Truce useless if NPA continues attacks: AFP chief

From Malaya Business Insight (Mar 27): Truce useless if NPA continues attacks: AFP chief

THE Armed Forces yesterday said no date has been set for the reinstatement of the government’s unilateral ceasefire with the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army, which President Duterte lifted last month.

On Saturday, the CPP announced it is going to declare a new unilateral ceasefire “not later than March 31,” in anticipation of the resumption of the formal peace negotiations in the Netherlands on April 2 to 6.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Año took a shot at the CPP, saying the unilateral ceasefire of the communists will be useless if the NPA will continue “to extort money and burn equipment and properties.” 

President Duterte lifted the government truce and terminated the formal peace talks with the communists on February 4 because of rebel attacks on civilian and military targets. The communists later suspended their own truce.

Last March 12, government and communist negotiators announced the resumption of the talks following informal meetings. The two sides also agreed to re-instate their    unilateral truce before the resumption of the formal talks.

President Duterte initially declared the government ceasefire in August prior to the start of the first round of formal talks in August last year. The communists reciprocated with their own truce.

In South Cotabato Friday, government forces repulsed simultaneous rebel attacks on an Army detachment and a mining firm nearby in Barangay Tablu in Tampakan town.

Capt. Rhyan Batchar, public affairs officer of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said about 50 rebels launched the attacks around 7 a.m., targeting the Tablu military detachment and the Sagittarius Mines Inc (SMI).
Batchar said the rebels outnumbered the soldiers and militiamen, who numbered only 14 men. However, he said the government troops were aided by undetermined number of SMI security guards.

Batchar said the soldiers, the militiamen and the security guards “held their ground until artillery fire support from the 27th IB (Infantry Battalion) and three Air Force helicopters arrived, forcing the attackers to flee.”

No soldier, militiaman or security guard was killed or injured in the attacks, which lasted for five hours and 25 minutes. Batchar said the witnesses saw four of the rebels wounded as the rebels were retreating.

During clearing operations, the troops recovered a handheld radio and plastic containers filled with gasoline, which Batchar said the rebels may use in burning the Army detachment and SMI facilities.

Batchar said the rebels launched the attacks due to the refusal of SMI to give in to the extortion demands of the communist movement.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/truce-useless-if-npa-continues-attacks-afp-chief