THE police and the army in Negros Island Region (NIR) are on full alert status after the New People’s Army (NPA) terminated the unilateral ceasefire it declared in August last year.
Senior Superintendent Mariano Natu-el Jr., deputy regional director for operations of Police Regional Office (PRO)-NIR, said Wednesday the police are in “battle mode” for possible offensive attacks.
Natu-el, who led the accounting of PRO-18 personnel at the regional headquarters in Camp Alfredo Montelibano Sr. last night in relation to the police’s full alert status, said they are ready for untoward incidents, adding that police stations all over the region were directed to be vigilant and on guard.
He added that they coordinated with the Philippine Army for augmentation and deployment of troops.
Natu-el said soldiers were deployed in various police stations in the region to augment the police force in areas considered as “critical.”
The Philippine National Police (PNP), in a statement, said that despite the development and its possible implications to internal security, they will continue to observe the suspension of offensive police operations (Sopo) to honor the Philippine government’s own declaration of a unilateral ceasefire with the rebels.
The national headquarters has alerted all PNP units to remain vigilant and to maintain a high state of operational readiness to respond to hostile actions by domestic threat groups, it said.
The statement also said that PNP units will be on alert for possible movement of armed rebels who will take advantage of the Sopo to reposition and to engage in unlawful activities.
“It must be understood that this suspension of offensive police operations does not cover normal law enforcement operations and shall be implemented without prejudice to actions aimed at protecting the people and the communities, as well as PNP troops and installations against insurgent or terrorist attacks that may take place during the Sopo period,” the statement said.
Normal police function such as service of warrants of arrest, checkpoint operations, and other routine security measures will continue without let-up, it added.
Brigadier Geneneral Francisco Delfin, commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army based in Murcia town, said army troopers were directed to augment detachments and police stations in “vulnerable areas.”
All army detachments were told to maintain vigilance, he added.
Delfin also said the army will conduct security patrols in critical areas as troopers were authorized to engage if they encounter the rebels.
He added that they already anticipated that the rebels will withdraw from the ceasefire.
In a statement, NPA spokesman Jorge Madlos said the government peace panel would be given notice Wednesday of the termination of the truce.
Madlos said unilateral ceasefire ends on February 10.
“With this declaration and notice, the August 28 unilateral ceasefire shall effectively expire on 11:59 p.m. of February 10,” Madlos added.
Madlos explained the government “has not complied with its obligation to amnesty and release all political prisoners.”
“The Duterte regime failed to fulfill such obligation even though the CPP obliged it by extending the ceasefire declaration to more than 150 days,” he said.
While the CPP and NPA terminated the ceasefire, Madlos assured that it is remain committed to supporting the ongoing peace talks.