THE Armed Forces of the Philippines is just waiting for its Commander in Chief, President Rodrigo Duterte, to declare Suspension of Military Operations (Somo), Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ezra Balagtey said, this in light with the unilateral ceasefire declaration by the Communist Party of the Philippines.
The CPP unilateral declaration of temporary ceasefire shall take effect at 12:01 a.m. of December 24, to 11:59 p.m. of December 26, and 12:01 a.m. of December 31, to 11:59 p.m. of January 1, 2019.
“The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) hereby declare to all commands and units of the New People's Army (NPA) and people's militias a temporary unilateral ceasefire in unity with the Filipino people’s observance of traditional holidays and... celebrate the Party's upcoming 50th anniversary,” the statement read.
With this, the government troops are urging the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) to adhere to their temporary unilateral ceasefire declaration.
“They should prove not only in words but indeed. Eastmincom will always carry out the mandate of ensuring the community of their right to celebrate the holiday secure and peaceful,” Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ezra Balagtey said on Friday.
On the other hand, Philippine Army’s 1003rd Infantry Brigade Commander Brigadier General Ernesto Torres likewise hopes that the ceasefire would be permanent and that they could sit down and talk peacefully to settle the differences.
He also urged those who will be returning to their family to rethink the cause of their fighting.
“I just would like to inform our brothers who are still in the NPA, if you will really observe that, kung papayagan kayong umuwi ng inyong mga commander this Christmas season, umuwi po kayo sa inyong mga bahay and feel the warmth of the love of your family, of your friends and probably talk to them and try to assess kung ano ang mga programa ng gobyerno na in-offer sa inyo,” he said.
Meanwhile, Datu Lipatuan Joel Unad, chairman of Mindanao Indigenous Peoples Council of Elders and Leaders (MIPCEL), said in an interview that in the previous ceasefire declaration by the NPA, attacks and abuses continue to be carried out in the hinterland, making the ceasefire useless.
“Mao man gud ni ang problema man gud pag muingon ta ug ceasefire murag government to government lang pero in terms of mga commander sa ground, wala man nila ginatuman, naa gihapon mga abuso, pagpabuto (That is the problem, when they say ceasefire, it’s only limited to government to government but in terms of the commanders on the ground, they are not observing ceasefire. There are still abuses and firefight),” he said.