Police forces alerted vs NPA attacks ahead of CPP anniversary

The New People's Army rebels (File photo)
The New People's Army rebels (File photo)

PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief Debold Sinas reminded police commanders on Friday, December 18, to beef up alertness and vigilance against possible attack of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New People’s Army (NPA) ahead of its 52nd founding anniversary on December 26, 2020.

“The CPP-NPA-NDF (National Democratic Front) is known to launch high-profile hostilities to drumbeat commemoration of significant dates in the underground movement over the past five decades,” Sinas said.

“The recent rash of hostile actions initiated by the CPP-NPA-NDF are all part of that long vicious cycle and 50-year tradition of violence of the local communist movement,” he added.

Sinas directed police field units to maintain defensive security posture amid the latest series of CPP-NPA-NDF hostilities against government personnel, isolated government installations, and civilian communities mostly with the use of landmines, long outlawed by international conventions for use in warfare.

Among the latest attacks staged by the group was that in Barangay Balicua, Tubungan, Iloilo, where a landmine believed to be planted by the terrorist group hit a PNP patrol vehicle. No one was hurt in the incident.

On December 10, a police corporal died in a landmine-ambush staged by the group on a police team performing administrative mission to escort an accused to court in Barangay Logero, Marabut, Samar, and on December 15, two military trucks transporting relief goods for disaster victims hit a landmine in Barangay Sogoy, Castilla, Sorsogon at 5:20 a.m.

Both the government and the CPP-NPA-NDF earlier said they will not declare a ceasefire with the government during the Christmas holidays.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said it did not recommend the declaration of ceasefire to President Rodrigo Duterte since the communist terrorist group has shown insincerity and unfaithfulness to the ceasefire in the past.

The CPP, in a statement, said it instructed its armed wing, the NPA, to “defend the masses and themselves against the attacks of the AFP.”

“In the face of the vicious attacks by Duterte’s military and police officers both in the cities and countryside, the CPP Central Committee is forced to dispense with the traditional holiday ceasefire this year,” the statement read. (SunStar Philippines)

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