Philippine president calls off truce after rebel attack

Duterte ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to withdraw from the operational guidelines in relation to the ceasefire with the rebels.

This meant that security forces are “to be on heightened alert” and “continue to discharge their normal functions and mandate” to deal with all threats to national security, protect the citizenry, enforce the laws and maintain peace in the land.

He said it is hard for the NPA to reciprocate a ceasefire “when there are military officials who do not wish to follow Duterte’s order”.

Duterte, who assumed office on June 30 after a landslide election win, has said it was his “dream” to forge peace with communist rebels but asked them to show “good faith”.

According to the military, NPA rebels ambushed a Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit in a village in southern Davao del Norte province July 27, killing a government militiaman and injuring four others. The guerrillas welcomed the move and said they were considering whether to respond by declaring their own cease-fire.

Duterte, however, has agreed to the release of detained rebels, who would be involved in peace talks, and designated two allies of the guerrillas to Cabinet posts in concessions aimed at fostering the talks.

Bello said that in a conversation with Agcaoili, the CPP would reciprocate the President’s ceasefire declaration.

On Friday, a furious Duterte asked the NDF: “Are you ready to declare a ceasefire or hindi?” “I will wait for the declaration at 5 p.m. [Saturday]”.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday revoked the unilateral ceasefire he announced in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25 after communist rebels failed to communicate with the government before the ultimatum set by the President. In a statement dated July 29, Francisco said the military and Cafgu were “clearly on combat operation and not engaged in “civilian” activities, in direct violation to President Duterte’s ceasefire order”.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte lifted Saturday night his unilateral declaration of ceasefire with the leftist rebels and ordered the security forces to be “on high alert”.

Jalandoni acknowledged that one person was killed by the rebels during the incident, but said the man was a member of a government militia “notorious for carrying out human rights violations” against minority ethnic groups in Mindanao.

It was the first irritant in what has been a blossoming relationship between Duterte, who calls himself a left-wing president, and the Maoist guerrillas, who have been waging one of Asia’s longest-running communist insurgencies.

It was unclear whether the emerging differences between Duterte and the insurgents would affect the resumption of peace talks scheduled for August 20-27 in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.

“We are talking here of just hours”.

A Mindanao-based spokesman for the communist rebel group has also claimed that Duterte’s unilateral ceasefire was not being enforced in Mindanao.