Nearly a week after the government declared a Christmas ceasefire from December 16 to January 3, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) matched the gesture with a similar truce. During the ceasefire, the CPP's armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA) will cease offensive operations on police, military and paramilitary units. "We hereby declare to all commands and units of the New People's Army (NPA) and the people's militia a ceasefire order to be effective upon the reciprocal and concurrent ceasefire order from the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) to its military, police and paramilitary forces," the CPP said in a statement on its website. The ceasefire will begin at 1:00 a.m. of December 16 this year and end at 11:59 p.m. on January 3 next year. "This entire ceasefire order is issued on humanitarian grounds and as an act of good will in order to allow the commands, units and personnel of the contending armies of the GRP and the NDFP to observe the traditional holidays and enjoy the spirit of the yuletide season and the New Year," the CPP said. The CPP said it hopes that the mutual ceasefire between the government and the NDFP will:
improve the atmosphere for peace negotiations; inspire the release of political prisoners; encourage the full implementation of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees; end human rights violations in compliance with the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law; support the holding of preliminary talks between representatives of the government and the NDFP Negotiating Panels in Oslo in January 2011, and encourage the resumption of formal peace talks in Oslo in February 2011. During the ceasefire, the CPP said all commands and units of the NPA shall be in "defensive mode" at both the strategic and tactical levels. However, the NPA will remain vigilant against any encroachment on NPA territory, including surveillance or offensive operations by the government. "Active self-defense shall be undertaken only in the face of clear and imminent danger," the CPP said. The CPP said "all hostile actions or movements of the enemy armed forces shall be monitored and reported." The group said the monitoring will be conducted "in accordance with the command structure of the New People's Army and the leadership structure of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP)." The CPP said the monitoring aims "to provide continuous, timely and accurate information to the NDFP Negotiating Panel regarding compliance with or violations of the mutual ceasefire." The CPP also said police and military officers and members who have "no serious liability" other than their membership in their armed units shall not be subjected to arrest and punitive actions during the ceasefire. "They may be allowed individually to enter the territory of the people's democratic government to make personal visits to relatives and friends," the CPP said. The ceasefire came a week after chief negotiators Alexander Padilla (government) and Luis Jalandoni (NDFP) met in Hong Kong. Jalandoni arrived in the Philippines last Saturday for a two-week "private visit" but his visit was seen as a boost to the peace process between government and the NDFP. – VVP, GMANews.TV 
GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
