Philippine troops, rebels hold fire ahead of peace talks

Arevalo said AFP Chief of Staff General Ricardo Visaya will be issuing appropriate instructions to all field units based from any directives that may be issued by the Department of National Defense pursuant to the would-be guidance of the President.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday reimposed the short-lived unilateral ceasefire that he declared last month after communist insurgents declared their own truce as both sides set the stage for a resumption of peace talks in Norway this week.

Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza announced that President Rodrigo Duterte has restored the effects of unilateral ceasefire with the CPP, NPA and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

But after only six days, the President lifted the ceasefire due to the failure of the CPP-NPA-NDF to timely reciprocate with their own.

A spokesman for the president did not immediately respond to AFP on whether Philippine security forces would also observe a truce.

Last Friday, the Communist Party of the Philippines and its New People’s Army (NPA) declared a seven-day unilateral ceasefire hours after the release of its high-ranking leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, who were named consultants to peace talks scheduled August 22 to 26 in Oslo, Norway.

Nevertheless, he is approaching next week’s peace talks with cautious optimism: “Please, manage your expectations…”

“Our release is a goodwill measure that will create an atmosphere conducive for peace talks”, Tiamzon said.

The President, during his State of the Nation Address last July 25, first issued the unilateral ceasefire as a gesture of good faith in talking peace with the communist rebels.

With the scheduled peace negotiations in Norway starting tomorrow, the CPP-NPA-NDF declared a ceasefire last Friday and ordered the release of its captive prisoners.

The CPP’s political arm, the NDF, has argued that the pair are their consultants and are covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) that grants them safe conduct during peace talks with the government.

In his peace overtures, Duterte – who won the May 9 election – has said that he will release all political prisoners if party leaders return from exile and sit down for negotiations.

Underscoring the seriousness of the administration in resolving the decades-old communist insurgency, Dureza said: “I say again: the Duterte government will walk the extra mile for peace”.

Benito Tiamzon expressed the same sentiments, saying that “on the whole, our hopes are high that the peace negotiations would progress, that a final accord could be reached so that social reforms can be achieved”.

“We hope they are honest”.

The government ceasefire also starts after midnight Sunday.

Carlos said the PNP would strictly adhere to the government’s restoration of the ceasefire declaration.

They are set to fly to Oslo for negotiations aimed at ending one of Asia’s longest insurgencies.