The ceasefire shall commence at 12:01 of August 21 and will last until 11:59 PM of August 27.
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and New People’s Army (NPA) declared a seven-day unilateral ceasefire in light of the formal talks between the government and the Red’s negotiating arm, National Democratic Front.
The ceasefire shall commence at 12:01 of August 21 and will last until 11:59 PM of August 27.
The formal talks between the negotiating panels of NDFP and GRP in Oslo, Norway is set on August 22 to 22-26.
In a press statement issued by the Public Information Bureau of the CPP, the ceasefire is a celebration of the revival of the formal GRP-NDFP peace talks.
“We hope that this ceasefire declaration will be reciprocated by the GRP as a show of all-out determination to move forward with peace negotiations”.
“This ceasefire declaration is encouraged by the GRP’s (Government of the Republic of the Philippines’) facilitation of the release of nearly all NDFP consultants who are set to participate in peace negotiations in the course of the next several months,” said the CPP and NPA in the statement.
Earlier the same day, NDFP consultants Benito Tiamzon and Wilma Tiamzon were released on bail from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center at Camp Crame before noon.
On June 30, President Rodrigo Duterte withdrew the government’s unilateral ceasefire he declared during his First State of the Nation Address after NPA soldiers ambushed troops of the government’s Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) on July 27 in Davao del Norte.
The President has not brought back the government’s unilateral ceasefire since then.
The AFP, in a statement released through Spokesperson Brigadier General Restituto Padilla, said “the NPA have missed a golden opportunity to manifest their commitment to the attainment of our citizen’s much sought peace throughout the land.”
CPP Founding Chairperson Jose Maria Sison said that the party was “slated to issue its reciprocal ceasefire order at 8 p.m. Manila time”.