• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Army’s 3rd Infantry Division will continue its focused operations against remnants of the New People’s Army in Negros and Panay, following announcement of the Communist Party of the Philippines, a political wing of the NPA, that it will observe a four-day ceasefire, in the observance of the CPP’s 57th founding anniversary on December 26, and the yuletide season.
Maj. Gen. Michael Samson, 3ID commander, who supervises security operations against rebel remnants in Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, and Central Visayas, dismissed the ceasefire declaration as mere propaganda.
In a statement released Monday, the CPP Central Committee said it ordered all NPA units to suspend offensive actions from 12 a.m. on December 25 until 11:59 p.m. on December 26, 2025, and from 12 a.m. on December 31, 2025 until 11:59 p.m. on January 1, 2026.
The rebel group said its forces would instead shift to an “active defense mode” during the period, citing continued military operations by government troops.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines rejected the unilateral ceasefire declared by the CPP-NPA, stressing that government security operations are not dictated by unilateral declarations from armed groups.
“Military responsibilities are continuous and are not subject to unilateral pronouncements by armed groups,” AFP public affairs office chief Colonel Xerxes Trinidad said.
“In close coordination with other law enforcement agencies, the AFP will continue lawful security operations to ensure peace and order and prevent armed groups from exploiting the situation to regroup, rearm, or threaten public safety,” he added.
Prior to the unilateral ceasefire declaration, the NPA in Negros Island has been on rampage, killing innocent civilians that they have accused as military informants.*
