Duterte lifts ceasefire with communist group, orders military to be on high alert

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (REUTERS/Lean Daval Jr/File Photo) 

by Rita Salonga via RH News

Manila, PH - President Rodrigo Duterte has listed his declaration of unilateral ceasefire with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front and ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to be on high alert.

The said order came after the CPP-NPA-NDF failed to respond to Duterte’s 5pm deadline to explain the communist group’s recent ambush to some members of the military in Davao del Norte last week.
Here is the complete statement issued by the President:

“Let me now announce that i am hereby ordering for the immediate lifting of the unilateral ceasefire that I ordered last July 25 against the communist rebels.

Correspondingly, I am ordering the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to also withdraw the operational guidelines they issued in pursuance to that ceasefire declaration.

I am ordering all security forces to be on high alert and continue to discharge their normal functions and mandate to neutralize all threats to national security, protect the citizenry , enforce the laws and maintain peace in the land.

Prior to this, a statement was issued by NPA sub-regional command spokesman Aris Francisco, wherein they blame the AFP’s continuous offensives for the said ambush. “–end.