All police units nationwide have been ordered to refrain from initiating offensives against the communist rebels in the next 18 days in observance of the traditional Yuletide ceasefire.
The order was contained in a memorandum issued by Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Raul Bacalzo to all regional police directors.
The suspension of police operations (SOPO) will be effective from 12:01 a.m. of December 16 until 12 midnight of January 3, 2011.
Bacalzo, however, said that despite the suspension of police offensives, all units should remain on-guard and maintain a high state of readiness to respond to hostile actions by domestic threat groups.
“The SOPO shall not cover normal law enforcement operations and shall be implemented without prejudice to actions aimed at protecting the people and the communities, as well as [police] troops and installations against insurgent or terrorist attacks that may take place during the SOPO period," he said.
The military as well as the Communist Party of the Philippines-National People's Army (CPP-NPA) had earlier declared a similar Yuletide ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the government is hoping to forge a final peace agreement with the communist-led National Democratic Font (NDF) within three years.
Chief government negotiator Alexander Padilla said the Aquino administration is bent on finding a political settlement with the NDF.
“Sana ay matapos ang lahat in three years dahil ang gusto natin dito ay ma-implement ng administrasyon ang settlement (We hope that everything will be finished in three years because we want the administration to implement the settlement)," he said in an interview on government-run dzRB radio.
Excerpts of the interview were posted late Tuesday on the government portal.
Padilla said the 41-year-old armed struggle with the NDF, CPP and NPA is the “longest, protracted insurgency" in the whole world.
“Napakatagal na ng negotiations na ito. Kung hindi tayo magkakasundo sa kasalukuyang administrasyon, baka mahirapan tayo sa susunod na administrasyon (These negotiations have been going on for so long. If we cannot have an agreement in this administration, we might find it hard to have it in the next)," he said.
He also said the Aquino administration will take a different approach compared to its predecessor.
Padilla said that while the Arroyo administration also tried to eliminate the NPA in three years, it failed because they used “armed means."
“Wala tayong nakikita na nananalo through armed means kaya kailangan ng political solution. Kailangan mag-usap talaga (We have not seen anybody win through armed means. That is why we need political solution. We really need to talk)," Padilla said.
He added that the NDF cannot also win their war through the same approach.
“Communism as a political ideology is outdated. Political conflicts today are not all about ideologies. Issues of conflict are now on climate change, resources, among others," he said.
The government and the NDF are now on the path to resuming formal talks in February 2011. - KBK
