Lorenzana says CPP can proceed with its plenum

December 30, 2019

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) "can go ahead" with their annual plenum.

"They can go ahead. Our troops are not prohibited from doing their other duties such as law enforcement and assisting the local populace," Lorenzana said on Monday.

"What the ceasefire prohibits them (military) from doing is to engage the NPA in combat. Our troops will however react in self defense," he added.

The CPP reportedly cancelled their annual plenum which was supposed to be held in Bacuag, Surigao del Norte on Sunday night after Philippine Army allegedly deployed its soldiers

Ka Oto, the Guerilla Front 16, Northeastern Mindanao Regional Command spokesman alleged that the plenum was cancelled to ensure safety of the participants.

Ka Oto accused the AFP as "unwilling party to the ceasefire".

Lorenzana said "the DND-AFP seeks exception from that preposterous accusation."

"Look who is talking! They, members of the terrorist CPP-NPA, are the peace spoilers. They prostituted and violated every ceasefire that has been declared," he said.

"If there is any group that has faithfully and dutifully observed ceasefires, that is us.  Even if soldiers were treacherously attacked by these criminals and extortionists during humanitarian mission, they abided by the truce," said Arevalo.

"But these CPP-NPA members, they proved to be a band of recidivists and habitual offenders to peace talks who prompted President Duterte to cancel an ongoing peace negotiation in November 2017," he added.

Citing the attack against the military and police hours after the declaration of truce, Lorenzana said it is the CPP-NPA that is the "party against ceasefire".

"Yet again, just few hours after their unilateral declaration of a Ceasefire in 23 December 2019, these terrorists in Camarines Norte ambushed a team of soldiers who were on their way back to camp following the DND-AFP’s directive to suspend all offensive military operations," he said.

"A soldier was killed and six others wounded. Not long before that, NPA members blasted an anti-personnel landmine on unwitting policemen returning to station also from an operation halted by the ceasefire," said Lorenzana.

"Undeniably, the CPP-NPA is the party against ceasefires," he added. Robina Asido/DMS