(Eagle News) — The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Tuesday, December 8, welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision not to have a ceasefire with the Communist rebels for the remainder of his term.
In a statement, AFP spokesperson Major General Edgard Arevalo thanked the President “for heeding the AFP’s recommendation.”
He said, however, that the recommendation for there not to be a ceasefire during the holidays and beyond was “not because we do not want peace, but because what we advocate is a genuine and lasting peace that we cannot achieve through a peace pact with the NPA that is notoriously insincere and unworthy of public trust.”
Earlier, the AFP said the Communists continued their recruitment efforts using the peace negotiations as a pretext.
The AFP has also slammed the rebels for what they said were their continued attacks on military personnel merely distributing aid even when a ceasefire is in place.
The President announced on Monday, December 7, that the ceasefire and peace talks between the government and the Communist rebels were “dead.”