PRESS RELEASE
Information Bureau
Communist Party of the Philippines

No one trusts AFP ceasefire - Ka Roger
December 15, 2002

The Communist Party of the Philippines today called the AFP's recommendation for a ceasefire as "nothing but a media ploy and psywar" in the face of "growing disenchantment with the Macapagal-Arroyo regime and mounting censure of its all-out terrorist war and refusal to declare a true ceasefire".

CPP Spokesman Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal said today that "no one trusts the AFP after having shown in the past that it respect even its own 'suspension of offensive military operations'. The AFP stubbornly carry out offensive operations which they euphemistically call 'preventive patrols'."

Rosal was reacting to earlier news reports that AFP chief Domingo Santiago and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes were about to recommend a ceasefire declaration this Christmas season.

"What they are doing is pure hypocrisy and gimmickry and has nothing at all to do with peace," Rosal declared.

Rosal said that "the biggest threat to peace" is the all-out war declared by Macapagal-Arroyo last August. "Since declaring all-out war, numerous cases of human rights violations by the AFP have already been recorded," Rosal stated.

"In the interest of peace, I reiterate my call on the AFP not to trespass into the guerrilla zones of the CPP/NPA/NDF", Rosal urged.

He said that "while causing inconsequential harm on the revolutionary armed struggle, the government's all-out war has already wrought great havoc on the lives of people in the countryside."

"It is thus the fervent Christmas wish of people in beleagered Mindoro and elsewhere for Arroyo to put a stop to her all-out war of terror against the people," Rosal said.

In a previous statement, Rosal said that "a ceasefire by the CPP-NPA at this time has become impossible in the face of relentless attacks by Arroyo's armed forces."###

Reference:
Anne Buenaventura
Media Officer
Cellphone Number: +63910-240-3553



Back to top