Philippine Army troop observing the target location during the urban terrain (MOUT) drill in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija from April 4 to 5, 2022. Photos courtesy of Sgt Sanny E Palattao PA/ OG7, TRADOC, PA, FILEMANILA — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday maintained that the government will not declare a holiday truce with the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People’s Army - National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) this year.

Sides in the 56-year-long conflict have in the past declared unilateral ceasefires but have also accused each other of violating these truces. 

“Any ceasefire with the CPP-NPA-NDF is a ceasefire against terrorists and criminals. It is a last-ditch measure of a Jurassic group to find relevance in the national political ecosystem,” Teodoro said in a statement.

Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, on Tuesday said the military will continue its operations against the NPA, even during the holiday season.

“Over the years, the CPP has shown that they are anti-government, anti-development and anti-people, so with this, the AFP will continue with our internal security operations,” Padilla told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

“Rest assured, tuluy-tuloy tayo (We will continue) with all our internal security operations for us to sustain the gains that we have… and we will always be ready for any eventuality.”

The CPP, which will mark its 56th anniversary on December 26, has also said it will not declare a ceasefire "in the face of the Marcos regime's relentless war of suppression, offensive military operations and imposition of martial law in the countryside."

The Philippine government and the NDF, which represents the communist rebels at peace talks, announced in late 2023 that they would hold preliminary talks toward "a principled and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict."

They said then that they "acknowledge the deep-rooted socioeconomic and political grievances and agree to come up with a framework that sets the priorities for the peace negotiation."

Philippines-Japan defense pact to allow troops' cooperation, training: AFP

'ONE WEAKENED FRONT LEFT'

Padilla said that with only one weakened guerrilla front remaining, the CPP-NPA can no longer stage any major operations in the country.

“Also, meron na rin silang (They have a) leadership vacuum and they are not capable of recruiting anymore additional personnel into their ranks,” she added. 

When the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) was created in December 2018, there were 89 active guerrilla fronts in the country.

Now, there are no more active guerrilla fronts, the task force said.

The AFP said it is prioritizing the dismantling of the remaining weakened guerrilla front.

“From the start of the year, we started with seven weakened guerrilla fronts. Now, we are down to one and we are well within targets,” Padilla noted.

CPP spokesperson Marco Valbuena said Tuesday that "large-scale military deployments and offensives of the AFP across all regions in the country" contradict the claim that the NPA has been reduced to a single guerrilla front.

Padilla said Wednesday that military presence will remain in areas that have already been declared insurgency-free.

“Hindi natin ito iiwanan nang lubos para tuluy-tuloy nating ma-sustain ang gains that we have. Eventually, we can attain a just and lasting peace,” she said.

(We will not leave these areas so we can sustain the gains that we have)

RELATED: AFP to maintain troop presence in Mindanao 'to sustain gains'

Meanwhile, the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) said it respected the decision of the military and police to continue operations against the CPP-NPA-NDFeven during the holiday season.

Undersecretary Wilben Mayor, the presidential assistant for local conflict transformation, said the OPAPRU acknowledged the security sector's authority to decide whether or not to agree to any offer of ceasefire, but he called on the rebels to embrace the spirit of Christmas.

“On the part of the OPAPRU, we encourage our former rebels, the rebels who are still up there, in the spirit of Christmas, siguro mas magandang magsama-sama na tayo, magsama-sama ang mga pamilya niyo,” he told reporters in a media briefing on Thursday.

(Perhaps it would be better if we come together, if your families come together.)

-- With a report from Michael Delizo, ABS-CBN News