CPP-NPA to continue ceasefire amid clash with Army

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) stated that its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA), will continue to observe a ceasefire to allow its members to extend public health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This statement follows an encounter in Rodriguez, Rizal, where a soldier and an NPA member were killed, and two soldiers were wounded.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) condemned the NPA for violating its bilateral ceasefire agreement with the state after their armed troops attacked Philippine Army soldiers on March 28.

The DILG stated that the NPA took advantage of the lull in military operations to attack soldiers who were distributing leaflets and relief goods to residents affected by the enhanced community quarantine.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) also condemned the attack, stating it contributes nothing but danger and breaks the spirit of the humanitarian ceasefire.

The CPP had previously claimed that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was disregarding the ceasefire, a claim the CHR spokesperson called baseless.

The CHR stated that the attack contributes nothing but danger to the lives of people in communities and breaks the spirit of declaring a ceasefire for a humanitarian cause.