CPP/NPA rejects holiday truce, military continues ops

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA), will not declare a holiday truce with the government this year.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. reiterated on Wednesday that any ceasefire would be against terrorists and criminals, dismissing the CPP/NPA as a 'Jurassic group' seeking relevance.

The military has stated it will continue its operations against the NPA during the holiday season, while the CPP dismissed claims of a weakened insurgency as disinformation, citing ongoing large-scale AFP deployments across regions.

NPA units and local peasant mass organizations are preparing meetings and small assemblies to celebrate past victories and reaffirm their commitment ahead of the CPP's 56th anniversary on December 26.

The government maintains that there is only one weakened guerrilla front left since its establishment in 2018, while the CPP counters with assertions about ongoing operations and a 'virtual martial law' in many parts of the country.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. previously stated that there were no more active guerilla fronts, but this claim has been denied by the CPP.