Ceasefire urged until next year’s elections

BAGUIO CITY—Peace advocates in Cordillera are asking the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) to extend their annual Yuletide ceasefire until May 2016 when new leaders are elected into office.

“We urge the leadership of the government and the communist rebels to declare a Christmas ceasefire and to sustain this up to the May 2016 elections,” said a manifesto issued by participants in a Baguio peace forum organized by peace proponent International Alert Philippines (IAP).

An earlier manifesto was issued by Ifugao peace groups.

The documents were the outcome of three peace conferences initiated by IAP in Abra and Ifugao provinces, and in Baguio City.

Christmas tradition

Peace during Christmas has become a tradition for combatants from both the military and the New People’s Army (NPA), but stopping the fighting until May allows political candidates to consider making the resumption of peace talks as their primary campaign agenda, said Judy Gulane, IAP communications officer.

Last week, the CPP-NPA-NDF declared a unilateral ceasefire from Dec. 23 to Jan. 3.

During the ceasefire period, all communist rebels shall cease and desist from carrying out offensive military operations against any members of the state security forces, according to an e-mailed statement of the CPP.

“We [also need] an extended ceasefire to ensure the safety of the voters and candidates during the campaign period and the May 9 elections,” Francisco Lara Jr., IAP country manager, said on Friday.

“We ask the government and the CPP-NPA-NDF (National Democratic Front) to consider this even as we welcome the declaration of a Christmas ceasefire,” Lara added.

The peace advocates who signed the manifestos included representatives from schools and civil society groups in the Cordillera.

“We urge all candidates for public office, especially for the President, to make the reopening of peace talks between the government and the CPP-NPANDF one of the tasks in their first 100 days in office and to make the resolution of the conflict one of the main goals of their administration,” the manifesto said.

It urged candidates “to make a stand for a just, peaceful and lasting solution to the armed conflict.”