Topic: Philippines

In response to the call of the United Nations Secretary General for a global ceasefire between warring parties for the common purpose of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, the NDFP Negotiating Panel hereby recommends to the NDFP National Council and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) to issue a unilateral ceasefire declaration from 00:00H of 26 March 2020 to 23:59H of 15 April 2020

Sison said he hoped that National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and government panels would be able to sort things out for a resumption of aborted peace talks.

The NDFP and the broad masses of the people themselves need to refrain from launching tactical offensives to gain more time and opportunity to fight the Covid-19 pandemic and to look after the health and over-all welfare of the people in both urban and rural areas

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison claimed that the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels are also too busy in fighting the coronavirus disease or COVID-19 and thus, have no time to stage attacks against government forces who have been observing unilateral ceasefire.

The offensive operations of the AFP and PNP are continuing without any stop and include red-tagging, abductions and extrajudicial killings, compelling people to attend fake surrender meetings, staging fake encounters that kill and victimize ordinary peasants, bombing rural communities in certain regions and forcing the evacuation of the poor peasants and indigenous people and delivering the land and other natural resources to foreign and big comprador corporations.

“Ceasefire or not, NPA Red fighters have already been directed to step up efforts to render social, economic, medical, and public health services to the people,” the CPP said in a statement.

“The NDFP is not assured and satisfied that the reciprocal unilateral ceasefires are based on national unity against coronavirus disease 2019,” he said.

The leadership of the communist movement in the country welcomes with some apprehension the unilateral ceasefire declaration of President Duterte on Wednesday, March 18

Jose Maria Sison said the NDFP is not assured and satisfied that the ceasefire announcement is based on national unity against Covid-19, the appropriate solution of the pandemic as a medical problem and the protection of the most vulnerable sectors of the population, including workers, health workers, those with any serious ailments and the political prisoners.

Panayam ng Kodao Productions kay Prof. Jose Maria Sison sa pamamagitan ni Prof. Sarah Raymundo ng BAYAN National hinggil sa COVID-19 at paano hinaharap ito ng pamahalaang Duterte.