Maoist Rebels Take a Holiday Break—Provinces Gear Up, Government Gives the Rebuttal
On Friday, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) sent a friendly note to the army, saying it would pause any attacks on the military from December 24 to 26 and again from December 31 to January 1. The timing? Just in time for Christmas and New Year’s, when most Filipino families gather around the tree and sip hot cocoa.
The Long‑Running Battle
- Maoist rebels have been feuding with the government since the 1970s—a clash that’s now over 45 years old.
- Some 3,000 guerrillas fight in rural heartlands, targeting everything from mines to telecom towers to earn a sort of “revolutionary tax.”
- The conflict has cost more than 40,000 lives, strangling growth in resource‑rich provinces.
Government’s “Not So Easy” Response
Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana took a firm stand. “We’re not buying this ceasefire,” he told reporters. “It’s a ploy to let them regroup and rumble back into action.” He added that the government would keep offensive operations alive even over the holidays.
Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo, the army’s spokesperson, echoed the sentiment. “We’re not going to give them the chance to spin the propaganda wheel. Combat stays on track.”
Work‑in‑Progress Negotiations
Since 1986, Filipino leaders have sat at the table with the CPP, thanks in part to Norwegian mediators. But the talks wobbled—President Rodrigo Duterte even pulled the plug last year after flare‑ups and demands for “taxation” from the rebels. Now, while the city’s streets may cheer for the holiday pause, the nation remains wary: any lull is just a pause, not a promise.
In short, this isn’t a “peace” countdown. It’s a strategic breather that the government is ready to press against. The only thing that looks solid is the joy of the holidays; the rest is a roller coaster of conflict.
