The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today refuted reports from the Philippine Army, particularly the 19th Infantry Battalion (IB), alleging that the New People’s Army (NPA) violated the Party’s ceasefire declaration. The CPP clarified that the NPA action in Northern Samar took place well before the scheduled four-day ceasefire, which will take effect only on December 25–26 and December 31–January 1, 2026.

According to the 19th IB, an NPA unit in Northern Samar attacked operating troops in Barangay Poponton, Las Navas, on the afternoon of December 15. Battalion commander Lt. Col. Ricky James L. Rosalejos claimed the incident proved NPA “insincerity” in observing the truce. The CPP dismissed this as malicious disinformation, pointing out that the ceasefire period had not yet begun.

“We urge the officials of the Philippine Army to read again and comprehend the statement of the CPP Central Committee,” CPP Chief Information Officer Marco Valbuena said. “In their desperation to undermine the CPP and NPA’s goodwill in declaring a holiday truce, they resort to spreading misinformation,” he added.

Valbuena said this latest disinformation effort aligns with the statements of the Department of National Defense, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the National Task Force-Elcac, which have all dismissed the CPP’s ceasefire declaration as “mere propaganda.” He noted that these statements appear intended to divert public attention from the Marcos administration’s refusal to give the people, especially in the peasant communities, some respite to the AFP’s oppressive military operations holiday season.

“This only exposes the Marcos regime’s militarist mindset and its callous disregard for the people’s desire for peace during the traditional holidays,” Valbuena said. “Marcos has nothing to offer the people during the traditional holidays but bullets and bombs, as it orders the AFP and the PNP to mount relentless combat operations in the coming days,” he added.

The CPP reiterated that the unilateral declared ceasefire will be in effect from from 00:00 hours of December 25 to 23:59 hours of December 26 and again on 00:00 hours of December 31 until 23:59 hours of January 1, 2026.

During these periods, NPA units are directed to maintain active defense mode amid ongoing AFP operations in the countryside to ensure the safety of the people and revolutionary forces. “Units of the NPA must be ever ready to maneuver or counter-attack, when necessitated by the situation,” Valbuena said.

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