By Priam Nepomuceno/PNA
MANILA — The rebel attack, which resulted in the abduction of 12 Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) members and two soldiers in Sibagat, Agusan Del Sur on Wednesday, showed that the New People’s Army’s (NPA) declaration of a unilateral ceasefire during parts of the Yuletide season is nothing but an act of deceit.
This was what Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Benjamin Madrigal said in an interview with reporters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City Wednesday night.
“(The attack in Agusan Del Sur showed that) they declared (a) unilateral ceasefire (na) hindi natin pwede pagkatiwalaan (which we cannot trust). Sinasabi nila, merong (They say there is) ceasefire even in the past, nagkaroon ng (there was a) ceasefire pero hindi naman talaga (nila sinusunod) (but they do not follow it),” he added.
To prevent similar attacks, the AFP chief instructed all troops to increase their awareness and be pro-active in their security measures.
In the said raid, scores of high-powered weapons, ammunition, a radio, and various supplies were also carted away by the rebels.
