(FILE )PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARMY鈥橲 62ND INFANTRY BATTALION
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) shrugged off the Communist Party of the Philippines鈥� ceasefire, which began on Monday (Dec. 25).
The CPP ordered its armed wing the New People鈥檚 Army (NPA) to observe a two-day unilateral ceasefire to mark the party anniversary on Dec. 26.
搁贰础顿:听CPP declares two-day ceasefire starting Christmas Day
鈥淗indi na namin pinag-uusapan 鈥榶an dahil naniniwala kami na mahina na sila, at 鈥榶ung mga statement na binitawan nila ay walang saysay 鈥榶un,鈥� AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said over radio DWPM of CPP鈥檚 ceasefire declaration.
(We don鈥檛 talk about that (ceasefire) because we believe that they are already weakened and their statements have no bearing.)
The CPP was established on December 26, 1968, while its armed wing, later created on March 29, 1969, wages the longest-running Maoist insurgency in the world.
Aguilar made the pronouncement as he downplayed the current strength of the NPA.
NPA is only left with more than 1,000 members with 13 鈥渨eakened鈥� guerrilla fronts, according to Aguilar.
鈥淚lan na lang ang natitira sa grupo nila, mga mahigit isang libo, at mga guerilla fronts na dati ay halos 90, ngayon 13 na lang ang natitira, lahat naman ay weakened pa,鈥� Aguilar said.
(There were only a few of them in their group, more than a thousand; their guerilla fronts, which used to be almost 90, are now only at 13, and they are weakened at that.)
Previously, Aguilar said the NPA had 1,800 members with 15 weakened guerrilla fronts.
READ: NPA membership down to 1,800 鈥� AFP
A weakened guerrilla front means it can no longer implement its programs like recruitment and generating resources for the armed struggle as opposed to active guerrilla fronts, according to Aguilar.
There were no longer active guerrilla fronts in the country as of November, the AFP spokesperson previously said.
READ: 鈥楾here are no more active guerilla fronts,鈥� declares AFP
Former Philippine National Police chief and now聽Senator Ronald Dela Rosa聽said that every NPA guerrilla front should have at least three platoons with 100 armed men.