Arroyo Declares Christmas Truce With NDF Guerillas

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 10, 2001

Arroyo Declares Christmas Truce With NDF Guerillas

Philippines President Gloria Arroyo said on Monday that her government is entering into a Christmas ceasefire with NDF guerillas.

Philippines President Gloria Arroyo said on Monday that her government is entering into a Christmas ceasefire with NDF guerillas.

The National Democratic Front (NDF) on Sunday declared a month-long unilateral Christmas truce effective Dec 15.

Mrs Arroyo said she will lay out the details of the truce when she addresses a meeting with business, labour and political leaders later on Monday to discuss economic policy.

'I will announce that today is the start of the government ceasefire,' she said over DZRH radio here.

She did not say if the truce also covers the government campaign against Muslim separatist insurgencies in the south.

The NDF leads the New People's Army, waging a 32-year armed campaign against the Manila government.

In the past, both sides had declared mainly symbolic unilateral ceasefires to mark the Christmas season in a mostly-Roman Catholic nation of 78 million people.

Arroyo Announces Philippines-US Joint Raid Against Teerosits in Manila

Arroyo Highlights Urgency to Fight Terrorism