Two police officers wounded in an ambush in Iloilo hours after declaration of ceasefire

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines —Two police officers were wounded after communist rebels ambushed their vehicle on Monday, December 23, 2019, only hours after the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) declared a 15-day ceasefire for the Christmas holidays.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, Major Patrick Martinez, said the policemen had pulled out from their detachment in Barangay Singon, Tubungan town in Iloilo when rebels detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) at their vehicle at 9:40 a.m.

Martinez said two policemen were wounded and were carried by fellow officers away from the ambush site staged by more than 50 New People’s Army rebels.

He said the police had pulled out from their detachment in Barangay Singon after PNP acting Chief Archie Francisco Gamboa declared a suspension of police operations (SOPO) against the communist rebels.

Read more: Duterte declares ceasefire with communist rebels

Malacanang announced on Monday dawn that President Rodrigo Duterte had declared ceasefire with the Communist rebels for the Christmas holidays.

This after the Communist Party of the Philippines instructed the National Democratic Front that it had declared a suspension of military operations against the AFP and PNP nationwide.

President Duterte declared the ceasefire to take effect nationwide and shall be effective from 12:00 midnight of  December 23, 2019 until 11:59 p.m. of  January 7, 2020 or for a period of 15 days.

Duterte also directed the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to draft their own guidelines in the implementation of the SOPO and suspension of military operations (SOMO) against the rebels.

The NDF, on the other hand, said their ceasefire order should take effect after the AFP and PNP would declare the Suspension of Military Operations (SOMO) and Suspension of Police Operations (SOPO) to all its military and police units nationwide./dbs