"I am hereby ordering for the immediate lifting of the unilateral ceasefire that I ordered last July 25 against the communist rebels," the President said in a statement released through Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza.
In his statement, Duterte ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to withdraw operational guidelines on the ceasefire declaration.
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"I am ordering all security forces to be on high alert and continue to discharge their normal functions and mandate to neutralize all threats to national security, protect the citizenry, enforce the laws and maintain peace in the land," the President added.
PNP Chief Ronal Dela Rosa said that the police "will follow the instructions of the Commander-in-Chief."
The AFP, in a statement released through Spokesperson Brigadier General Restituto Padilla, said "the NPA have missed a golden opportunity to manifest their commitment to the attainment of our citizen's much sought peace throughout the land."
Finger pointing
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) blames a "two-faced" AFP over the New People's Army's (NPA) ambush on a group of the government's Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) on July 27 in Davao del Norte.
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The attack left one CAFGU member dead and three others injured. It happened just three days after President Rodrigo Duterte declared a unilateral ceasefire with the communist rebels during his first State of the Nation Address.
The CPP, through Spokesperson Aris Francisco, released a press statement on Friday night and said that the ambush was "in adherence to the directive by the NPA National Operations Command for Red fighters to maintain on alert status and on active defense mode."
It admitted that its "Red fighters" conducted an ambush, but only because it "thwarted a military offensive" by the CAFGU unit.
source: cnnphilippines.com