Communist rebels in the Philippines have called off a truce with the government, almost two weeks ahead of schedule, raising concerns about the future of peace talks. The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) blamed the government for their action on Wednesday, but a spokesman for President Benigno Aquino said the CPP just wanted an excuse to cut the ceasefire short. A CPP statement said the truce, originally scheduled to run from December 20 to January 15, had ended at noon on Wednesday because it believed the government only wanted a truce to remain in place until then. “The [communist New People’s Army (NPA)] and the people’s militias should immediately assume an offensive posture and confront and frustrate the enemy campaigns of suppression,” the statement said. However, Aquino’s spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government would observe the ceasefire until January 15. He said the rebels had found an extended ceasefire to be “detrimental” to them so they chose to cut it short and blame the government. “The CPP-NPA has always been making excuses… and now they’re coming up with other stumbling blocks to peace,” Lacierda told reporters.
