On December 25, 2023, a fierce firefight broke out between Philippine government troops and communist rebels in the southern province of Davao de Oro, leaving nine insurgents dead and two soldiers wounded.
The clash was one of the deadliest incidents in the decades-long armed conflict between the state and the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
According to the military, the encounter occurred around 6 a.m. in the village of San Roque, when a joint team of soldiers and police were conducting a security patrol in the area. The team encountered about 30 NPA rebels, who opened fire at them, triggering a 45-minute gunbattle.
The rebels then retreated, leaving behind nine bodies, along with several firearms, ammunition, and explosives. The military said the slain rebels were members of the NPA’s Guerrilla Front 2, which operates in the provinces of Davao de Oro and Davao del Norte.
The military also claimed that the rebels were planning to launch attacks against government forces and civilian targets, as part of the NPA’s 54th anniversary celebration on December 26.
The NPA, which was founded in 1969, is considered as the oldest and largest communist insurgency in Asia, with an estimated 3,000 fighters scattered across the country. The NPA aims to overthrow the Philippine government and establish a socialist state, through a protracted people’s war.
The clash in Davao de Oro was the latest in a series of violent incidents that have marred the peace efforts between the government and the communist rebels.
In November, President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of national emergency, and ordered the military and the police to intensify their operations against the NPA, after a series of attacks and ambushes by the rebels that killed and wounded several soldiers and civilians. Duterte also terminated the peace talks with the CPP, which he had initiated in 2016, after accusing the rebels of insincerity and treachery.
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The CPP, on the other hand, denounced Duterte as a “fascist dictator” and a “puppet of US imperialism”, and vowed to continue their armed struggle until the “final victory”. The CPP also called on the Filipino people to join and support the NPA, and to resist the “tyranny and oppression” of the Duterte regime.
The CPP also urged the international community to condemn and isolate Duterte, and to support the cause of the Philippine revolution.
The clash in Davao de Oro, which happened on Christmas Day, a day of peace and joy for millions of Filipinos, was a tragic reminder of the futility and brutality of the war between the government and the communist rebels, which has claimed more than 40,000 lives and displaced millions of people since 1969. It also showed the urgency and necessity of finding a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict, through dialogue and negotiation, rather than violence and confrontation.
The clash in Davao de Oro was a wake-up call for both sides to resume the peace talks, and to address the root causes of the rebellion, such as poverty, inequality, injustice, and corruption. The clash in Davao de Oro was a challenge for both sides to end the bloodshed, and to start the healing and reconciliation of the nation.
