MANILA, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The ceasefire in the Philippines got off to a rocky start as leftist rebels launched attacks on Monday against government forces, killing a soldier and injuring eight others.
The Philippine military reported that an undetermined number of New People's Army (NPA) rebels ambushed a platoon of army soldiers at around 9:20 a.m. on Monday while pulling out of a village in Labo town in Camarines Norte province, south of Manila.
According to the military, the soldiers came under fire in an ambush while heading back to their barracks after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared a "Christmas truce" with the rebels starting on Monday.
The military also reported that two policemen were wounded in an NPA attack in Tubungan town in Iloilo province in the central Philippines around 9:20 a.m. on Monday.
On Sunday night, Duterte's spokesperson Salvador Panelo announced that the Dec. 23 to Jan. 7, 2020 ceasefire aims to allow "all Filipinos to enjoy quietude and serenity as they celebrate the Holiday Season with their loved ones free from violence or any form of disruption."
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) also declared a ceasefire starting Dec. 23 to Jan. 7, 2020 on Sunday, a few hours before Duterte announced the truce.
Arsenio Andolong, a spokesperson for the Philippine Department of National Defense, said "the appropriate directive has already been properly communicated and disseminated to all the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) units" to inform the troops about Duterte's order.
"The AFP will remain on alert, and stand ready to respond to any threats to the safety and security of our communities," Andolong also said.
AFP spokesperson Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo said the troops "may conduct patrols that are intended to secure their bases and camps as well as the communities within their areas of responsibility."
As the armed wing of the CPP, NPA has been trying to overthrow the government for more than 50 years without success.
Several attempts to talk peace with one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies have failed. Duterte restarted negotiating peace with the rebels when he became president in 2016.
But in March this year, Duterte decided to "permanently terminate" the talks after the rebels continued to carry out killings, ambuscades, raids and extortion especially in rural areas of the country while peace negotiations were underway.
The NPA strength is estimated at 3,500, a number significantly lower than its peak strength of around 25,000 in the 1980s.
