Traditionally, the New People's Army marks the CPP founding anniversary by staging tactical offensives against government and private installations, especially in remote areas, or by killing military spies and unwary soldiers or policemen, 303 rd Infantry Brigade commander, Col. Maximo Caro, said.

The CPP is the political arm of the NPA.

Senior Supt. Manuel Felix, police director of Negros Occidental, also ordered police chiefs and mobile group commanders to strengthen defenses in their outposts, to pre-empt possible rebel attacks.

Suspected rebels disguised as Army soldiers and news reporters raided a police station of San Narciso town in Quezon on Dec. 20, and seized 13 assorted firearms, police records showed.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has recommended to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo a six-day unilateral ceasefire with the rebels, to take effect Dec, 24 to 26 as well as Dec. 31 to Jan. 2 next year.

As claimed by the AFP, the CPP-NPA now has an estimated 4,000 armed regulars all over the country, compared to about 25,000 at its peak in 1986. -- Visayan Daily Star