MANILA (UPDATE) — The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA), can "stage tactical offensives" in honor of its late founder, Jose Maria "Joma" Sison.

"We declare the following ten days as a period of mourning for the entire Party in order to give the highest possible tribute to Ka Joma... During this period of mourning, the NPA can stage tactical offensives against the rampaging fascist forces to defend the people," the CPP Central Committee said in a statement shared Sunday by the Philippine Revolution Web Central Twitter account.

It ordered the NPA to perform a 21-gun salute on Dec. 26, the day of its 54th anniversary and the culmination of their 10-day mourning period.

"Let us dedicate our Party’s upcoming 54th anniversary to Ka Joma’s memory, to celebrate his life and all the victories that we have achieved under his leadership and guidance," it said.

The CPP declared Sison "as the greatest hero of the Filipino people in their past century of resistance against imperialism."

"With Ka Joma's passing, the Party lost a great leader... The Central Committee and the entire Party will forever be guided and inspired by Ka Joma's immortal revolutionary spirit."

AFP, PNP's reactions

The national police and military said they are prepared for any possible attack or offensives by the NPA in the days approaching the CPP's anniversary.

“So far, wala tayong nare-receive na any serious threat relating po sa forthcoming anniversary ng CPP sa darating na December 26. But nonetheless, hindi po tayo nagko-kompyansa at ‘yong ating intelligence monitoring po ay tuloy-tuloy in coordination with other intelligence units po,” Philippine National Police spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said in a phone interview.

The PNP has already gone on full alert since Thursday, both for the CPP anniversary and the holiday season, with police leaves put on hold.

More than 115,000 police have been deployed nationwide under the “Oplan Ligtas Paskuhan 2022”, Fajardo said.

Col. Medel Aguilar, spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, meanwhile, called the the CPP’s statement on further attacks “irresponsible”.

“Reckless that they never consider what our people want - PEACE,” he said in a Viber message.

He expressed hope the rebel group would choose a different path, saying, “We pray that they will already be enlightened to abandon armed struggle.”

“For the security and safety of our communities, we will never let our guard down," he added.

• PNP, AFP prepared for NPA attacks as Reds declare mourning period for Joma Sison

The CPP said that it will give its members time to pay their last respects to the deceased communist leader once his ashes arrive in the Philippines.

Sison, 83, died Saturday after a two-week confinement at a hospital in Utrecht, The Netherlands, where he had lived in a self-imposed exile for more than three decades.

• Jose Maria Sison, founder of Communist Party of the Philippines, dies at 83

A former university professor, Sison founded the CPP in 1968, along with a movement that would later become the world's longest ongoing communist insurgency.

Sison's death "marks the end of an era in our nation's history", said Sec. Carlito Galvez, Jr., Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity.

"With the death of Mr. Sison, it is our hope that it will also put an end to the local communist armed conflict that claimed the lives of so many Filipinos and pushed back development in the countryside," Galvez said.

"We, therefore, once again call upon the remaining members of the communist movement across the nation to abandon armed struggle, return to the fold of the law, and rejoin mainstream society," he added.

Early last month, AFP chief of staff Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro said only five communist guerrilla fronts remain active, with around 2,100 communist rebels holding arms.

The NPA strength reached more than 20,000 in the 1980s.

• Active communist guerrilla fronts down to 5, says AFP chief

- with report from Anjo Bagaoisan, ABS-CBN News

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