Malacanang branded on Monday the recent attack of the communist New People’s Army in a police station in Iloilo as an “opportunistic” act.

The rebels raided Maasin Police Station and took several firearms and the police patrol car on Sunday morning, the same day when the government decided to reciprocate the National Democratic Front’s move to ask the NPA combatants not to conduct offensive operations against government troopers in Mindanao.

“It’s unfortunate that the NPA raid of a police station in Iloilo happened on the same day the government reciprocated the National Democratic Front’s declaration to refrain from undertaking offensive operations in Mindanao,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in the “Mindanao Hour” briefing.

“Although the attack was not in Mindanao, the act was opportunistic in nature and disregards the nature of the NDF declaration,” he stressed.

Abella urged the NDF, the political wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA, to call on its armed comrades on the ground “to walk the talk” and to show genuine sincerity on the confidence-building measure initiated by both sides.

In a separate statement, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said since the latest statements of the government and the NDF to mutually refrain from taking offensive operations against each other cover only Mindanao, government forces must dealt with accordingly and decisively the leftist rebels in other parts of the country.

But he also said the latest NPA attack in Maasin was “disheartening” and provides a “negative impact” in the mutual commitment by both parties to have the enabling environment conducive to the continuation of peace negotiations.

The 5th round of peace talks between the government and the NDF were stalled in May after the CPP ordered its fighters to intensify attacks against the government troopers in Mindanao due to the declaration of martial law in the area.

“The ‘impact’ is not just on the peace negotiations, it illustrates the tragedy of the insurgency. Hopefully, the attack is just part of the birthpains of the agreement to stop offensive military actions, even if it covers only Mindanao as of now. It is an argument for a nation-wide ceasefire,” Dureza said. Celerina Monte/DMS