Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenza on Thursday sought clarification on the proposed stand-down agreement, saying the communists were working to regain control of the villages previously recovered by the military.
The government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines are set to simultaneously announce such a deal on June 14 to pave the way for the resumption of formal peace talks two weeks later.
“If there will be one, then good,” Lorenzana told reporters but warned that the rebels should also stop building up their forces.
”We heard that they had some orders to their people to continue recruiting, then they would recover their lost barangays.”
The proposed agreement calls on the two sides to “stay where they are” and “not commit any offensive action or operation against combatants and civilians.”
Negotiators hope to turn the arrangement into a coordinated unilateral ceasefire, which would form part of an interim peace agreement to be signed on June 28.
The proposed preliminary peace accord would also include an amnesty proclamation for political prisoners, initial agreements on agrarian reform and the nationalization of certain industries.
Lorenzana said a previous ceasefire arrangement allowed the rebels to take control of villages.
“We fell for that before. They took back what we got from them. so let’s see what they mean by stand down. We could be the only ones standing down and not them,” he said.