Philippines communist rebels declare Christmas truce after similar govt move

Communist guerrillas in the Philippines declared a Christmas truce on Friday after the government made a similar overture. The separate moves occurred despite a recent breakdown of peace talks. New People’s Army spokesman Jorge Madlos announced that the Maoist guerrillas would hold their fire from December 23 to December 26 and from December 30 to January 2, AP said. The Philippines military’s unilateral ceasefire is scheduled for the same period. Despite their separately declared ceasefires, both sides have ordered their forces to brace for possible attacks.