Philippine rebels declare ceasefire to heed UN chief’s call

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Communist guerrillas in the Philippines say they will observe a ceasefire in compliance with the U.N. chief’s call for a global halt in armed clashes during the coronavirus pandemic. The Communist Party of the Philippines says New People’s Army guerrillas were ordered to stop assaults and shift to a defensive position from Thursday to April 15. The rebels said the ceasefire was a direct response to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s call for a ceasefire in all armed conflicts to fight the illness together. The communist insurgency has raged mostly in the Philippine countryside for more than half a century in one of Asia’s longest-running rebellions.