President blocks progress of discussions

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Reciprocal Working Committee on Social and Economic Reforms (RWCSER) views with grave concern President Rodrigo Duterte’s sudden turnabout and unilateral cancellation anew of peace negotiations with the NDFP. It is the third time in six months that President Duterte has obstructed the progress of the talks.

His latest scuttling of the talks comes at a time when unprecedented advances have already been achieved in forging agreements on urgently needed socioeconomic reforms to alleviate mass poverty and resolve the roots of the armed conflict.

Just four days before President Duterte cancelled the talks anew, the bilateral teams of the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) RWCsSER initialed draft documents reflecting substantial agreements on agrarian reform and rural development, and on national industrialization and economic development. These were the result of a series of bilateral technical meetings by the NDFP and GRP RWCsSER on October 2627, November 911, and November 1617.

Further measures of even greater significance were set to be tackled. The GRP and NDFP RWCsSER were optimistic that they would be able to complete the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER) for signing by their respective negotiating panels and approval by their principals by January 2018.

The NDFP RWCSER regrets the unilateral cancellation of talks on such vital social and economic reforms which, if implemented, would have immediately benefited tens of millions of oppressed and exploited Filipinos.

President Duterte bears full responsibility for the failure of the talks on social and economic reforms because of his sudden turnaround and heightened hostility to the revolutionary forces and the people. Julieta de Lima, chairperson, National Democratic Front of the Philippines Reciprocal Working Committee on Social and Economic Reforms