‘Peace talks with Reds still possible’

Despite the continuous attacks by the communist New People’s Army (NPA), presidential adviser on the peace process Jesus Dureza remained confident that the government and the National Democratic Front-Communist Party of the Philippines (NDF-CPP) will hurdle the impasse in peace negotiations.

Dureza issued the statement yesterday during the unveiling of the marker of the first government compliance monitoring station under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

The marker is located at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines building inside the Hall of Justice Compound in Davao City.

Dureza said he is confident that both parties will be able to hurdle the impasse and will soon resume negotiations.

“Respect for human rights is something we will always have to adhere to and strengthen,” Dureza said.

The monitoring station is the first to be established by the Philippine government since it signed the CARHRIHL with the NDF in March 1998.

The NDF is representing the CPP-NPA in the peace negotiations with the government.

The monitor will receive reports and complaints of “non-compliance” of the provisions of CARHRIHL in the 10 conflict-affected regions where the monitoring stations will be established and endorse it to the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC).

CARHRIHL is by far the first and only agreement signed among the five substantive agenda in the peace negotiations.

Dureza said the government would like to see the mechanism of the monitoring committee working on the ground. “We will test its functionality,” he said. Although CARHRIHL was signed in 1998, the JMC was not formally constituted until the Rome 3rd Round of Talks under the Duterte administration in January this year.

“Perhaps this will encourage our counterpart across the table to also set their own,” Dureza said.

Government panel member Antonio Arellano said the setting up of monitoring stations is a “unilateral action” on the part of the Philippine government.

“The document promotes the rights of the Filipino people. It humanizes the ongoing armed conflict. It seeks to protect both combatants and civilians against violations of human rights and international humanitarian law,” Arellano explained.

President Duterte said the peace talks with the communists will remain an unreachable dream for now.

He branded the peace negotiations with the CPP-NPA-NDF as a “worthless expense.”

Duterte ordered government negotiators to stop the preliminary talks last July following the spate of NPA attacks against government forces.

Duterte earlier expressed readiness to resume peace negotiations with the communist rebels if they stop the attacks.

The NPA, however, continued its attacks against government forces.

Three soldiers were wounded when NPA rebels ambushed a contingent of marines in the outskirts of San Vicente, Palawan early yesterday.