Peace on earth
In the run-up to Christmas celebrated by countless Filipinos since September, we have heard the word “peace” bandied about more than usual.
From the typical “world peace” we witnessed for one day as beautiful ladies from around the world showcased excellence and beauty in many ways, to the “peace on earth” melodies by Jose Mari Chan, it truly is the theme that rules this season.
The latest one has to do with the on-again, off-again peace talks between government and Communist rebels, as its leader Jose Maria Sison called for “goodwill measures” from the Philippine government before agreeing to the resumption of peace negotiations.
President Rodrigo Duterte, practically out of the blue, they say, brought up the matter of resuming peace talks during a briefing held at typhoon-ridden Bicol recently.
Perhaps the destructive “Tisoy” had left a reminder in its wake: for humans to get their act together at some point, just like we have to unite to fight the effects of climate change.
After all, it is not an easy thing to accept that a dying world is still populated by beings would rather kill each other first instead of helping one another bring Mother Earth back on her feet.
It’s not as if our own survival doesn’t depend on it. Then again, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder seemed not too keen about holding such talks here, as President Rodrigo Duterte had suggested.
Now, however, it appears that the exiled leader sees a chance for it to happen, acknowledging in a recent report that resuming formal negotiations could be possible in Duterte’s time.
These negotiations had been going on for a few decades, beginning with President Corazon Aquino and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in 1986 holding talks that went pfft.
The NDFP, of which Joma is a consultant, is the political arm of the CPP.
His words early Monday sounded a lot like demands we have heard before, setting conditions for the party before they would even consider sitting down with government representatives.
In a TV interview, Joma said the NDFP “cannot agree to ‘(submit) itself to the control of the peace process by the regime and come under the control and surveillance of the military.’”
An assurance they would accept from government, based on his statements, is to release political prisoners “on humanitarian grounds” in light of the Christmas season and New Year.
Anyone can sense the horn-locking culmination from these words.
It is also just as obvious that the President is more intent on achieving the longed-for peace before he ends his term. The issue had always been one of his priority programs and seeing it end up just like it did in past administrations could really rankle.
His desire to leave a legacy can be deduced from the more lenient approach he seems to be taking, announcing recently, for example, that martial law would be lifted from Mindanao by the end of this year.
There is no doubt that a lot of rancor and negativity still pollutes the air between the rebels and government, but as many Filipinos believe now, there are bigger battles to fight in our time that need everyone’s cooperation.
The stubborn refusal from either parties to give an inch in any peace negotiations is reason for it not to prosper, as we have seen in this peace process designed to end a five-decade war that still flares now and then within our peaceable islands.
“An assurance they would accept from government, based on his statements, is to release political prisoners “on humanitarian grounds” in light of the Christmas season and New Year.
“Now, however, it appears that the exiled leader sees a chance for it to happen, acknowledging in a recent report that resuming formal negotiations could be possible in Duterte’s time.