Sison hails Duterte for resumption of GRP-NDFP peace talks
DAVAO CITY — Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison has expressed “deep appreciation” to President Rodrigo R. Duterte for re-opening the peace negotiations between government (GRP) and National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
In a statement on Wednesday, Sison, Duterte’s former professor on Political Thought, said: “It is in the people’s interest for the GRP and the NDFP to pursue the forging of a peace agreement.”
The fourth round of formal talks is set on April 2 - 6 in Oslo, Norway.
On forging the peace agreement, Sison said it must uphold the sovereignty and independence of the Filipino people, strengthen democracy for the exploited and oppressed people, create the conditions for economic development through land reform, national industrialization and expansion of social services and benefits, promotion of patriotic and scientific culture and peace and development in a multi-polar world.
He said that the foundations for these can be achieved by the Duterte administration.
Sison, 78, said that he is on his way to full recovery after he was hospitalized for some time but he has been helping in the preparations for the next round of peace talks.
“I wish to inform the public that I have been hospitalized for some time under the care of a team of medical specialists and other health workers. I am on the way to full recovery,” he said.
During the next round of talk, GRP panel member Antonio Arellano said both panels will flesh out the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-economic Reforms (CASER) and the bilateral ceasefire agreement.
He added no timeline was set on the signing of CASER and ceasefire agreement as these are “complex issues which had been with us since we became a state” and cannot be resolved “summarily.”
“It goes to the root of the rebellion. You cannot project the time, but hopefully matapos within six months may mga drafts na both sides.”
Bilateral truce might not stop armed encounters A bilateral ceasefire agreement may not stop the possible eruption of armed encounters between government forces and the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the communists, but will be necessary so that neither of the two parties will back out from the peace talks, a member of the GRP peace panel said.
GRP peace panel member Atty. Antonio Arellano said a bilateral ceasefire document would not totally eradicate the possible eruption of the armed encounters but would clearly define what acts would constitute as violations based on the agreed document by both parties.
“Would you expect shooting now? Why not? We have to expect that be- cause the rebellion is on-going,” he said.
On the previous unilateral ceasefires, he said: “although there are some instances of unfortunate incidents, in general, substantially the ceasefire was held until it was declared ended.”
He said that, in the previous declaration, the violations were not stated because there was “no agreement as to what acts will constitute violations.”
“Before the declaration of an indefinite unilateral ceasefire by both the GRP and the NDFP, of course, the context was, there is armed conflict. You know what happens in armed conflict. When both agreed separately to unilaterally declare ceasefire, it was a ceasefire, which was voluntary on the party,” he said.
He said a bilateral agreement will put in place some monitoring mechanisms to keep track of the compliance of the government forces and NPA rebels.
Although they have yet to discuss in detail the bilateral document in the next round of peace negotiations set on April 2 to 6 in Oslo, Norway, he said they may include certain areas off-limits to military troops and NPA combatants.
“These are still subject to further discussions but the discussions are on-going already and to tell you frankly we are all very hopeful that in due time matatapos na yung agreement at tuloytuloy yung usapan (the agreement will be completed and the talks can proceed unhampered),” he said.
He said he is hopeful that in the fourth round of talks, they would come up with an agreement that is “already bilateral in character.”
Last March 12, Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (PAPP) Sec. Jesus Dureza said the GRP and the NDFP peace panels agreed, during the backchannel talks held from March 10 to 11, 2017 in Utrecht, The Netherlands, to revive the peace talks after a month of impasse and reinstate the unilateral ceasefire, which will be effective “as soon as their respective forces shall have been informed.”
On February 1, 2017, NPA spokesperson Jorge Madlos announced the lifting of unilateral ceasefire effective 11:59 p.m. on February 10 while President Rodrigo Duterte’s announcement came on February 3.
For his part, NDF consultant Satur Ocampo said that once a bilateral ceasefire document is signed, any incidents of violence will not compel one side to suspend the talks so that it will not affect the main agenda of the discussions.
Ocampo also dismissed rumors the top leadership of the revolutionary government has no control over their own forces on the ground.
“Hindi kasi nauunawaan yung structure ng command sa revolutionary movement (The structure of command of the revolutionary movement was not understood well.) The NPA is essentially army organized by the CPP. Ngayon, ang papel ng NDFP is working (Now, the role of NDFP) in building alliances in the formative stages of the revolutionary government,” he said.
The NDFP, he said, has been nominated by the CPP to represent the revolutionary forces in the peace talks.
“The NDFP is an organization that represents the formative stages of an alternative government, para yung parity ng negotiating table ay on the political level. So in effect, hindi nagcocommand ang NDF sa NPA (the NDF does not give command to NPA),” he said.
Arellano said that there was no specific timeline agreed as to when the bilateral ceasefire agreement will be signed by both parties.