PH gov’t group prepares for 5th round of peace talks

Before the resumption of the Fifth Round of the peace talks, members of the Government of the Philippines (GRP) panel met yesterday in Quezon City and discussed relevant issues on agrarian reform that may be tackled when the group later meets its counterpart from the Communist party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NDFP).

Roberto Ador, head of the GRP Comprehensive Agreement on Socio Economic Reforms (CASER), said the organizational meeting for the GRP focused on some of the contentious issues raised during the past rounds of talks regarding specifically agrarian reform development.

“During the last two rounds, both parties agreed on the principle for the distribution of land work so that is the many statement made in principle that we agreed upon. And we still have to tackle particular issues under agrarian reform,’’ Ador said.

Hernani Braganza, GRP peace panel member, noted that from 1972 until today, the problem of land distribution to the poor farmers had plagued the country.

Officially, the problem involves seven million hectares of land, half of which more or less is public land with the remaining being private agricultural land, he said.

The problem lies solely on the distribution of private agricultural properties mostly planted with corn and rice as part of the Expanded Comprehensive Reform Law that included haciendas and other similar privately owned lots used for agriculture.

“The balance of about a million hectares technically has not been re-distributed but we would inform Congress that half of it has been already issued notice of coverages. About 600,000 hectares expired with the CAR law. Di ba ibig sabihin walang pera ngayon yung agrarian reform to buy the land of the land owners and distribute to the farmers,’’ Braganza said.

The result of the GRP panel meeting here in the Philippines will be elevated to the reciprocal working committee of both parties chaired by Mr. Ador and the other party chaired by Juliet de Lima.

In the meeting, emphasis was also trained on the organization of bilateral teams under the group’s socio-economic reforms for reciprocal working committee.

Ador explained that every topic under the socio-economic reform agenda will have separate bilateral agreements where the teams can meet either in the Philippines or in other neutral countries including Asia.

Braganza said the first meeting, held in 2001, was when they first crafted the initial documents of the CASER.

Since the formation of the CPP and the New People’s Army (NPA) in 1968, there were numerous attempts to initiate peace between the government and the local communists.

Under the administrations of former Presidents Corazon Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Joseph Estrada, and Benigno Aquino III, peace negotiations were held in foreign countries on account of the exile of CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison in The Netherlands.