Suspension of talks with CPP backed

Calida to send back Communist peace consultants to jail

Senators and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have expressed support for President Duterte’s decision to cancel backchannel talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) after New

People’s Army (NPA) rebels attacked a Presidential Security Group (PSG) convoy in Cotabato City.

With the cancellation, the Office of the Solicitor General sought to send back to jail Communist peace consultants who have been granted bail.

“OSG will ask the courts to cancel all bail bonds of NDF consultants, order their arrests, and recommit them to their detention facilities,” said Solicitor General Jose Calida in a statement.

OSG spokesman Eric Dy explained “the conditional release granted them (NDF consultants) by the courts are for the sole purpose of the formal peace negotiations.”

Dy added, “The conditions are based on the Supreme Court Resolution dated 2 August 2016, and not based on JASIG (Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantee).”

“The conditions provide that should the formal peace negotiations cease or fail, their bond shall be deemed automatically cancelled,” Dy explained.

In supporting the cancellation of talks, Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II, a former military officer, pointed out that communist political arm National Democratic Front (NDF) has not even denounced the attack of the CPP’s armed wing.

“I agree with the President. We cannot talk and fight at the same time,” Honasan said when sought for comment.

“Sa mga kausap natin sa peace talks: If you have no control over those who continue to attack government troops and installations, why don’t you condemn these attacks?” Honasan asked.

“If you have no control and do not condemn the attacks, why are we talking? This is bad faith. Lokohan ito,” he added.

Sen. Joel Villanueva said he also agrees with the Duterte administration, saying he understands where the President is coming from.

“Every time I see reports about the killings against our soldiers, I feel their grudge,” Villanueva said.

Even members of the Senate minority bloc – Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan – agree with the President’s position.

“We support the position taken by the President as a means of ensuring both sides deal with one another in good faith,” Pangilinan said in a text message.

‘Reds insincere’ In a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, AFP Public Affairs Office chief Marine Colonel Edgard Arevalo said the military welcomes the pronouncement of their commanderin-chief to cancel the backchannel talks with the Reds as they are insincere in pursuing peace talks with the government.

“We welcome the pronouncement of the commander-in-chief. Indeed, it’s a futile effort to continue to talk peace with a group like the CPP/NPA/ NDF whose members continue get money from people and senselessly kill our men that defend and protect the people,” Arevalo told reporters during a press briefing.

“The citizenry know very well that the AFP has been open and very supportive of government efforts in all its projects, yearning to achieve lasting peace and spur development in the countryside. But with the recent developments, all of these are indicators of the CPP-NPA’s propensity to take advantage of crucial situations just like this in order for them to perpetrate their ends,” he added.

Arevalo reiterated that the CPPNPA has never been sincere in talking peace with government as they are using the peace talks to recruit and beef up their ranks.

“Clearly, the NPA has no intention to genuinely pursue peace negotiations but merely to buy time and consolidate, to recruit and beef up its ranks. They have no plans of stopping extortion of enormous sums of money from companies that provide livelihood to our people or else burn the companies’ farm implements,” Arevalo said.

“At this time that the AFP is combating Maute-ISIS terrorist group, they (NPAs) are attacking soldiers who are neither on combat or law enforcement operations,” he added.

AFP Chief of Staff General Eduardo Año said that if the CPP-NDF-NPA is sincere in achieving lasting peace, it would not take advantage of the ongoing conflict in Marawi City and launch successive attacks against troops and civilians in various parts of the country.

“The CPP-NPA is taking advantage of it because they declared or announced to their NPA units simultaneous nationwide offensive before the SONA (State of the Nation Address). So if they are really sincere, they should not give those kinds of statements or orders,” Año said.

He revealed that government forces were able to seize a document pertaining to plans by communist guerrillas to intensify attacks nationwide.

PNP braces for attacks

The Philippine National Police (PNP), meanwhile, is bracing for renewed NPA attacks following the President’s decision to cancel the backchannel talks.

Director General Ronald dela Rosa, PNP chief, has ordered all police commanders to be prepared for possible attacks of the NPA.

What they are particularly preparing for, according to Dela Rosa, are the days leading to and the day President Duterte delivers his second SONA on July 24.

“They have a nationwide plan. They will be conducting pre-SONA atrocities nationwide. So we are expecting more attacks,” said Dela Rosa.

Based on the intelligence information they received, the chief PNP said the attacks may be carried out in areas where both the police and the military least expect them to happen.

As such, Dela Rosa said his order is for all chiefs of police and other commanders even in non-traditional NPA-infested areas to intensify their respective defense plan.

“They (communist rebels) will go to the provinces where NPA sightings are not frequent and they will carry out the attacks there. So I have directed all my ground commanders to be aware of this plan,” he said.

The traditional NPA-infested areas, according to Dela Rosa, are provinces in southeastern and northern part of Mindanao, Quirino province, Cagayan Valley region in Luzon, and Leyte and Samar provinces and Iloilo in the Visayas.

“I have already directed the commanders that aside from being vigilant, being pro-active in every NPA sightings, they should operate in coordination with the Philippine Army,” Dela Rosa added.

Police stations have been the favorite target of the communist rebels in replenishing their firearms and ammunition supply. In most cases, the firepower of lawmen is no match to the attacking rebels.

To give the lawmen a good fighting chance, Dela Rosa said he had already ordered the distribution of the newly acquired high-powered firearms donated by China.

The long firearms come with some five million rounds of ammunition.

“I already issued an order to expedite the issuance of the 2,900 firearms from China and millions of ammunition for our personnel to fight hard,” said Dela Rosa.

“They should not allow their police stations to be overrun, these firearms will give them a very good fighting chance to repel the attacks of the NPA,” he added.

Security officials said they expect the rebels to intensify the offensive against the government after President Duterte decided to cancel the peace talks with the communist rebels due to series of attacks, the last straw was the killing of two Marines and the ambush on the PSG convoy. (With a report from Aaron B. Recuenco)