Duterte eyes peace talks in July
Venue, stand-down agreement may scuttle reopening of negotiations
President Duterte said the revival of the peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPPNPA-NDF) may start next month.
Duterte made the statement while administering the oath of office to the newly elected barangay chairmen of Central Visayas.
In his speech Thursday night, Duterte reiterated his sincerity to resume the peace talks with the Reds, as he revealed that he has been talking with CPP founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison.
“Maybe July. Let's see how it develops in the coming days,” Duterte said, referring to the resumption of the peace negotiations with the communist rebels.
But Sison said as far as the peace panels are concerned, the peace talks shall begin on June 28 in Oslo, Norway.
“That is close to July anyway but not in Manila,” he said.
Duterte had ordered the resumption of the peace negotiations with the Reds, saying it is his duty to ensure that the Philippines is a peaceful country.
He terminated the peace talks with the Reds in November last year, citing their alleged ceasefire violations and insincerity in the negotiations, and also for demanding a coalition government.
Duterte has set a 60-day time frame in trying to revive the peace talks with the communist rebels. Since then, Duterte has urged Sison to return to the Philippines since the country is what the government and the CPP-NPANDF are fighting for.
He assured Sison of his safety if he decides to return to the Philippines, adding that he will not suffer the same fate as the late Senator Ninoy Aquino who was assassinated as he got off his airplane in 1983.
But should the renewed efforts for the peace negotiations between the government and the Reds will fail, Duterte said that Sison should not return to the Philippines anymore.
The President added that the CPPNPA-NDF should be prepared to return to a violent war with the government.
“If you come home, I will guarantee your safety and your security. If the talks fail, I’d be glad to escort you here and see you leave the Philippine territory pero sana huwag ka nang bumalik (but I hope that you never come back),”Duterte told Sison earlier.
“Let’s end this by just shaking our hands and we will resume the violent war. It leaves us no other alternative,” he added.
Stand down agreement But Sison said if the NDFP negotiating panel agrees to a stand down agreement with the government negotiating panel, the CPP and NPA also agree and will follow the terms of the stand down agreement.
“The stand down agreement creates a favorable atmosphere for the resumption of the formal peace negotiations and the interim peace agreement to be signed in Oslo, Norway, hopefully on June 28, 2018,” Sison said.
Sison also said it is premature for the government panel or anyone to suggest that the negotiations will be held in the Philippines.
“Foreign neutral venue as mutually agreed upon in JASIG is the best. (A) Philippine venue at this time would make the peace negotiations vulnerable to control by the GRP (government of the Republic of the Philippines) or to sabotage by ultra-reactionary elements,”Sison said.
But Defense Secretary DelfinLorenzana expressed reservation over the stand down agreement being proposed by the communist side.
He said they still have to consult with the government's peace negotiators, led by GRP Peace Panel head Silvestre Bello III and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza.
“We still don't know because Secretary Bello is still in the Netherlands talking with his counterparts on the other side,” Lorenzana said.
“We have to consult with our negotiators before we have a stand down. And what do they mean about stand down?” he asked.
Lorenzana said the stand down could be a halt in operations. But he said there is a possibility that the other side will continue with their attacks and recruit new members.
“Aside from that, some of their members might again take over or control barangays which was regained by the military through various operations,” he said.
Unrest in agrarian sector Anakpawis Party-list Rep. Ariel Casilao sees the continuation of the government's peace talks as the key to resolving unrest in the agrarian sector.
“Even the President knows that the New People's Army is a peasant army waging an agrarian revolution. Thus, to solve the armed conflict, landlessness must be addressed,” said Casilao, who is part of the leftist Makabayan Bloc in the House of Representatives.
Casilao made the statement during a demonstration to mark the 30th anniversary of Republic Act (RA) 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) Act. Hundreds of farmers from various regions in Luzon joined the protest action.
The militant solon said CARP's failure has been exposed by farmers around the country whose rights on land were systematically violated. He said the law wasted a gross 1250 billion budget in three decades as landlessness remains chronic.
“It was useless against violent abuses on farmers, thus, under this regime, 126 farmers fell victims of extra-judicial killings, that involved government forces as perpetrators,” he said.
Casilao underscored that the substantial agenda of the peace talks with the NDFP identifies poor farmers as the primary beneficiaries. NDFP's draft Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER), he notes, is pushing for free distribution of land.
Casilao said the public should pressure the Duterte administration to seriously and sincerely engage in the peace talks by respecting past agreements such as the 1998 Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Law (CARHRIHL) and 1995 Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantee (JASIG). (With a report from Ellson A. Quismorio)