Reds may not like it, but gov’t to pursue peace

THE GOVERNMENT remains committed to forging peace with the communist rebels despite a recent declaration by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) that it would not be returning to the negotiating table during the Aquino administration.

In a statement, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles said the CPP had yet to inform the government of its intent to drop the negotiations.

The CPP Central Committee on its 45th anniversary on Dec. 26 declared it would no longer pursue the stalled peace talks because of the Aquino administration’s “unwillingness to negotiate a just peace.”

“It has no choice but towait for the next regime to engage in serious negotiations,” the CPP said.

Deles said that even if the CPP would no longer pursue the peace talks with the current administration, “the government… remains committed to work for a peaceful settlement of all internal armed conflict.”

“The GPH [Government of the Philippines] will not close the peace table to those whowant to pursue a sincere and truthful dialogue in responding to our people’s call for peace,” Deles said, adding: “We will combine to seek ways to resume negotiations on the basis of a doable and time bound agenda.”

Yesterday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) condemned the attack by the New People’s Army (NPA), the CPP’s armed wing, in Ormoc City in Leyte.

“This act of violence is a blatant violation of their self-declared truce in Yolanda-stricken areas. We will definitely take necessary actions in order to bring the perpetrators to the bar of justice and let them face the consequences of their crimes,” the AFP said in a statement.

The military scored the NPA for its “insincerity towards our call for peace.”

“We hope they will wake up from the horror of their violent beliefs and embrace peace and society as part of the Filipino nation,” the AFP said.

According to the military, the communist rebels ambushed an Army KM250 truck transporting personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Barangay Cabintan yesterday morning.

The firefight lasted 20 minutes until the rebels withdrew. No casualties were reported.

In its anniversary statement, the CPP said it aimed to increase its Red fighters to 25,000.

But AFP public information chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said it would be an impossible feat given that the people usually recruited by the NPA now enjoyed livelihood and employment, and thus had no reason to rise up against the government.

Zagala said the military estimated the NPA strength at 4,000.

Earlier, the AFP called the CPP-NPA armed struggle a “fruitless insurgency.”

Zagala said, “Instead of waging violence to make themselves relevant, the CPP-NPA should just lay down their arms and commit themselves to the peace process without preconditions. After decades of fruitless insurgency, the CPP-NPA should stop being part of the problem and start becoming part of the solution.”