‘Senators may bridge talks between gov’t, Reds’

The administration may have officially closed its doors on the peace talks with communist rebels but Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said unofficial channels could still be opened to try to get both sides back to the negotiating table.

Pimentel said he understood where President Duterte was coming from when he decided to terminate the peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (CPP-NDF).

But he said this does not mean that both sides should resume their armed conflict.

Pimentel said the senators, in their individual capacities, could serve as a bridge between the two sides to get them back to the peace table.

“We regularly talk to a lot of people. Let us see if we can serve as a bridge. As far as as I am concerned, my attitude is that I am ready,” Pimentel said.

He lamented how fellow Filipinos are fighting fellow Filipinos in this particular case and as senators, they have to be receptive to the concerns of all their constituents, including members of the CPP-NDF.

The communist group has expressed disappointment over Duterte’s decision, with some calling the President a fascist.

Pimentel said the President is merely exercising the powers under the Constitution and he could not be branded as a fascist or dictator.

He brushed aside these statements as political in nature and having no legal basis.

“This is merely propaganda,” Pimentel said.

On Friday, the CPP-NDF asked the Duterte administration to comply with the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantee (JASIG), specifically on the 30-day grace period for the termination of talks, before peace negotiators and consultants could be arrested.

CPP-NDF peace panel chairman Fidel Agcaoili said they are waiting for the written notice of termination of the peace process.

Agcaoili said the peace negotiation is deemed terminated 30 days after receipt by both parties of a written notice of termination.

“We expect the GRP to comply with this provision,” he said, adding the peace negotiation is governed by agreements.

“We expect the written notice to be sent to us immediately now that Proclamation No. 360 has been published,” Agcaoili said.

He said all immunities should remain in effect even after the termination of the peace talks.

Agcaoili said it’s up to Duterte if he wants the entire country to become a “wasteland” like Marawi.

He said that in the past year, Duterte suspended or terminated the talks three times while these were ongoing or had just concluded.

He said it has been a sad experience for the CPP-NDF and the third party facilitator, the Royal Norwegian government, as well as the government’s personnel to be subjected to what he described as “whimsical and arbitrary outbursts of Duterte.”

“No one can rule a country in Mafia-style fashion where it becomes a personal turf and all forms of opposition are wiped out while the army and police are transformed into enforcers and hit-men,” Agcaoili said.