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Duterte admits threatening to kill Joma, joins Sara in opposing talks resumption with NDFP

Former president Rodrigo Duterte admitted he threatened to kill the late National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison that contributed to the 2017 termination of the peace process between his government and the revolutionary Left.

In a radio interview with his former chief legal adviser Salvador Panelo over DZRJ 810 AM last Wednesday, December 20, Duterte said he cursed at Sison in a phone conversation who returned the favor.

“[W]e ended up…nagmurahan kami. Pinu-t****** ko siya, sumagot din siya ng put****** mo…Sabi ko, huwag ka umuwi sa Pilipinas, papatayin kita!” Duterte narrated. (We exchanged expletives. I told him he was a son-of-a_b****. He responded in kind. I then told him, ‘Do not go home to the Philippines, I will kill you.)

Duterte did not give details on when his conversation with the Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairperson–his one time political science professor–happened.

Duterte said his call with Sison started politely, both greeting each other and their respective families with pleasantries. But their exchange turned for the worse when they started arguing about the definition of terms in the peace proposals submitted by the NDFP.

He said the particular phone call was probably listened in to by the military.

“That was the saga of the peace talks during my time. So it was terminated. Sabi ko, no peace talks anymore. Ever,” Duterte said.

The former president terminated formal negotiations with the NDFP in June 2017 when both parties were set to sign a prospective Interim Peace Agreement that included social and economic reforms and a long-term ceasefire.

In May 2017, Duterte ordered his negotiators, led by then labor secretary Silvestre Bello III, to cancel the fifth round of formal talks when both parties were already in The Netherlands for the continuation of what could have been the most successful episode in the nearly three decade history of the GRP-NDFP negotiations.

Wednesday’s rant was the longest that Duterte has addressed the peace talks issue since the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government has announced an ongoing dialogue for the possible resumption of the negotiations.

Duterte admitted that his termination of the peace negotiations with the NDFP “was only good for my (his) term.”

“[But] A new president has initiated another,” he said, adding he wishes there would no longer be negotiations with the NDFP.

Father joins daughter in opposing talks

Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio also expressed her opposition to the resumption of the negotiations, calling the November 23 Joint Statement between the GRP and the NDFP a “deal with the devil” in her first-ever public rebuke of Marcos Jr.

Leaders of both the House of Representatives and the Senate have however expressed support for the initiative, lending support to speculations of a widening rift between the Dutertes and the Marcoses.

Aside from the peace talks with the NDFP, both political dynasties are seen to differ on the use of confidential-intelligence funds and the government’s stance on the West Philippine/South China Sea issue.

The Dutertes are known to be close to China while Marcos is seen to be close to the United States of America that are inching towards a possible military confrontation in the region.

The Marcos government is also seen as open to the Philippines rejoining the Rome Statute creating the International Criminal court where the Dutertes are facing investigations for alleged crimes against humanity in relation to the former president’s bloody drug war that has reportedly killed thousands in a span of just over two years. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

NDFP: Teodoro’s insinuation of surrender by Reds ‘simply untrue’   

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) belied claims made by defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro it was the Left that sought a dialogue with the Government of the Republic of Philippines (GRP) for a possible resumption of formal negotiations.

The NDFP also said insinuations that it is now willing to surrender is “simply untrue.”

“It was the GRP who first approached the NDFP and not the other way around,” the revolutionary alliance said in a statement published on their website.

“Teodoro sings out of tune compared to what his colleagues in the GRP delegation is saying as well as what was agreed by both Parties in the joint statement signed last November 23,” it added.

In a television interview last Friday, Teodoro said there are no formal negotiations yet with the NDFP, adding that as he understood it, “[T]here was a request by the NDF to a (GRP) negotiator that they were willing to give up the armed struggle.”

“[W]e have to see first what the conditions are for talks to continue,” Teodoro said.

The defense secretary who earlier said he is against the resumption of formal peace negotiations with the NDFP added that counter-insurgency activities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict against the Left will continue.

The NDFP however said Teodoro’s claims and insinuations are “head-scratching” and “out of tune” with the spirit of the November 23 Oslo Joint Statement issued by both parties and witnessed by representatives of the Royal Norwegian Government.

“We ask the GRP to focus their efforts instead on the substantive agenda items of the negotiations. Before proceeding to any conversation about the cessation of hostilities, we urge the GRP to go back to the negotiating table and discuss first the remaining substantive agenda items under the Hague Joint Declaration,” the NDFP said in its rebuttal.

This means discussing the draft Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms which primarily addresses the root causes of civil war, the group added.

“The NDFP reiterates that the point of entering peace negotiations is not to arrive at capitulation, but to create a space conducive to discuss mutually acceptable and principled ways of achieving just and lasting peace,” it said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

No talk of surrender in the peace negotiations, NDFP says

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) said it will never consider any talk about its surrender and those of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) should peace negotiations with the Ferdinand Marcos government push through.

In a statement, NDFP Executive Council member and senior adviser to the NDFP Negotiating Panel Luis Jalandoni said, “[T]here is and should absolutely be no talk or insinuation, much less demand, about the surrender of the NDFP or of the revolutionary struggle of the CPP, NPA and NDFP.”

Jalandoni explained that their group has always negotiated with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) under various administrations to genuinely resolve the real reasons for the armed conflict.

“The peace negotiations are not negotiations for capitulation but rather a unique opportunity to find mutually acceptable and principled ways of addressing the root causes of the civil war,” he said.

This means, among others, the land problem that impacts on more than 70% of the entire Philippine population, namely the farmers, he explained.

“Their struggle for land must be addressed,” the former NDFP chief negotiator said.

Jalandoni added that their agreement to enter anew into the peace process with the GRP is based on the premises and context of their November 23 Joint Statement.

“Morover, we in the NDFP have firmly asserted from the start that we must build on the basic bilateral agreements, namely, The Hague Joint Declaration of September 1, 1992, the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) which remain binding between the Parties,” he explained.

Earlier, presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said the prospective peace talks between the NDFP and the Marcos GRP would not be a resumption but a “new beginning.” 

The former general added that the absence of “preconditions” will give the parties “greater flexibility to engage in meaningful, honest discussions, and by doing so, allow the peace process to move forward at a more definite and faster pace.”

Jalandoni however said various issues and concerns from both sides remain outstanding and are yet to be negotiated across the table.

“We in the NDFP are ever committed to enter into peace negotiations with the GRP in a determined quest for a just and lasting peace that will be of lasting benefit to the Filipino people,” he said.

All but Sara

Meanwhile, top leaders of both houses of Congress said they support President Marcos’ decision to negotiate with the NDFP.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri told reporters last Wednesday he approves of the resumption of the peace talks.

“Any political move that will end any conflict within the Philippines, I’m in favor of, because those are long lasting solutions,” he said.

Earlier, House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said the peace negotiations are not mere political maneuvers but a responsibility of both parties in pursuit of peace.

Unlike Zubiri and Romualdez however, Vice President Sara Duterte has openly rebuked Marcos Jr.’s decision to negotiate with the NDFP, the first such instance since the country’s top four leaders ran and won under the UniTeam slogan in the 2022 national elections. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

VP Sara rebukes BBM’s peace plan, fuels speculation of rift with Marcos

Vice President Sara Duterte publicly disagreed with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the possible resumption of formal negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), in turn earning criticisms and disagreements from members of both houses of Congress.

In probably her first public rebuke of her political ally, Duterte told Marcos to review plans to revive negotiations with Communist revolutionaries, calling the November 23 Joint Statement between Manila government emissaries and the NDFP “an agreement with the devil.”

“Mr. President, we can negotiate for peace and reconciliation and pursue meaningful development efforts in the Philippines without capitulating to the enemies,” Duterte said.

“They will use these peace negotiations to betray government and deceive the public,” she added.

Duterte earned swift condemnation from House of Representatives (HOR) Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers’ Party Representative France Castro who said the vice president’s statement is anti-peace and advocating for war as well as intolerant of different beliefs.

“The remarks made by Vice President Sara Duterte are detrimental to the pursuit of genuine peace negotiations. By posturing as if she is the president of the country and questioning the first steps to a peace negotiation between the Government of the Philippines (GRP) and the (NDFP), she is undermining the efforts to address the roots of the armed conflict in the Philippines,” Castro said.

Castro said it is alarming that the vice president’s statements reflect a lack of understanding of the complexities of the peace process and a disregard for the aspirations for just and lasting peace.

“Instead of promoting war, we call on the Vice President and those she represents to support efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the armed conflict in the country,” Castro added.

Breaking up?

Allies of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez at the HOR likewise commended “initiatives for peace and national unity,” by the Marcos government, contradicting the vice president’s statements.

In a statement, the so-called Political Party Leaders in the HOR described the development as an “historic move” in the country’s journey towards lasting peace and sustainable development.

At the Senate, Sen. JV Ejercito urged Duterte to talk directly to the President regarding her opinion about the planned resumption of peace negotiations to prevent further speculations of a rift between the allies.

“Better if [Duterte] talked to [Marcos] directly to quash speculations that, politically, they are headed to go in their separate ways,” Ejercito told ABS-CBN Monday night.

Duterte earlier criticized erstwhile allies in Congress who voted to reject her request of at least P125 million pesos in confidential and intelligence funds for her office and the Department of Education that she also heads.

She also downplayed the exodus of members of her political party Hugpong ng Pagbabago to Romualdez’s  Laban-CMD.

Duterte and Romualdez are seen to be rivals in the 2028 presidential race.

Romualdez is a cousin of Marcos.

Sought for comment, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III also welcomed Marcos’ intention to talk peace again with the NDFP.

“Between Filipinos, we should always be open to dialogue,” Pimentel added. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

CPP: If surrender is all Galvez wants, we are not negotiating

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) warned it will not negotiate if all presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. wants in the prospective negotiations between the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) is surrender of the revolutionary groups.

In a statement Sunday, December 3, CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena criticized Galvez’s opposition to calls to have the CPP, NDFP and the New People’s Army removed from the GRP’s list of so-called terrorists.

Valbuena said the former general dismissed as “pre-conditions” calls made by various organizations to also remove NDFP National Executive Council member and former chief peace negotiator Luis Jalandoni from the list as well as the release of at least 12 NDFP peace negotiators and consultants.

“[H]e should explain to the public how peace talks with the NDFP can proceed without removing the CPP/NPA/NDFP from the GRP’s ‘terrorist list’ without the GRP violating its own oft-repeated policy of ‘We do not negotiate with terrorists.’ Doesn’t it smack of bad faith that he will negotiate with Ka Luis across the table while calling him a ‘terrorist?’ Valbuena asked.

Reacting to statements made by various groups after the simultaneous announcement of the November 23 GRP-NDFP Joint Statement, Galvez said, “There should be no preconditions whatsoever, as these can derail future discussions.”

“As we have learned from our past experiences, making such preconditions even before the start of the discussions put a huge burden on both sides when there is still a need to agree on the parameters and framework of the talks,” he added.

Among those who made such calls were the CPP and activist groups such as Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and Karapatan that also welcomed the Joint Statement stating the parties’ desire to resume peace negotiations.

In their press conference last November 28, NDFP Negotiating Panel interim chairperson Julieta de Lima clarified that their call to have their consultants and nearly 800 other political prisoners released are not preconditions but issues to be discussed before formal talks can proceed.

Valbuena said Galvez should not automatically dismiss such calls but explain to the public how the negotiations with the NDFP can proceed when the group’s consultants are in jail.

“Indeed, these are practical issues, which if unresolved, makes it very difficult to even imagine how peace talks can proceed, both from the perspective of the GRP (the ‘we do not negotiate with terrorists’ quandary), and the NDFP (‘we cannot negotiate from behind bars’),” Valbuena explained.

Valbuena said that if Galvez is averse to hearing such demands, he could not be expected to hear about “the basic and urgent demands” of the people for land reform and national industrialization as well as other social justice and national sovereignty issues.

The CPP officer also challenged Galvez to explain the former general’s own statements regarding a non-existent “final peace agreement” and to make the prospective formal negotiations “start anew.”

“Does Galvez want to reduce peace talks to mere ‘surrender’ talks, which we are keenly aware is what the military and the US (United States of America) have long wanted?” Valbuena asked.

“If capitulation is what Galvez and the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) merely wants, then they should immediately be told: this is not negotiable!” Valbuena warned. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

CPP, other groups welcome possible peace talks resumption

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) welcomed the signing of the Oslo Joint Statement last November 23 in Oslo, Norway by representatives of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) declaring intent to hold formal peace negotiations.

In a statement issued after the simultaneous announcement by both parties and the Royal Norwegian Government as Third Party Facilitator, the CPP said it supports the NDFP Negotiating Panel led by interim chairperson Julieta de Lima, Coni Ledesma and Asterio Palima as well as NDFP National Executive Council member Luis Jalandoni “in their representation of broad democratic interests of the Filipino people” in the prospective resumption of negotiations.

“The Oslo Joint Statement is a first half-step in the long march leading to the resumption of formal peace negotiations, and in the even longer road of achieving the people’s aspiration for a just and lasting peace,” CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena said.

The CPP blamed former GRP president Rodrigo Duterte for wasting gains made by the NDFP and GRP negotiating panels that seemed close to signing major agreements under the social and economic reform agenda of the talks.

Among those set to be signed upon were free land distribution to poor farmers and a stand down agreement before Duterte terminated the negotiations in June 2017, subsequently declaring the NDFP, CPP and the New People’s Army as so-called terrorist organizations in November of that year.

“In his blood-lust, former GRP President Duterte threw ten thousand thorns and spikes at the road of peace and rendered it impassable. With the mistaken notion that the armed revolution can be crushed through sheer armed might, Duterte unleashed his war of state terrorism marked by abductions, torture, murder and massacres,” Valbuena said.

The CPP said Duterte utterly failed as shown by the Marcos GRP’s discussions with the NDFP to possibly resume peace negotiations.

‘Thorns and spikes’

CPP said it is now the “distinct responsibility” of the Marcos government to remove roadblocks that litter the road to peace negotiations.

The revolutionary party said Marcos must release all the NDFP peace consultants to allow them to take part in the discussions and negotiations and rescind the “terrorist” designation of the NDFP, the CPP, the NPA as well as those individually proscribed such as Jalandoni and other personnel of the NDFP.

The CPP said Marcos must withdraw Duterte-issued Executive Order No 70 and Memorandum Order No 32, dismantle the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict and repeal the Anti-Terror Law in order for the discussions on possible talks resumption to move forward.

The group added Marcos should also order the Armed Forces of the Philippines to withdraw armed soldiers conducting so-called localized peace negotiations and community support in civilian communities defending their land and democratic rights that are subjected to aerial bombing and artillery shelling.

The CPP also called for the release of more than 800 political prisoners in the country.

Other groups express support

Other groups also expressed support to the signing of the Oslo Joint Communique, asking the parties to prioritize social justice, economic concerns and human rights in the negotiations if the talks resume.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) said it welcomes the development as it hopes the peace talks could be a platform to hear out urgent people’ concerns such as landlessness, lack of decent jobs and livelihood and brutal military attacks on civilian communities.

“We advise them to overcome the malicious actions of peace spoilers. This necessarily entails the reversal of presidential proclamations and orders that make it impossible to restart the peace process,” BAYAN added.

Rights group Karapatan also said it welcomes the signing of the document it said should facilitate the reaffirmation of commitments and adherence to previously signed agreements such as The Hague Joint Declaration, the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, and Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees.

In a statement, Karapatan also said it hopes for the finalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms and the drafting of the Comprehensive Agreement on Political and Constitutional Reforms towards the resolution of the root causes of the armed conflict if the talks resume. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

GRP, NDFP announce possible resumption of peace talks

The Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) simultaneously announced the possible resumption of formal peace negotiations after the approval of a Joint Communique signed six years to the day after former president Rodrigo Duterte terminated the talks.

In a November 23 communique signed in Oslo, Norway, the parties said the development resulted from a series of informal discussions held in The Netherlands and Norway starting in 2022 between their respective emissaries.

The communique said the discussions were upon the initiative of former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Emmanuel Bautista who was personally welcomed by then NDFP chief political Consultant Jose Maria Sison.

The parties said the discussions were facilitated by the Royal Norwegian Government (RNG).

“Cognizant of the serious socioeconomic and environmental issues, and the foreign security threats facing the country, the parties recognize the need to unite as a nation in order to urgently address these challenges and resolve the reasons for the armed conflict,” the Communique said.

The document said both parties agree to a principled and peaceful resolution of the nearly 55-year old armed conflict.

“The parties acknowledge the deep-rooted socioeconomic and political grievances and agree to come up with a framework that sets the priorities for the peace negotiation with the aim of achieving the relevant socioeconomic and political reforms towards a just and lasting peace. Such framework, that will set the parameters for the final peace agreement, shall be agreed upon by both parties,” it said.

“Consequently, we envision and look forward to a country where a united people can live in peace and prosperity,” it added.

The communique was signed by Special Assistant to the President Sec. Antonio Ernesto Lagdameo Jr. in behalf of the GRP and NDFP National Executive Council member Luis Jalandoni.

It was witnessed by Presidential Adviser on Peace and Reconciliation and Unity Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. and Bautista for the GRP.

NDFP Negotiating Panel interim chairperson Julieta de Lima and member Coni Ledesma witnessed for the NDFP.

RNG Special Envoy Kristina Lie Revheim also signed as witness.

Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide attended the signing ceremony held at the Oslo City Hall. Eide also affimed RNGs continuing commitment to act as Third Party Facilitator to the negotiations.

Screenshot of the NDFP press conference held online.

Working towards talks resumption

In an online press conference today, de Lima said NDFP’s resolve to pursue negotiations with the Marcos Jr. GRP stems from its determination to fulfill the people’s aspirations to address the root causes of the armed conflict.

“It is our goal that the peace negotiations would result in comprehensive agreement on social, economic, political and constitutional reforms and provide the solution to problems which have long burdened the Filipino people,” de Lima said.

De Lima said they would reconstitute NDFP’s negotiating panel and appoint new members before the resumption of formal negotiations.

Former NDFP chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili died due to illness 2020 while panel member Benito Tiamzon was reportedly killed by the military in August 2022. NDFP chief political consultant Sison died due to illness last December.

De Lima said serious concerns must still be discussed, addressed and worked on by the parties, including, the participation of detained NDFP consultants in the peace negotiations; the assurance of safety and immunity for those involved in the peace negotiations; the general, unconditional and omnibus release of all political prisoners; and the abrogation of the unjustified terrorist designation of the NDFP, its panel members, consultants and others who are working for peace. 

She also called on peace supporters to push the parties to pursue the negotiations and find ways to address the roots of the armed conflict in the country.

On the side of the GRP, Galvez led the announcement of the signing of the communiqué in a simultaneous press briefing in Malacanan Palace.

“Both sides have affirmed their sincere desire to achieve national reconciliation and unity under the Marcos administration, agreeing to resolve and further address socioeconomic and political issues towards achieving a peaceful end to the armed conflict and armed struggle of the CPP-NPA-NDFP (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-NDFP),” he said.

The RNG Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced the development in a statement.

“The Philippine government and the country’s communist rebels have agreed to restart peace negotiations after a six-year hiatus, with the aim of ending decades of armed strife,” its statement said.

“I would like to congratulate the government of the Philippines and the communist movement NDFP on their decision to start formal peace negotiations. This is an important and timely step towards securing lasting peace in the Philippines,” Eide added.

In his own remarks, Jalandoni said the NDFP had always been open and willing to negotiate with the GRP if it will be for the interest and benefit of the Filipino people.

He said the NDFP shall ensure the bilateral nature of the negotiations, the reaffirmation of binding agreements and negotiate on a framework of principles that will be mutually acceptable to both parties.

“We shall earnestly pursue the substantive agenda that will provide concrete benefits for the people, keeping in mind always that the roots of the armed conflict must be resolved,” Jalandoni said.

Prior to Duterte’s termination of talks in June 2017, the GRP and the NDFP were close to signing an interim peace agreement (IPA) that also included a stand down agreement; guidelines and procedures towards an IPA and the resumption of talks and its attached timetable, and the NDFP proposed draft of the amnesty proclamation.

Jalandoni added they will work for the removal of “impediments…incompatible with the aims and purposes of peace negotiations in good faith.

NDFP peace negotiator Asterio Palima was also present in the media briefing. He remarked that while Marcos Jr. issued Proclamation 404 granting amnesty to NDFP, Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and other groups, such programs should be the result of negotiated peace based on justice and addressing the roots of the civil war. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Global confab calls on GRP to resume talks with NDFP

A global conference on counterinsurgency and peace urged the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) to initiate “genuine steps” towards the resumption of peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) by first addressing the root causes of armed conflict in the country.

In a conference themed “The Peace We Want,” the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) attended by 120 delegates representing 30 organizations across the globe last November 7 to 9 in Bangkok, Thailand to discuss the impacts of the continuing civil war in the Philippines under the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government.

ICHRP chairperson Peter Murphy said a just and lasting peace in the Philippines remains their coalition’s foremost objective and is an integral part of their commitment and solidarity with the Filipino people. 

“And so we urge both parties in the process to resume the peace process, which should never have been stalled,” Murphy said.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte cancelled the peace negotiations between the GRP and the NDFP in June 2017, a process which has not been resumed by Marcos Jr., the first president to do so since 1986.

In her speech, NDFP Negotiating Panel Member Coni Ledesma blamed the GRP for cancelling the scheduled fifth round of talks in June 2017 set to approve an “interim peace agreement” that includes a deal on free land distribution among the poorest of farmers.

“The GRP has used many excuses to cancel or suspend or terminate the talks when progress is made on socio-economic reforms. Just before (former President Rodrigo) Duterte terminated the talks in 2017, the working groups on both the GRP and the NDFP agreed on free distribution of land. This was a big breakthrough. And then the termination, which has been going until now,” Ledesma said.

She added that a GRP that has political will to recognize, face and accept the basic problems in the Philippines and agree to work with the NDFP to start solving these problems is needed. 

While maintaining openness to resume negotiations, the NDFP repeatedly said it rejects so-called localized peace talks the GRP for its part said is their new strategy in dealing with revolutionary Left formations across the country.

In his own message to the conference, Manila Economic and Cultural Office Chairperson and former GRP Negotiating Panel Chairperson Silvestre Bello III confirmed they “were so close in signing an interim peace agreement” in their negotiations with the NDFP from 2016 to 2017.

“In order for us to achieve peace in our country, we should not be signing peace agreements alone but we should be addressing the root causes of the armed conflict,” Bello said.

“It is therefore incumbent upon the government to eradicate what breeds insurgency and discontent. Doing so will sow the seeds of peace,” he added.

Since its suspension of the peace talks in 2017, however, the Duterte GRP attempted to proscribe NDFP-allied organizations Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army as terrorist organizations, a petition struck down by the Manila Regional Trial Court in September 2022.

Dozens of NDFP peace consultants have also been killed and imprisoned by the GRP since 2017.

In its approved General Program of Action for 2024 to 2027, ICHRP said it shall continue to inform its members and allies worldwide on the Filipino people’s aspirations for a just and lasting peace, self-determination and national sovereignty. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Advocates welcome report of peace talks resumption; warn of ‘fake amnesty and surrender’

A group of peace advocates welcomed reports that the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government is planning to revive its negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

The Citizen’s Alliance for Just Peace (CAJP) said the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) announced that a presidential proclamation related to the “political settlement” of the five-decade long civil war in the country is a “productive engagement.”

The CAJP added that the reported proclamation is said to be about “granting amnesty to the rebel fighters,” a long-standing tactic by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) that has been repeatedly and officially rejected by the NPA, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA).

“Whatever the real score is, we hope that the government will rethink its bloody all-out war strategy against the CPP/NPA/NDFP that was resumed when former President Rodrigo Duterte terminated the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations in November 2017,” the advocates said.

Earlier, Marcos unveiled his administration’s 2023 – 2028 National Security Policy (NSP) peace advocates said is essentially a reiteration of the government’s long-standing “whole-of-nation” approach.

“The government of Pres. Marcos Jr. appears confident that the death of NDFP Chief Political Consultant Prof. Jose Ma. Sison from natural causes and the killings and arrests of several top leaders of the CPP/NPA/NDFP have greatly weakened it,” the alliance said.

They pointed out that Marcos is the only post-EDSA president who did not engage in peace negotiations with the NDFP at the start of his term.

“He continued his predecessor’s ‘whole-of- nation approach and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF- ELCAC)…notorious for its wanton red tagging of government critics, social activists and civil society organizations (CSOs) and the human rights violations that come with it,” the CAJP said.

The group also echoed human rights organizations reports the Marcos administration continues to intensify use of laws such as the Anti-terrorism Act (ATA) and the Anti- Terrorist Financing Act (ATFA) against critics and political dissenters.

“Unfortunately, this ‘whole-of-nation approach’ and the NTF-ELCAC have greatly contributed to the shrinking of civic space in the country. The recent case of environmental activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano starkly illustrates how those opposing government projects, like the reclamation of Manila Bay, are illegally and forcibly taken by state security forces and later presented as NPA ‘surrenderees’,” the CAJP said.

CAJP’ statement, issued last Sunday, was signed by Archbishop Emeritus Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ, of the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform, former Iglesia Filipina Independiente Obispo Maximo Rhee Timbang of the Pilgrims for Peace, and Karen Tanada of Waging Peace.

“As the biggest and broadest network of peace advocates in the country, the (CAJP) strongly believes that resuming the formal GRP-NDFP peace negotiations will be a productive engagement,” the alliance added. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

CPP vows justice for Tiamzons and companions a year after deaths

The Communist Party of the Philippines vowed to attain justice for Benito Tiamzon, Wilma Austria and their companions it said were massacred in Catbalogan, Samar a year ago today, August 21.

In a statement, CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena reiterated their belief that the couple and their eight comrades were arrested by troops belonging to the 8th Infantry Division of the Philippine army and subsequently tortured and executed.

“The revolutionary forces reiterate their vow to attain justice for the Tiamzons and all other victims of state terrorism,” Valbuena said.

The CPP officer added the murder of Tiamzon, Austria as well as their companions he identified as Ka (comrade) Divino, Ka Yen, Ka Jaja, Ka Matt, Ka Ash, Ka Delfin, Ka Lupe and Ka Butig “are dastardly fascist-terrorist crimes of the Marcos regime, perpetrated under the direction of their US military advisers.”

In a report eight months after the incident last April, the CPP’s Political Bureau said the Tiamzons were traveling on two separate vans along the national highway eastwards towards Catbalogan City.

READ: CPP reports capture, torture and murder of Tiamzons by the military

The group, later dubbed as the Catbalogan 10, was flagged down between 12:00 noon and 1:00 in the afternoon, after which all communications with the group were lost, the CPP said.

The group was unarmed, it added.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) meanwhile said the victims were killed in a legitimate encounter off the coast of Catbalogan when their motorized boat exploded following a firefight with their soldiers.

“We have long suspected the deaths of CPP chairman Benito Tiamzon and his wife Wilma during an armed encounter with government troops on Aug. 22, 2022 in the seas off Catbalogan City, Samar, but we did not have the evidence to confirm it,” then AFP spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar said.

The AFP added that only body parts were what remained of those killed, preventing their immediate identification.

The military had long suspected that Tiamzon was CPP chairman while Austria was secretary general

Valbuena said that the couple long served as among key CPP leaders who selflessly dedicated their lives to the Filipino people’s struggle for national and social liberation and the socialist aspirations of the working class.

READ: NDFP Peace Panel ‘immensely outraged’ at Tiamzons’ brutal deaths

Tiamzon and Wilma were last seen publicly as consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines in peace negotiations with the Rodrigo Duterte administration of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines in 2016 and 2017.

“[T]he martyrdom of the Tiamzons will forever be remembered and inspire the younger generation of workers, peasants and all democratic classes to carry forward the Filipino people’s national democratic struggle,” Valbuena said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)