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GRP and NDFP informal talks put peace process back on track

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Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) negotiators agreed to resume formal peace talks more than a month after President Rodrigo Duterte’s termination of the negotiations.

After several weeks of heated exchanges between both parties, the informal talks held in Utrecht, the Netherlands last Friday and Saturday put the peace process back on track with several new agreements such as the release of five NDFP consultants and a prospective bilateral ceasefire.

Here is the formal announcement made by Ambassador Elisabeth Slattum of the Royal Norwegian Government of the results of the backchannel negotiations in The Netherlands in the past two days.

Read more

NDFP says backchannel talks with GRP scheduled as early as February

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THE National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Negotiating Panel confirmed that backchannel talks with Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) for the resumption of formal peace negotiations are about to happen.

In an interview with KODAO, NDFP chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili said both parties agreed to secret backchannel talks as early as the first week of February after President Rodrigo Duterte terminated formal peace negotiations.

“For some reason, these have been delayed till now,” Agcaoili said.

Agcaoili also said the NDFP has kept its end of the bargain by not revealing plans or issuing any statement that would upset the backchannel talks.

Agcaoili also revealed that discussions have been going on since between the Royal Norwegian Government, third party peace facilitator to the peace process, and the GRP Panel.

Earlier today, Department of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced in a speech at the National Defense College that Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza has left for Europe last March 8, presumably to lead the GRP delegation to the backchannel talks.

“Last night, we allowed the departure of Benito and Wilma Tiamzon and Mr. Ladlad to do some back-channeling,” Lorenzana added.

Benito Tiamzon is an NDFP Peace Panel member while Wilma Tiamzon and Vicente Ladlad are consultants.

Agcaoili said the backchannel aims to bring about the continuation of the talks after Duterte’s termination of formal talks last February.

He said they are aiming to hold the scheduled fourth round in April in Oslo, Norway and continue discussions on the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees and the prospective Comprehensive Agreements on Socio-Economic Reforms and Political and Constitutional Reforms.

No ceasefire in place

Agcaoili also reacted to Duterte’s latest statement ordering the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to pursue New People’s Army (NPA) fighters the President said were responsible for the death of four police officers in Bansalan, Davao del Sur Wednesday.

“On the Bansalan incident, we still have to confirm if this was done by the NPA command in the area,” Agcaoili said.

Duterte told government troops may use newly-acquired jets to drop bombs on the NPA.  “Go ahead, flatten the hills,” he said.

“AFP and PNP troops have been going into villages and violating people’s rights in their combat and intelligence operations, including murderous Tokhang operations,” Agcaoli replied.

Agcaoili issued a reminder that there is no ceasefire in place at the moment, saying the NPA also lost four fighters to a raid by the Philippine Army’s 2nd Jungle Fighter Company in San Andres, Quezon Province last March 7. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

 

Various sectors vow support for peace talks continuation

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Various sectors converged at the Palma Hall of the University of the Philippines last February 10 to urge President Rodrigo Duterte to let formal peace negotiations between his government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines continue.

Bayan Muna Karlos Ysagani Zarate said it would be a waste to terminate the peace talks given the many gains achieved in the last three rounds of the negotiations.

Here’s another video of the event. Read more

Joma to Rody: Calm down, let’s talk

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NATIONAL Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Chief Political Consultant Jose Maria Sison asked Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) President Rodrigo Duterte to allow efforts to clear the air in the face of escalating tension between the two parties following the Duterte government’s declaration of an all-out war against the Left.

Sison proposed to his former student “to consult thoroughly with his negotiating panel and the peace advocates in his own cabinet and others outside of his government and encourage and allow back-channelling efforts to clarify misunderstandings and solve immediately the current problems.” Read more

JASIG and talks termination ‘unjust, unreasonable and improper’–NDFP

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THE National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) announced today it cannot acknowledge receipt of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines’ (GRP) “cancellation” of the peace talks.

In a statement, NDFP chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili said Presidential Peace Adviser on the Peace Process’ letter dated February 7 should have been sent to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NDFP and not jointly in one letter to Prof. Jose Ma. Sison as Chief Political Consultant and himself as Chairperson of the Negotiating Panel.

“The NDFP Negotiating Panel and its consultants draw their authority from the NEC of the NDFP based in the country,” Agcaoili reminded Dureza.

“The original of the letter should also be sent by mail or courier to the NDFP Information Office in The Netherlands to be formally received by the NDFP Negotiating Panel,” Agcaoili added.

Agcaoili earlier said they have received a copy of Dureza’s notice only through electronic mail.

Agcaoili said they note Dureza’s notice was “improperly addressed.”

Unjust and unreasonable

The NDFP also scored the GRP for its unjust and unreasonable termination of the peace talks and the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).

“There is no fair and just reason for the GRP to terminate the peace negotiations less than two weeks after the two Negotiating Panels had successfully concluded their third round of talks in Rome, Italy,” Agcaoili said.

Agcaoili pointed out the “significant advances” made in the substantive agenda of the peace negotiations as shown by the GRP-NDFP Rome Joint Statement of January 25, 2017.

  • The signing of the Supplemental Guidelines for the Joint Monitoring Committee for the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.
  • The exchange of complete drafts of their respective Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER) and their substantial agreement on the Preamble; Declaration of Principles; Bases, Scope and Applicability; and Desired Outcome. The parties have also reached common understanding on the general features of the agrarian problems in the country as well as a general agreement to a free distribution of land to farmers under the prospective CASER. The parties also approved and signed the Ground Rules for the Conduct of the Formal Meetings between the Reciprocal Workings Committees on Socio Economic Reforms meant to accelerate the discussions of drafts and hopefully craft a final common draft by the deadline set this year.
  • The exchange of drafts of their respective tentative drafts of the Comprehensive Agreement on Political and Constitutional Reforms (CAPCR), as well as their respective comparative matrices of the drafts.
  • The agreement of the parties’ respective ceasefire committees to meet in The Netherlands on 22-27 February 2017 and discuss their respective drafts of the bilateral ceasefire as well as a date for the next (fourth) round of formal talks in Oslo, Norway on April 2 to 6, 2017.

In his closing statement at the Rome round of formal talks, Sison projected that, at the rate the negotiations have been going, the CASER and CAPCR can be signed by the Negotiating Panels and approved by their respective Principals in 2017 in time for the founding of a “Federal Republic of the Philippines” in 2018.

“With the above progress in the talks, it is unreasonable for any Party to unilaterally terminate the peace negotiations without just cause and squander the gains so far achieved,” Agcaoili said.

Agcaoili noted that the GRP Negotiating Panel through its chairperson Silvestre Bello III initially recommended the continuation of the talks.

“The government peace panel has recommended to the President (Rodrigo Duterte) that we stand by our unilateral ceasefire.  We look forward to meeting with our NDF counterparts for the fourth round of talks in April and to discuss the possibility of a bilateral ceasefire agreement on February 22, as agreed upon during the third round of talks held in Rome,” Bello said in a statement last February 1.

“The recommendation of the GRP Negotiating Panel to proceed with the talks as scheduled should have been heeded instead of the lies and warmongering of the peace spoilers,” Agcaoili said.

“The NDFP cannot be a party to an unjust, unreasonable and improper termination of the JASIG.  The GRP bears full responsibility for its unilateral decision,” he added. (Raymund B. Villanueva)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peace spoilers won the day–Agcaoili

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PEACE spoilers won the day, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) chief peace negotiator said of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines’ (GRP) “cancellation” of the formal peace talks and termination of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) today.

Fidel Agcaoili blamed “spoilers in the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Department of National Defense, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the neoliberal globalization members in the cabinet” for the collapse of their once promising peace talks with the Duterte government. Read more

GRP terminates JASIG

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THE Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) formally served the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) notice of termination of their Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).

In a letter dated today, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza also told NDFP chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison and NDFP Negotiating Panel chairperson Fidel Agcaoili of the GRP’s “cancellation” of the peace talks.

“Following the President’s (Rodrigo Duterte) announcement of the cancellation of the peace talks with the CPP/NPA/NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army/NDFP) and per his instructions, the Government (GRP) is hereby serving this notice of the termination of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG),” the letter said.

In a subsequent statement issued by his office, Dureza referred to Duterte’s earlier labelling of the Left as “terrorists.”

“The Government will continue its vigilance in the preservation of law and order and in protecting our people against insurgent activities and threats of terrorism,” Dureza’s statement said.

The NDFP has yet to respond to Dureza’s letter and statement.

Dureza, GRP Negotiating Panel chairperson Silvestre Bello III, Agcaoili and Sison were co-signatories of the 1995 agreement.

GRP’s JASIG termination letter.

30-day grace period

Signed on February 24, 1995 in Nieuwegein, The Netherlands, the JASIG came into effect after the respective approval by NDFP Chairperson Mariano Orosa on April 10, 1995 and GRP President Fidel Ramos on April 25, 1995.

The agreement was intended to protect negotiators, consultants, staffers, security and other personnel who participate in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations.

JASIG was also intended “to facilitate the peace negotiations, create a favorable atmosphere conducive to free discussion and free movement during the negotiations, and avert any incident that may jeopardize the peace process.”

“Without the JASIG, negotiations would not be possible.  Without the JASIG, persons involved in the negotiations would always feel or actually be under a cloud of threat and would be unable to perform their functions freely,” human rights group Karapatan said of the JASIG on its website.

The negotiations would always be at risk of being disrupted and totally jeopardized without the JASIG, Karapatan said.

The JASIG allows one party to terminate the agreement through a written notice given by one party to the other.

“In (such an) event, this Joint Agreement shall be deemed terminated 30 days after receipt of the notice of termination,” the agreement said.

According to JASIG, the termination shall take effect on March 9.

Repeatedly violated by the GRP

The NDFP has repeatedly accused the GRP of violating JASIG with the arrest of its peace consultants and personnel.

The GRP judiciary has released 19 NDFP peace consultants last August that enabled them to participate in the three formal rounds of talks in Norway and Italy.

Duterte has verbally ordered their rearrest, however, in an outburst last February 5 in Cagayan de Oro City.

The NDFP for its part said Duterte and the GRP executive branch has no jurisdiction over the released consultants but the respective trial courts where complaints are lodged against them.

Yesterday, combined GRP military and police elements arrested peace consultant Ariel Arbitrario in Davao City, bringing to four NDFP consultants under GRP custody even before Dureza’s notice and the JASIG’s termination on March 9. (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Duterte has no jurisdiction over consultants; talks ‘suspension’ not in any agreement–NDFP

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THE National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) said the jurisdiction over its 17 peace consultants released last August for the formal peace negotiations with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) lies with the judiciary and not on President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a statement, NDFP chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili said the consultants have been put under the effective jurisdiction of the GRP courts because they were released only on bail and only for a six-month period.

Responding to Duterte’s statement that those released should voluntarily go back to prison and GRP intelligence units shall monitor the whereabouts of the peace consultants, Agcaoili clarified that it was the judiciary which granted them bails and issued them permission to travel abroad to participate in the last three rounds of talks.

“Their bail renewal is due this month and, as reflected in the Rome Joint Statement of 25 January 2017, both their lawyers and the GRP have agreed to cooperate in this regard,” Agcaoili said.

The NDFP also said all 17 NDFP consultants are in the country and are not in hiding.

“Those who took part in the third round of formal talks in Rome, Italy from 19 to 25 January 2017 have returned to the country as of 31 January. They are all protected from re-arrest in accordance with the JASIG (Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees),” Agcaoili said.

Since August, the consultants have participated in three formal peace negotiations in Norway and Italy as well as in numerous peace forums all over the Philippines and in many countries abroad to drum up support for the NDFP-GRP peace process.

Peace consultant Felix Randy Malayao said there have been three important documents that the 17 NDFP consultants have helped bring about: the NDFP-GRP Joint Statements of August 2016, October 2016 and January 2017.

The NDFP also clarified that the GRP are not paying for the expenses of its consultants.

“The Royal Norwegian Government in its capacity as Third Party Facilitator in the peace talks has been providing for the travel expenses and accommodation of the NDFP delegation in formal and informal peace talks since the beginning,” Agcaoili said.

Talks ‘suspension’ not allowed

Agcaoili said the NDFP is waiting for the formal notice from the GRP Negotiating Panel on its termination of the peace negotiations.

He clarified that the NDFP has never terminated the peace negotiations with the GRP since The Hague Joint Declaration was signed in 1992 to govern the conduct of talks.

“Only the GRP by President Joseph Estrada did when he issued a formal notice of termination in accordance with JASIG. Presidents Gloria M. Arroyo and Benigno C. Aquino suspended the peace talks. And now Duterte,”

“There is no provision for suspension in any agreements,” Agcaoili said.

The NDFP said “the JASIG defines the mode of termination.” (Raymund B. Villanueva)

‘Difficult but successful’ round of talks ends in Rome

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ROME, Italy—The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) concluded their “difficult but successful” round of formal peace talks a week after it opened, five days of which were spent in “exacting” negotiations.

The parties said they achieved advances on six major issues listed on their January 18 common agenda:

  • Breakthrough in the discussion of socio-economic reforms and achieving understanding on its first four items, including agrarian reform and rural development;
    • Signing of the ground rules on the work of the Reciprocal Working Committees (RWC) on Socio-Economic Reforms (SER);
    • Exchange of drafts and initial discussions on political and constitutional reforms;
    • Signing of supplemental guidelines on the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) for the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law;
    • Submission by the GRP of its proposal for a bilateral ceasefire and the parties’ agreement to discuss it on February in The Netherlands; and
    • Agreement to a fourth round of formal peace talks in Oslo, Norway in the first week of April.

The parties likewise talked about the release of the 392 NDFP-listed political prisoners with the GRP again committing to facilitate the release of three remaining NDFP consultants Eduardo Sarmiento, Emeterio Antalan and Leopoldo Caloza through presidential clemency or other legal means.

The GRP and the NDFP also discussed the possible implementation of socio-economic projects in relation to the Joint Agreement in Support of Socioeconomic Projects of Private Development Organizations and Institutes of March 16, 1998.

“The parties have been constructive and solution-oriented. And it is very clear to us as Third Party Facilitators that both sides are genuinely committed to work towards achieving peace,” Royal Norwegian Government Special Envoy to the Philippine Peace Process Elisabeth Slattum said.

“Well, it has been difficult but successful. That is the only way I can describe this round,” NDFP chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili said.

Agcaoili clarified though that he expected the successful conclusion of the negotiations on the supplemental guidelines on the JMC, the tentative agreement on the PCR, the movement on the discussion on SER as well as on its ground rules.

“Free distribution of land”

As expected, negotiations on socio-economic reforms took center stage in the Rome round of talks.

“The RWCs-SER agreed in principle to the free distribution of land to farmers and farm workers as part of the governing frame of CASER (Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms),” the parties’ Joint Statement on the Successful Third Round of Formal Talks Between the GRP and NDFP in Rome, Italy said.

Earlier, the RWCs-SER reaffirmed their earlier agreement on the Preamble and the Declaration of Principles (Part I) as the framework of the CASER.

They also identified points of agreement on Bases, Scope and Applicability (Part II) and reaffirmed their approval of Part II entitled Desired Outcomes.

The committees also reached a common understanding on the general features of the agrarian problems in the Philippines, incorporated in the Part IV of the discussions which included land distribution issues.

“While our discussions in the past days have been exacting, we were not deterred from exploring new ways and other platforms to advance the talks,” GRP panel chairperson Silvestre Bello III said in describing the success of the round.

The CASER ground rules “display our seriousness to tackle the agreement on socio-economic reforms,” Bello said.

Joma “recovering well”

The eight page Joint Statement however is silent on the announced plan of the GRP to request the United States government to delist NDFP Chief Political Consultant Jose Maria Sison from its terror list.

Sison was absent in a formal peace talks closing ceremony for the first time in 25 years,

“We would like to inform you that the chief political consultant of the NDFP, Prof. Jose Maria Sison, was hospitalized last night,” Slattum said.

“But we can assure you that he is recovering well.  And I think I speak for everybody when I say we hope that he would be back on his feet in the next few days,” she added to loud applause in the hall.

Bello asked the participants and witnesses of the closing ceremony to offer a minute of prayer for the fast recovery of Sison.

Bello and GRP panel member Angela Trinidad had to leave the ceremony early to fly to Kuwait to try to save the life of a Filipino set to be executed in the said country. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Joma terror delisting, free land distribution among agreements in third round of talks

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ROME, Italy—The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and government negotiators are set to end their third round of formal talks today on a successful note with advances on the substantive agenda and new goodwill measures included in the prospective Rome Joint Statement.

NDFP chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili and his Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) counterpart Silvestre Bello III said their joint statement will include the signing of the supplemental guidelines on the Joint Monitoring Committee as well as agreements on the ground rules for future negotiations on socio-economic and political and constitutional reforms.

They also agreed to hold a special meeting in The Netherlands in February 22 or 24 to discuss the GRP proposal for a bilateral ceasefire.

“This round is turning out to be a success, despite the apparent sabotage with the killing of the activists in Negros Occidental and Surigao del Norte and the attack on the NPA (New People’s Army) encampment in North Cotabato,” Agcaoili said.

Joma Sison delisting

Bello for his part revealed that the joint statement shall include a request to the United States of America (USA) that NDFP chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison be delisted from its terror list.

“We have a basis (for such request), considering he is in the process, the peace talks, which negates the character of a terrorist,” Bello said.

Bello said it is important for Sison to be able to travel outside of Europe in response to GRP President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement he is willing to meet his former professor in any neutral Asian country.

NDFP panel member Benito Tiamzon and consultant Wilma Austria welcomed the move saying it would help in the negotiations.

“We have long been saying that the revolutionary movement, the Communist Party of the Philippines, the NPA, most especially Prof. Sison are not terrorists,” Tiamzon said.

“It is also important that President Duterte is saying he is independent of the US and this is one concrete step showing he really is independent,” Tiamzon added.

Sison has yet to issue a statement on the development.

Painstaking SER negotiations

NDFP socio-economic reforms Reciprocal Working Committee (RWC) spokesperson and agrarian and rural development focal person Randall Echanis said their bilateral meetings with their GRP counterparts have taken a few steps forward.

“For the first time, the GRP has submitted a comprehensive draft and we have agreed that both our drafts would be discussed with a matrix comparing both versions,” Echanis said.

Echanis also said that the Preamble and Declaration of Principles mostly based on the NDFP draft has already been agreed upon by the Reciprocal Workings Committees (RWC).

“We have identified commonalities on the Bases, Scope and Applicability provisions of our respective drafts and these are three important parts that our bilateral negotiations have disposed with,” Echanis said.

Echanis also revealed that the GRP has agreed in principle that there should be free land distribution to farmers, subject to consultations with other government agencies.

“We are for free land distribution while the GRP is for land distribution at least cost to the farmers.  We met halfway by saying the compensation should not come from the farmers but from the government,” he said.

“They said the NDFP draft’s use of the word of ‘confiscation’ is unconstitutional.  We clarified that land grabbed with use of violence and intimidation should be confiscated without compensation but we have no question with just compensation for landlords whose land was accumulated through just means,” Echanis clarified.

Echanis said the NDFP had been meeting GRP halfway in their negotiations as long as the essence and principle of agrarian reform is not compromised.

The closing ceremony of the third round is expected to be held at three o’clock local time (nine o’clock in the evening, Philippine time).

The fourth round of NDFP-GRP formal peace talks shall be held in April in Oslo, Norway. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)