On the NPA attacks

I AM still here in Amsterdam and en route home after signing a joint statement with the leadership of the CPP/NPA/NDF and I am already getting disturbing reports of alleged atrocities by the NPAs like the recent burning of a bus in Makilala, North Cotabato. There may be other similar incidents of the same nature somewhere else.

May I inform everyone of the following:

The restoration of unilateral ceasefire that has been announced is not yet effective as of today as there is still a need to allow the government and the communist leaders to inform their respective ground forces accordingly. Except for the government forces where there is a tight command and control structure in place and directives from higher headquarters are downloaded expeditiously; the same is not true with the NPAs, for obvious reasons.

Hence, the effectivity date shall commence as soon as both sides agree to a date specific (which should be anytime before the first week of April, 2017 the agreed date for the fourth round of peace talks as contained in the Utrecht Joint Statement. The date specific will be accordingly announced.

I have informally raised across the negotiating table the matter of some positive eruption of incidents prior to the effectivity date hence the urgency of an early effectivity announcement considering my previous experience of similar situations in my earlier ceasefire negotiations with other groups. (e.g. Bangsamoro) with some factions creating disturbances just to show defiance or merely as an attempt of projection of eminence by some of their elements.

Indeed, such incidents affect the over-all sentiments of peace-loving citizens who may even raise issues of good faith and may lead to questions as to whether or not rebel groups we are engaging in the peace tables are sincere or have control over their ground forces. Public acceptance (or the lack of it) on the ongoing peace process is critical given the indispensable need of over-all stakeholders’ support to ensure success of our peace efforts. –Jesus Dureza, presidential peace adviser

Welcome Development

We welcome the decision of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) panels conducting “backchannel talks” in the Netherlands to resume the stalled peace negotiations in the first week of April.

This is a very welcome positive development and we hope this will further advance the concrete gains achieved in the last three rounds of talks, particularly in the socio-economic, political and constitutional reforms that aim to address the root causes of the five-decade old armed conflict in our country.

In a two-page joint statement issued at end of the two-day (March 20-11) informal talks in Utrecht, The Netherlands, the parties announced a consensus on six points, especially on the decision to meet again for formal negotiations.

“The Parties shall continue the formal peace talks and reiterate their reaffirming of all bilateral agreements and statements made in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations, including the Hague Joint Declaration, the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig), and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (Carhrihl).”

The parties also agreed that reinstating the indefinite unilateral ceasefire declarations effective before the scheduled fourth round of talks in April would help create a better atmosphere for the resumption of the stalled negotiations.

An interim bilateral ceasefire agreement would also be discussed and signed by the government and the NDFP in the next meetings.

“The Parties agree to forge an interim bilateral ceasefire agreement which shall take effect after the terms of reference and other considerations shall have been settled,” the statement said.

This would replace the unilateral ceasefire declarations and establish more stable mechanisms to monitor and prevent tensions that might trigger hostilities. The move to free political prisoners is also being worked on by the GRP. Both parties also agreed to meet for the scheduled fourth round of talks on April 2-6 in Oslo, Norway.

It can be remembered that the House Committee on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity had approved House Resolution 769 for the formal resumption of the peace negotiations with at least 140 solons signing it.

Indeed, our peoples’ long quest for a just and lasting peace in our country should always be a compelling reason to forge ahead with the peace negotiations; it should trump any and all attempts by the saboteurs and militarists in the government to derail our peoples’ aspirations. –Carlos Isagani Zarate, Bayan Muna representative and vice chair of the House Special Committee on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity