Duterte Peace Panel, Communists Seen to Forge Deal on Interim Ceasefire in July

An agreement for an interim ceasefire of both the government armed forces and the communist rebels is expected to be reached once the government peace panel and the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NDFP) resume negotiations on the third week of July.

“This is the first time…in the past even a temporary ceasefire – they (CPP-NDFP) do not accept because it means capitulation of forces…baba ang baril…manaog sila (lay down arms…come down {from the boondocks}),” incoming Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Silvestre Bello III explained in a press conference Tuesday at the Royal Mandaya Hotel.

Bello said it is the first time in 14 years they have agreed to discuss the issue on ceasefire. It may be recalled that the last ceasefire was in 1986 during the administration of former President Corazon Aquino. But the ceasefire failed due to lack of monitoring.

But Bello said they have yet to configure how they would set up the monitoring system since the issue on communist armed conflict is of nationwide scale unlike the Moro conflict which is more confined to Mindanao.

Also seen in July is the release of political prisoners on the basis of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).

According to Bello, the CPP-NDFP panel has presented an initial list of 18 to 20 names, who will participating in the peace negotiations as consultants and messengers, among others.

Bello said these are just initial developments attained during the meeting between the incoming government peace panel and the CPP-NDFP last June 14 and 15 in Oslo, Norway where they sealed the agenda to start the formal peace talks in July.

He said the panels have agreed to fast-track the remaining three substantive issues namely the socioeconomic reforms, political and constitutional reforms and end of hostilities and disposition of forces. To fast-track the remaining issues, Bello said they would recommend for the simultaneous discussions of the respective committees next month.

Before the stalled peace talks, only the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) which is the first of four agreements in the substantive agenda of the formal talks was signed. The CARHRIHL was signed on March 16, 1998 in The Hague, The Netherlands and was approved on April 10, 1998 by NDFP National Council Chairperson Mariano Orosa and on August 7, 1998 by GRP President Joseph E. Estrada.

Last June 14 and 15, the incoming Duterte peace panel and the CPP-NDFP agreed to recommend to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte the immediate release of NDFP consultants and other JASIG protected persons in accordance with the JASIG to enable them to participate in the peace negotiations; and the immediate release of prisoners/detainees based on humanitarian grounds.

During the resumption of the formal talks they will discuss the affirmation of previously signed agreements; accelerated process for negotiations, including the timeline for the completion of the remaining substantive agenda for the talks, socio-economic reforms, political and constitutional reforms, and end of hostilities and disposition of forces; reconstitution of the (JASIG) list; Amnesty Proclamation for the release of all detained political prisoners subject to concurrence by Congress; and the Mode of Interim ceasefire.

The Joint Communiqué was signed by members of the incoming GPH panel composed of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza, GPH panel chair Silvestre Bello, and Hernani Braganza as member; while, the CPP/NDFP panel is composed of NDFP Chief Political Consultant Jose Maria Sison; NDFP panel chair Luis Jalandoni; and Fidel Agcaoili as member. Ambassador Elisabeth Slattum, the special envoy to the Philippines Peace Process Royal Norwegian Government, stood as witness.

Last Friday, Dureza lauded the signing of the Joint Statement in Oslo, Norway as it ushers in the formal re-start of “another renewed effort to end conflict and bring about that long elusive but cherished peace in the land.”

Dureza described their meeting “as a reunion of sorts of old friends on both sides of the negotiating table but whose efforts in various times and climes in the past proved futile.

“Now, new sparks of the dawning Rodrigo Duterte presidency are re-igniting the peace landscape,” he added.

According to Dureza, there was optimism and trust during the two-day meeting. “There is mutual enthusiasm and hope, not only amongst us negotiators across the table, but most significantly, among us all Filipinos, in whose behalf all these efforts are being done in the first place,” he added.

Dureza expects some challenges along the way but said “there is a destination that we must all inevitably reach.”

Since the government participants have not yet assumed office, the two panels agreed to formalize the consensus points soon after Duterte’s government starts. (PNA) LAP/LCM/LDP