Jaime Paglinawan, chairman of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) in Central Visayas, said President Duterte’s declaration of a unilateral ceasefire will pave the way for the resumption of peace talks.
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President Rodrigo R. Duterte announced on Monday, July 25, a unilateral ceasefire with the communist rebels to be effective immediately.
The Philippine military welcomed Duterte’s announcement, but said it “will remain alert, vigilant and ready to defend itself and pursue attackers if confronted by armed elements of the New People’s Army”.
The announcement came during Duterte’s first “State of the Nation” address to congress. It precedes peace talks set to take place next month in the Norwegian capital of Oslo between the Philippine government and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the National Democratic Front (NDF) and the New People’s Army (NPA).
“We have ordered our line units to stop their offensive operations against the NPA effective immediately without sacrificing the security and safety of our troops and the security of all vital facilities, installations and population centers”, said a statement released by 10th ID through its spokesperson Capt. Rhyan Batchar.
An end to the conflict has been a regular talking point for Duterte’s fledgling administration. “We are going nowhere and it is getting bloodier by the day”, said Duterte.
Prior to his formal assumption in office, Duterte sent a team composed of Dureza, Bello, and Braganza to hold preliminary meetings with the NDF panel to discuss the reopening of the peace talks and its agenda.
In a statement sent to Bulatlat, Luis Jalandoni, chairperson of the NDFP negotiating panel, said that the NDFP would be able to respond to or reciprocate the unilateral ceasefire declaration soon after receiving its full text.
“We express our willingness to go to the negotiating table, and yet we load our guns, fix our sights, pull the trigger. That is my goal, that is my dream”, he said.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus G. Dureza explained that the parties are looking at August 20 for the resumption of the formal round of negotiations in Oslo, Norway.
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The decades-long communist insurgency, one of Asia’s longest, has left almost 150,000 combatants and civilians dead and stalled economic development, especially in rural areas where the Maoist insurgents have had a long presence.
