The Communist Party of the Philippines declared a seven-day unilateral truce hours after President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to free its top jailed leaders on Friday.
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“The duration of the ceasefire will last for as long as necessary to bring peace in the land”, he said. “This declaration, which will take effect on 21 August 2016, is a manifestation of the government’s effort to pursue binding peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF”, DND public affairs office chief Arsenio Andolong said.
Former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the suspension of the peace talks in 2005 after the communist rebels walked out of the negotiations in Norway, accusing the Philippine government of including the CPP and the NPA in the USA and European lists of foreign terrorist organizations.
The talks, which Norway has acted as an intermediary for, broke down in 2013 after Duterte’s predecessor Benigno Aquino rejected the communists’ demand to free all imprisoned guerrillas.
Andolong said the DND also welcomes the ceasefire declaration of the CPP-NPA-NDF and views this move as a manifestation of their goodwill in response to the government’s determined and honest efforts to bring about just and lasting peace in the land.
“I say again: the Duterte government will walk the extra mile for peace”, he added.
The CPP said the declaration was to celebrate the release of political prisoners and to bolster the peace talks. “Hopefully, that will be the end result of the peace talks”, he said. “He is glad that the CPP/NPA/NDFP showed a similar gesture of goodwill as a sign of sincerity to the peace process on the eve of our talks in Oslo, Norway”, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said.
“With or without reciprocation by the [government of the Republic of the Philippines], the NPA must maintain a high-level of alertness against enemy troop movements”, the CPP said.
“We have to have meaningful conversations about our society and find out what are the reasons for the armed conflict”, Wilma said in Filipino.
The statement added that they are open to declaring a longer ceasefire upon the release of all political prisoners “so that everyone can participate in the peace talks”, citing the case of Ka Eduardo Sarmiento who was sentenced to life imprisonment in Muntinlupa after he was arrested in February 2009 and convicted in December 2013 with alleged trumped-up charges.
“Status of consultants’ releases and travel papers, skeds, delegation travel details, taskings, brainstorming, advance drafts of potential documents, technical preps & other matters [were the ones discussed]”, Olalia said. The two were police chief Arnold S. Ongachen of Governor Generoso and PO1 Michael B. Grande of Banaybanay, Davao Oriental.
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At the airport news conference yesterday, Dureza gave assurance that the government was exerting effort to make available to the Oslo talks as many NDFP consultants as possible.
