I say again: “the Duterte government will walk the extra mile for peace”, he added.
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The communist leadership are seeking the release of more than two dozen rebel leaders whom they claim are members of the negotiating panel as a precondition prior to the August 20-27 peace talks with the Government in Oslo, Norway.
Earlier on Friday, the government released NDFP consultants Benito Tiamzon and Wilma Austria Tiamzon, who were leading members of the CPP and key consultants of the NDFP when they were arrested in March 2014.
It also said that it is open to discuss the possibility of a longer ceasefire after the release of all political prisoners.
“Our release is a goodwill measure and creates an environment conducive to peace talks”.
The Duterte administration has reciprocated the unilateral, separate seven-day ceasefire declared by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA).
In a press conference, they thanked Mr Duterte for their release and for a restart of the talks that will tackle wide-raging reforms in a bid to end the conflict.
It said that the government’s facilitation of the release of NDF consultants to join the peace talks encouraged the declaration of the ceasefire.
This week, 19 detained peace consultants of the NDFP have been released on bail.
“Today, the President restores the effects of that ceasefire declaration precisely at this strategic time when we are all at the onset of the formal resumption of peace talks that had previously stalled for the last four years”.
Duterte declared a ceasefire on July 25 but withdrew it five days later after the guerrillas killed a government militiaman and failed to declare their own truce within Duterte’s deadline.
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The NPA shall consider as hostile action encroachments on the territory of the people’s democratic government by operating troops of the AFP and its paramilitaries to conduct surveillance, psywar and other offensive operations that are labelled as “peace and development”, “civil-military”, “peace and order” and “law enforcement” operations.
