No ceasefire until clear proposals are sent: NDFP

Thursday, September 1, 2011

THE National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Tuesday said that there will be no ceasefire during the ongoing peace talks unless the Government of the Philippines (GPH) will respond to the proposal already submitted by the NDFP.

In a live interview of GMA-TV5 "Una Ka Bai", Luis Jalandoni of NDFP said they already proposed to President Benigno Aquino III a "special track" for the peace negotiation offering alliance and truce based on the concise agreement for an immediate just peace. The government has not responded in kind.

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"There will be no ceasefire during the talks unless kung sasagutin ng maayos ng Pangulo ang offer ng NDFP sa kanya," Jalandoni said, adding that Aquino has already sent an emissary to Netherlands to talk with them on the matter.

The initial talks with the emissary and Communist Party of the Philippines chair Jose Maria Sison, however, indicate that government finds the NDFP proposal doable.

"So there were points and possibilities na ‘pag nagawa ng Pangulo ‘yung special track for peace negotiation, magkakaroon ng mahaba-habang ceasefire," Jalandoni said.

Obsatcle

Meanwhile, Jalandoni said that one of the obstacles of the ongoing peace negotiation this month is the GPH will not allow the release of the detained NDFP personnel.

Jalandoni said it was made cleared that the Joint Statements signed in January and February in Oslo, Norway, state that the GPH shall release most or all of the 17 NDFP personnel protected under the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig).

He added that before the second round of formal talks supposed to be on June did not resume because only four NDF personnel were released, while 13 others remain in prison.

"Iba naman ang case sa NDF, merong record of humane treatment ‘yung prisoners of war (Pow). The release of Pows ay sinasagawa in order para walang danger zone sa kanila, sa custodial unit, at mga government officials na nandodoon," Jalandoni said.

Not government’s fault

Meanwhile, Colonel Leopoldo Galon Jr., spokesperson of the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said it is their fault if the persons NDFP says are protected by Jasig remain in jail.

It is because the NDFP did not abide by the rules set to have a hard of Jasig-protected personalities, Galon said.

Galon said when the vault in Netherlands was opened, all it contained was a diskette that was encrypted and could not be opened.

The Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms will be the next agenda on the ongoing peace negotiation slated this September. This time Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte has been invited to join on the negotiation as their resource speaker. (Ivy C. Tejano)