NDF tells Aquino: Give peace talks a “hands on”

Friday, September 2, 2011

SAYING there are some forces countermanding government chief peace negotiator Alexander Padilla, the communist-led National Democratic Front (NDF) wants President Benigno Aquino III to take a hands-on approach to the peace process.

NDF chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni said they want Aquino to show the same direct approach adopted by the government with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) when the President met with MILF chair Murad Ibrahim in Narita, Japan early August.

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The NDF and the Philippine government have resumed peace negotiations in August last year but the rebel group recommended its suspension in June this year after the government reportedly failed to release 17 rebel consultants that are now in government custody.

The NDF insisted that their detained comrades are covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantee (Jasig), which the NDF and the Ramos administration signed in 1995.

The Philippine government earlier rejected overtures from the NDF for a face-to-face meeting between Jalandoni and Aquino last year.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said there will be no meeting between Aquino and the communist rebels unless a peace agreement is reached.

But Aquino broke protocol when he requested for a meeting with Murad last month.

Former NDF chief negotiator Satur Ocampo claimed Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Ging Deles is exercising veto powers in some verbal agreements Padilla has struck with the NDF.

Jalandoni also revealed that a representative of the Norwegian government is arriving in Manila to try to break the impasse in the negotiations.

Both peace panels are supposed to meet on September 12 to 18 but the scheduled meeting has been scrapped because of the Jasig issue.

The rebel negotiator said the peace talks will have to be held the week after otherwise the cold winter in the Scandinavian region could scuttle possibilities of a meeting between the two peace panels this year.

In a related issue, Jalandoni also scored the government chief negotiator for reneging on its commitment to release their consultants and for reportedly telling the NDF that it is at the discretion of the current administration whether or not it will apply the Jasig to the detained NDF consultants.

"He cannot do that without the consent of his principals," Jalandoni said, referring to the Jasig document.

He said until the Jasig document is repealed, NDF consultants are immune from government arrest.

Jalandoni said Aquino sent an emissary to the Netherlands more than a month ago to break the impasse in the peace negotiations.

He did not provide details nor did he identify the said government emissary. But Representative Lorenzo Tañada was reportedly to have gone to Netherlands in July to meet with the NDF.

Tañada is an old family friend of the president and a stalwart of the Liberal Party of which the president is the titular head.