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Friday, July 22, 2005
Government to void pact with communist group
MANILA -- Government is prepared to cancel the security and immunity guarantees issued to members of the communist group once it pulls out of the negotiations, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Thursday.
Ermita said they are now trying to confirm if the National Democratic Front (NDF), the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines, was indeed pulling out of talks with government.
Once they have determined this, Ermita said it would be easy to order the cancellation of the Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig) that covers several communist group members.
"They are trying to use the peace talks as a way of trying to move around. While the negotiations are going on, there are such things as Jasig, once we determine they are officially pulling out, then that has to be abrogated," he said.
The cancellation of the security guarantees agreement would enable the police and military to go after members of the communist group with existing warrants of arrest but who were given immunity for the duration of the talks. He said those under the Jasig are mostly ranking officials of the CPP-NDF.
"Kinakailangan iyan. Nakakapinsala sila sa atin e, especially ngayon (That is needed. It is damaging to us, especially now,) that they have made announcement that they are puling out," he said.
Ermita, who once headed the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, said they will make the announcement once the abolition of the agreement is approved.
He said they have to verify if the communist group is indeed pulling out before officially informing the Norwegian Government about the collapse of the talks.
Ermita added that if that's what the communist group wants, then they have nothing against ending the talks, which has been suspended since last year following the opposition of the NDF to the inclusion of the CPP's armed group, the New People's Army (NPA), in the US list of foreign terror groups.
"Sabi nila tigil, eh di itigil (They wanted it stopped, so we halted it)," Ermita said. He added the communist group would have to wait for 2010 if it intends to wait for a new administration before resuming any negotiations with the government.
Silvestre Bello III, former government chief negotiator with the NDF, was dismayed by the recent development in the negotiations. Bello said he is wiling to talk to his contacts and the members of the NDF panel to see if there is any way that a collapse of the talks could be prevented. The government panel is now headed by Ma. Nieves Confesor. (JMR/Sunnex)
(July 22, 2005 issue)
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