THE National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Reciprocal Working Committee on Social and Economic Reforms (RWC-SER) blames President Rodrigo Duterte for obstructing the peace talks, saying it views with grave concern the President's sudden turn-about and unilateral cancellation anew of peace negotiations with the NDFP.
This is what was stated in a statement issued by Julieta de Lima, chairperson of the NDFP RWC-SER.
Having watched from the sidelines, we can only say, and why not?
Early into the renewed negotiations, the NDFP were demanding the release of all political detainees even when they have not conceded anything on their part yet. When government released a few key persons, they stalled on pushing with the negotiation firm in their demand to get all political detainees out of detention.
Now, if you are in a negotiation with a group that has an armed component, would you be giving to their full demands even when they have not even reciprocated? Not even if business deals or talks with the neighbor with pesky domestic animals would you do that. Negotiation is always give and take. But no. The NDFP demanded all, as if their returning to the peace negotiation was already God's gift to the Filipino people.
As major agreements were made, even the controversial Caser was already gaining grounds. The key here was that government was making concessions, as the Caser benefits the NDFP's agenda more than the government's, whose only stake in this is to bring peace especially in the countrysides where the New People's Army (NPA) has been discouraging economic developments by extorting from investors there.
As De Lima's statement further reads: "Just four days before President Duterte cancelled the talks anew, the bilateral teams of the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) RWCs-SER initialed draft documents, reflecting substantial agreements on agrarian reform and rural development, and on national industrialization and economic development. These were the result of a series of bilateral technical meetings by the NDFP and GRP RWCs-SER on October 26-27, November 9-11, and November 16-17. Further measures of even greater significance were set to be tackled. The GRP and NDFP RWCs-SER were optimistic that they would be able to complete the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER) for signing by their respective negotiating panels and approval by their principals by January 2018."
But even in the earlier parts when substantial developments were being made in the peace talks, the NPAs were abducting, assassinating, and engaging soldiers and policemen. They never stopped. The least that the NDFP peace panel could say was that they do not have any hold over their local commands. That's a very puny excuse for the bloodbaths their comrades are waging. For if they cannot control their armed forces on the ground, what peace are they talking about? The problem that is being resolved is the armed rebel group that continues to recruit young lumads and farm folks in the mountains. It was never about peace in The Netherlands or whatever European countries the rebel leaders have called their home.
The peace being sought is right here on the ground.
So, who has been obstructing the negotiations? The masses who are like us, just observing from the sidelines, will say, they are. And for as long as they just keep using the victim card without conceding much to anything, then the Filipino people cannot expect anything from them except un-peace.