Kodao Productions
November 28, 2017

An alliance of peace advocates urged President Rodrigo Duterte to return to the negotiating table with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), calling the Government of the Republic of the Philippines’s (GRP) termination of the peace talks “sudden and unjustified.”

Kapayapaan Campaign for a Just and Lasting Peace in a statement also deplored Duterte’s order to re-arrest NDFP peace consultants, threat to tag the NDFP, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) as “terrorists” and to arrest legal activists he accused of fronting for the communists.

“These constitute a complete turnaround from his avowed policy of talking peace with the CPP-NPA-NDFP to end close to five decades of armed conflict in the country by negotiating much-needed socio-economic and political reforms,” Kapayapaan said.

Duterte issued Proclamation No. 360 last week terminating his government’s peace negotiations with the NDFP in the middle of “discreet” preparations for the fifth round of formal negotiations in Oslo where agrarian reform, ceasefire and release of political prisoners agreements were expected to be signed.

“Just peace is an overarching concern for millions of Filipinos. This was the basis for the popular support the peace negotiations enjoyed during the initial months of the Duterte administration, when hopes for significant changes became possible with both sides exhibiting openness to resolve the roots of the armed conflict,” Kapayapaan spokespersons Fr. Benjamin Alforque, MSC and Sharon Cabusao said.

The group also decried “grave obstacles” to the peace negotiations, saying military operations in the countryside continue without let up under Duterte’s counter-insurgency and anti-drug campaigns that have reportedly killed thousands.

“The bombing and destruction of Marawi City is also an additional thorn to the peace process, with calls for justice by the affected victims remaining unheeded by the Duterte administration,” the group added.

Meanwhile, amid Duterte’s tirades against the communists, nine communities in Surigao del Sur have again evacuated due to fears brought about by the presence of Philippine Army soldiers in the area.

Start of crackdown against Lumad communities and schools?

Lumad education group Tribal Filipino Program of Surigao del Sur (TRIFPSS) reported Monday at least 244 families, 1,102 individuals from nine (9) Lumad communities in Lianga and San Agustin, Surigao del Sur were forced to evacuate to safety when more than 80 military men were spotted near the communities.

The evacuation affected 406 students and 59 teachers of nine Lumad schools who are now staying in another community, TRIFFPS reported.

“Under Duterte’s Martial Law, the situation worsened. Duterte threatened to bomb Lumad schools and communities. This is no different from Aquino’s term where the massacre happened back in September 1, 2015. The Lumad evacuated for a year in Tandag City after the killing of their teacher and leaders by paramilitary forces who accompanied the 75th IBPA in their military operations,” the group said.

The affected communities are located within the Andap Valley Complex targeted for coal mining and are refusing to allow these companies to operate in their ancestral lands, TRIFFPS said.

Coal mining contracts in Andap Valley Comlex have been awarded by the Department of Energy to Benguet Mining Corp., Great Wall Mining and Power Corp., Consolidated Ores Phils. Inc., Abacus Coal Explorations and Development Corp., PNOC, and ASK Mining and Exploration Corp, the group added.

In a related development, Lumad schoolchildren camped out at the Department of Education (DepEd) main office in Pasig City expressed alarmed at the presence of motorcycle-riding men they suspect of conducting surveillance operations against them over the weekend.

Rius Valle, SOS Mindanao Spokesperson, said the harassment is part of harass Duterte’s threats of crackdown against suspected CPP sympathizers.

“If they just want to know what the Lumad students and teachers are fighting for, they only need to talk to us. But what is alarming is they take pictures without our permission while riding in motorcycles without plate numbers and usually with face mask. They wouldn’t do that if they don’t have malicious intentions” Valle said.

“Before, only DepEd security personnel are taking pictures without our permission. Shortly after Duterte’s crackdown threat against suspected CPP allies, men riding in motorcycles without plate numbers are also harassing us,” Valle added.

Sabotaged peace process

Kapayapaan said such actions only sabotage the peace process and hamper confidence and goodwill measures carried out by the GRP and NDFP negotiating panels during the initial months of the Duterte Presidency.

“Such actions are harmful to the people do not and never will constitute a favorable environment for the peace negotiations which the government panel itself has repeatedly tried to set as a precondition for resuming the peace process,” Kapayapaan said.

Kapayapaan added that the reported escalation of armed clashes between government troops and the NPA throughout the country following Duterte’s termination of the peace talks is all the more reason to return to the negotiating table.

“Kapayapaan urges the Duterte administration to return to the peace table and do the hard work of hammering a peace agreement acceptable to both sides and to the Filipino people and avert the prolongation of a civil war fuelled by long-standing social injustice and violations of the people’s democratic rights,” the group said.

Kapayapaan likewise urged the Filipino people “to continue to champion the cause of just and lasting peace, and resist efforts to foster the peace of the graveyard that result from warmongering, saber-rattling and authoritarian rule.” # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

File photo: NDFP Negotiating Panel / JBustamante

Negotiating Panel – National Democratic Front of the Philippines
24 November 2017

We, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), hereby declare that we await receipt of the written notice of termination of the peace negotiations by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) as a consequence of the reported signing of Proclamation No. 360 by GRP President Duterte declaring such termination.

As stipulated in the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations shall be deemed terminated 30 days after receipt of the written notice of termination to be given by one party to the other. We expect the GRP to comply with this provision.

In the past year, the GRP President has suspended or terminated the talks three times while these were ongoing or had just concluded. It has been the sad experience of the NDFP and the Third Party Facilitator, the Royal Norwegian Government (RNG), as well as the GRP’s own personnel, to be subjected to the whimsical and arbitrary outbursts of GRP President Duterte. No one can rule a country in Mafia-style fashion where it becomes a personal turf and all forms of opposition are wiped out while the army and police are transformed into enforcers and hit-men.

The GRP-NDFP peace negotiations are governed by agreements. We expect the written notice to be sent to us immediately now that Proclamation No. 360 has been published.

In any event, in accordance with the JASIG, all immunities shall remain in full force and effect even after the termination of the peace negotiations.

If President Duterte is determined to turn the entire country into a wasteland similar to Marawi, that is his own lookout. He will meet the fierce resistance of the people to his fascist rule and go down in history as a worse dictator than Marcos.##

Reference:
Fidel V. Agcaoili
NDFP Panel Chairperson
November 24, 2017

Contact No. 0031 64 1324348
fidelagcaoili@ndfp.org

Duterte’s decision to declare communist rebels terrorists risks destroying years of progress to end insurgency, they say

A child gets her face painted during a demonstration in Manila to call for the continuation of peace
negotiations between the government and communist rebels. (Photo by Angie de Silva)

Joe Torres – UCA News
November 24, 2017

Manila, Philippines – Church leaders in the Philippines warned of an upsurge in violence around the country after the government formally declared the termination of peace negotiations with communist rebels this week.

Catholic and Protestant bishops said the government’s decision will only “incite more violence and virtually close the door to the peace talks.”

The Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform, an alliance of five Catholic and Protestant churches supporting the peace process, described the cancellation of the talks as “tragic.”

“We find nothing more tragic than the refusal of warring parties to continue to open the doors for dialogue that can result in a further escalation of violence,” the group said in a statement.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte formally terminated negotiations with the communists on Nov. 23, accusing the rebels of engaging in “acts of violence and hostilities” during the talks.

Duterte issued a proclamation declaring “the termination of peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front-Communist Party of the Philippines-The New People’s Army.”

The NDF is the umbrella organization of the communist-led underground movement that has been waging war against the government for almost five decades.

The NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, earned the ire of the president for staging attacks that killed civilians.

Last week, Duterte announced that he would issue a proclamation that will classify the communist rebels as terrorists and criminals.

“I will remove them from the category of a legal entity or at least a semi-movement, which would merit our attention, placing them as terrorists,” he said.

On Nov. 22, Duterte said he would also order the arrest for terrorism, members of the communist movement’s “legal fronts.”

The church leaders warned that “the war is intensifying, and it can only get worse.” The group said “positive results from the talks” should be pursued and not abandoned.

“The roots of the armed conflict should be addressed and this could be achieved through the negotiations,” it added.

Government and rebel peace negotiators earlier signed agreements that were supposed to address incidents of violence during past talks.

The Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and a supplementary agreement to revive and strengthen a joint monitoring body were supposed to address violations by both parties.

There was also progress in recent months in the negotiations for the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms and a possible bilateral ceasefire agreement.

“It is in this spirit that we appeal to the government to reconsider its plan to categorize the NPA as a terrorist organization,” said the church leaders.

For its part, the NDF said it “views with grave concern” Duterte’s sudden unilateral cancellation of negotiations “at a time when unprecedented advances have already been achieved.”

Only last week, government and rebel peace negotiators drafted documents reflecting substantial agreements on agrarian reform and rural development, and on national industrialization and economic development.

The drafts include significant reforms pursued by Duterte’s administration, including the free distribution of land to tillers.

Formal negotiations between the government and the communist-led NDF opened in Norway in August 2016 after years of suspension.

The country’s communist insurgency started in the 1960s and is considered to be one of the longest in the world and is estimated to have already claimed as many as 40,000 lives.

By RONALYN V. OLEA – Bulatlat
November 23, 2017

MANILA – An alliance of peace advocates deplored President Duterte’s unilateral and sudden cancellation of peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

On Wednesday, Nov. 22, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza announced the cancellation of all planned meetings with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)/ New People’s Army (NPA)/National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), which he said is “in line with President Duterte’s directive that there will be no more peace talks with them.”

Three days before, in his speech in Davao City, Duterte threatened to label the New People’s Army (NPA) as a “terrorist group composed of bunch of criminals.” Duterte further warned he would launch a crackdown on the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and other legal organizations for “conspiracy” with the communists.

Kapayapaan, an alliance of advocates for a just peace, said “these constitute a complete turnaround from his avowed policy of talking peace with the CPP-NPA-NDFP to end the close to five decades of armed conflict in the country by negotiating much-needed socio-economic and political reforms.”

In justifying the termination of talks, Dureza said, “Recent tragic and violent incidents all over the country committed by the communist rebels left the President with no other choice but to arrive at this decision.”

Kapayapaan said the continuing armed clashes between government forces and the CPP-NPA-NDF is all the more reason for both parties to return to the negotiating table.

“The quest for just peace is a complicated process that requires perseverance amidst difficulties, wisdom in handling disagreements and a sincerity to bring about significant reforms as the people demand. It cannot be solved with armed might and threats and actual harming of defenseless civilians, particularly activists and community leaders,” the group said.

In a separate statement, the NDFP committee tasked to propose socio-economic reforms expressed regret over the cancellation of meetings, which were supposed to start this week.

The NDFP Committee on Social and Economic Reforms (RWC-SER) said Duterte’s latest scuttling of the talks “comes at a time when unprecedented advances have already been achieved in forging agreements on urgently needed socio-economic reforms to alleviate mass poverty and resolve the roots of the armed conflict. “

Just four days before 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.

“The drafts include potentially significant reforms to benefit millions of Filipinos,” the NDFP RWC-SER said. “President Duterte bears full responsibility for the failure of the talks on social and economic reforms because of his sudden turn-around and heightened hostility to the revolutionary forces and the people.”

NDFP RWC-SER Chairperson Julieta de Lima in a discussion during the 3rd round of peace talks
held in Rome, Italy in January 2017 / Photo: JBustamante

NDFP Media Release
23 November 2017

By Julieta de Lima
Chairperson
NDFP Reciprocal Working Committee on Social and Economic Reforms

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Reciprocal Working Committee on Social and Economic Reforms (RWC-SER) views with grave concern Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s sudden turn-about and unilateral cancellation anew of peace negotiations with the NDFP. It is the third time in six months that Pres. Duterte has obstructed the progress of the talks.

His latest scuttling of the talks comes at a time when unprecedented advances have already been achieved in forging agreements on urgently needed socio-economic reforms to alleviate mass poverty and resolve the roots of the armed conflict.

Just four days before Pres. 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.

The drafts include potentially significant reforms to benefit millions of Filipinos. These include the free distribution of land to tillers, farmers, farmworkers, agricultural workers and fisherfolks. Agrarian reform beneficiaries who have not yet been able to occupy the land awarded to them will be installed immediately, including those in contested lands and agricultural estates. The scope and coverage of agrarian reform will be expanded to include plantations and large-scale commercial farms covered by leasehold, joint venture, non-land transfer schemes like stock distribution option, and other such arrangements. There are also measures to prohibit and eliminate exploitative lending and trading practices.

The NDFP and GRP also agreed on the need for national industrialization and for planning to develop Filipino industrial capacity. Measures will be taken to ensure that foreign investments cease being one-sided and contribute to developing the national economy. Domestic industrialists and smaller enterprises will be protected and supported. The importance of nationalizing public utilities was affirmed. Both sides also agreed to identify key industries and priority industrial projects to jump-start industrialization. The importance of unions and workers’ councils was also acknowledged.

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.

The NDFP RWC-SER regrets the unilateral cancellation of talks on such vital social and economic reforms which, if implemented, would have immediately benefited tens of millions of oppressed and exploited Filipinos. The NDFP at the same time recognizes that the people’s continued daily struggles on these issues are unabated and, if anything, are made more urgent and will gain greater momentum. Pres. Duterte bears full responsibility for the failure of the talks on social and economic reforms because of his sudden turn-around and heightened hostility to the revolutionary forces and the people.###

Kodao Productions
November 22, 2017

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Negotiating Panel said President Rodrigo Duterte has chosen to go against the people’s clamor for just peace in cancelling “planned meetings” between the Left and the Manila-based government.

Reacting to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) announcement of the cancellation earlier today, NDFP chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili told Kodao what was apparently cancelled are further meetings between the parties and not the peace negotiations itself.

“At any rate, the people are clamoring for a just peace and not the peace of the grave in the struggle for national and social liberation against foreign domination, landlordism and corruption,” Agcaoli said.

“The Duterte regime has chosen to go against such clamor. This is its own lookout,” he added.

In his announcement, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said there will be no peace negotiations until an “enabling environment conducive to a change in the government’s position becomes evident.”

“We will closely watch the developments,” Dureza said.

The GRP and the NDFP recently held bilateral technical meetings in the Philippines on social and economic reforms in their bid to finalize agrarian reform and rural development agreements.

The parties agreed to free land distribution to landless and poor farmers in Rome, Italy last January as part of their agrarian reform agreement package.

The formal peace negotiations between the NDFP and the Duterte government that started in August 2016 however failed to sustain its fast pace after their six-month long reciprocal unilateral ceasefire declarations were cancelled following complaints of violations by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The scheduled fifth round of formal talks in The Netherlands last May also failed to start after the GRP failed to secure a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the NDFP. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

In this July 29, 2017 photo, President Duterte meets with Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr.at the Malacañan Palace. (Presidential Photo)

MART D. SAMBALUD – Davao Today
Nov. 19, 2017

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – If President Rodrigo Duterte has a problem with the New People’s Army (NPA), this could be addressed through peace talks, a spokesperson of a progressive group said on Sunday, November 19.

Renato Reyes Jr., secretary general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), said that the resumption of the stalled peace talks between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the government is the “best” solution to all the issues that Duterte have with the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

“All the issues Duterte against the NPA are best addressed through the peace talks. He knows who he needs to talk to,” Reyes said.

Reyes’ issued a statement following Duterte’s pronouncement that he is no longer inclined to resume the peace talks with the communists while branding the NPA as “terrorists.”

On November 18, the President took a swipe against the NPA, hinting a possibility that peace talks may still be in limbo.

“I am tired of seeing properties destructed, equipment burned, and the killing of innocent people, and there’s even a four-month old (baby) involved,” Duterte said in Filipino, referring to the armed group’s atrocities.

When asked by a reporter about the slated resumption peace talks, he said: “No, I am not anymore inclined to.”

The President is also planning to issue a proclamation that would declare the NPA as criminals and not a legitimate rebels.

But Reyes said that Duterte’s orthodox style of tagging NPA as terrorists “would not accomplish anything, only intensified attacks on the people.”

He also responded to the President’s threats against Bayan and political dissenters.

“It is such a Marcosian mindset. Duterte’s threat of a crackdown is intended to eliminate the most effective resistance to fascist dictatorship, human rights abuses, anti-people economic impositions and increased US intervention,” he pointed out. (davaotoday.com)

JIGGER J. JERUSALEM – Davao Today
Nov. 06, 2017

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – A Catholic leader advised the government to push through with the peace negotiations with Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) instead of pursuing local peace talks undertaken by some local government units.

Aglipayan Bishop Felixberto Calang, co-convener of the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP), said “localized peace talks do not resolve the bigger picture.”

Calang said the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) should go back to the negotiating table and address the roots of the armed conflict.

“We understand that Davao City is home to the President, but in the peace talks the NDFP is into negotiation with the national government which represents a policy of inequality and oppression that bred armed revolutionary response from the people,” said Calang.

Calang’s statement came four days after the CPP rejected the idea of conducting localized peace talks between its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), and members of the newly-established Davao City Localized Peace Committee.

Apart from Davao City, Northern Samar also expressed its intent to mount a dialogue between the NPA, the Philippine Army, and the local government.

No substance

The CPP call these initiatives as a “divisive” measure by the government to push for the surrender of the NPA fighters without substantial reforms in place.

Calang, who was among the independent observers of the peace negotiations between the government and the NDFP said peace talks are supposed to be aimed at reforming, if not transforming “oppressive and exploitative systems.”

It can be recalled that President Duterte has ordered the government’s peace panelists to discontinue negotiating with their counterparts in the NDFP stalling the talks just as it reached the fifth round when the Parties are about to discuss on the table the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER).

Resumption of the peace negotiations with the Communists was one of the President’s agenda but was put on hold following the series of attacks carried out by the NPAs against government forces in the past few months following the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao.

Last week, Duterte said he is supporting the localized peace talks created by his daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio as he urged the NPA to return to the fold of the law with promise of jobs and housing should the NPA fighters lay down their arms and surrender.

Calang said he is still optimistic that the peace negotiations between the government and the NDF will continue through political will.

“We hope the President combines this political will with the national government’s commitment to forge social and economic reforms which the people have long been struggling for,” Calang said. (with reports from Zea Io Ming C. Capistrano/davaotoday.com)

Zea Io Ming C. Capistrano – Davao Today
Nov. 04, 2017

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) said efforts to conduct localized peace talks are bound to fail.

In a statement on Thursday, November 2, the CPP said the entire New People’s Army is united under its central leadership and all units of the NPAs “support the Negotiating Panel of the NDFP in its representation of all revolutionary forces” in negotiations with the government to forge agreements that seek to address the roots of the armed conflict.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte created the localized peace committee called Davao City Peace Committee or DC Peace to talk with local leaders of the NPA operating in Davao City.

In a press conference here on Tuesday night, October 31, President Rodrigo Duterte said he supports the localized peace talks initiated by his daughter. He also called on the NPAs to surrender to the government and promised them housing and livelihood.

“Mag-surrender na lang kayo ngayon at ibaba ninyo ang inyong baril o i-surrender ninyo (Just surrender now and lay down your firearms),” he said.

The CPP said they received reports that the military in the Eastern Visayas are also pushing for localized peace talks.

According to the CPP they are rejecting the idea of the localized peace talks and described the President as having “a very shallow appreciation” of the social problems in the country that causes the people to take up arms.

“The Duterte regime is wasting time and the people’s money in setting-up these useless local peace committees which will go nowhere and achieve nothing,” it said.

The CPP added localized peace talks are “mere rehashes of worn-out psywar surrender programs such as the ‘balik-baril program’ and the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) riding on the popular clamor for peace talks.”

Instead of pushing for localized talks, the CPP said the government should agree to resume the fifth round of the peace negotiations with the communists that was stalled since May this year. The fifth round of talks is set to discuss the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms which are described by Parties as the “heart and soul” of the negotiations.

The government refused to participate in the peace talks citing the continued offensives by the NPAs. (davaotoday.com)

Inday Espina Varona, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Oct 25 2017 08:59 AM

The senior peace adviser to the National Democratic Front peace panel urged President Rodrigo Duterte Tuesday night to drop “untenable” conditions for the resumption of peace talks.

“The NDF is willing to resume peace talks with any regime that seriously wants to resolve the roots of armed conflict,” Luis Jalandoni told ABS-CBN News.

“We have been informed of the possibilities, but have been told that it’s better to be quiet (on the details) for now,” the retired rebel peace panel chair said on the sidelines of a solidarity night for farmers at the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Last October 20, President Duterte hinted he is exploring the possible resumption of talks after months of threatening rebels and their supporters and accusing the militant Left of joining a conspiracy to unseat him from power.

But the President insists on a ceasefire between the Armed Forces and the New People’s Army (NPA) as negotiators hammer out an agreement on social and economic reforms.

“It’s not tenable,” Jalandoni warned.

“It’s clear to Duterte and to his advisers, and to (Labor Secretary and peace panel member Silvestre) Bello and the others. There cannot be such a thing as surrender, or a prolonged ceasefire without substantial inroads on basic social and economic issues. The NDF will never agree.”

Jalandoni stressed the NPA will not give up its arms.

The armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), he added, will assert the right to protect its territories and surrounding communities from attacks by state forces.

CLASHES AFTER MARTIAL LAW

The government cancelled the fifth round of talks in May as rebels stepped up offensives with the declaration of Mindanao-wide martial law.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) issued the order after Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana included Asia’s oldest leftist insurgency as a target of martial law.

In July, Duterte warned he would abandon peace talks after a new spate of NPA actions and an exchange of rants with CPP founder Jose Ma. Sison. The President ordered around 20 NDF consultants released from detention for the talks to surrender or face arrest.

Since then clashes have erupted around the country, killing fighters from both sides, as well as civilians.
Thousands have also evacuated their homes due to military aerial bombardment.

In August, Duterte said any resumption of talks as a “waste of money.”

The President later warned that he was near to signing a formal termination notice, a required step in the conduct of negotiations.

Last week, however, Duterte acknowledged that talking to the New People’s Army (NPA) could help ease the country’s problems.
The President’s statement came a day after he met Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza and GRP chief negotiator the NDF Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III. Both have refused to elaborate on Duterte’s remarks.

Jalandoni said the President’s change of heart could be linked to a series of national surveys showing grave concern over the killings in the drug war, a decline in the economy and discontent among the country’s poorest sectors.

IMPASSE

Despite the breakdown of talks, rebel and government negotiators have continued talking with the Norwegian government, the third-party mediator.

Norway announced Tuesday that it has appointed a new special envoy to the Philippine peace process.
Idun Tvedt, who replaces Elisabeth Slåttum, was a member of the facilitation team for peace process between the Colombian government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia or FARC.

Jalandoni told ABS-CBN News that finalizing the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER) could build confidence and encourage the rebels’ mass base to consider a new ceasefire with clear safeguards for non-combatants.

Jalandoni also told farmers the best way to push peace talks is by strengthening campaigns that focus attention on grave issues.
“The fight at the grassroots [is] essential in pushing for meaningful peace talks,” he said in a short speech. “Your perseverance and courage give us inspiration. All of us take strength from you.”

Connie Ledesma, a member of the NDFP peace panel, pointed out that acceding to Duterte’s demands without substantial gains would mean “capitulation.”

The NPA and the Armed Forces have accused each other of breaking unilateral ceasefires.

Duterte rejects any rebel territorial claim and insists the AFP and the PNP have authority to maintain law and order anywhere in the country.

Jalandoni, however, said it would be unreasonable to expect the NPA to meekly accept AFP sweeps into guerrilla bases found in 71 provinces.

AFP Chief Eduardo Año, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and other military officers have been very vocal about plans to destroy the revolutionary movement, Jalandoni pointed out.

A few days before Duterte raised the possible resumption of peace talks, Año said the end of the four-month war in Marawi would allow the military to train its fire on the CPP-NPA.

In a speech before the Eastern Mindanao Command, Año said the AFP has recruited 300 indigenous fighters to fight against fellow Lumad believed to make up the bulk of the NPA in southern Philippines.

Año said the AFP also has 13,000 new members to meet the 2018 deadline to wipe out the rebellion that turns 50 next year.