MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang is amenable to a truce with communist insurgents offered by National Democratic Front spokesman Fidel Agcaoili, in light of continued offensives by government forces against the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the countryside.
“We welcome the call of Mr. Agcaoili for a truce. We have always asked the NDF for a ceasefire,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said yesterday.
Lacierda made the text message to reporters in response to the NDF’s proposal for a meeting in Oslo in September.
Lacierda said government chief negotiator Alex Padilla would be raising the NPA offensives against government troops despite the ongoing peace talks.
“With respect to the violations committed, the attacks made by the NPA, Mr. Padilla has mentioned to us that they will raise it with the peace panel, with the CPP/NPA panel,” he said.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines are also “going to go after those who have committed the crimes, against those NPA forces that have committed those crimes.”
Agcaoili said the government peace negotiating panel, or the entire Aquino administration, “must exercise strong political will in addressing the roots of the armed conflict.”
“It must agree to carry out basic social, economic and political reforms in the country. The GPH must exhibit patriotism, if it has any, and must respect the national and democratic rights and interests of the Filipino people, especially in these times of grave crisis which goads the people to resist,” he added.
Agcaoili said the GPH should make a formal reply to the proposal of the NDF for a round of formal talks in Oslo next month as well as to the offer of truce under the 10-point Concise Agreement for an Immediate Just Peace.
Continued clashes notwithstanding, Malacañang said the government would push through with the peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) even if the NPA offensives go unabated.
“We are pushing toward the peace negotiation. We would rather look at the prospects of peace. We are still hopeful that the peace talks would push (through),” Lacierda said.
Lacierda issued the statement in response to a question if the Aquino administration does not intend to issue an “ultimatum” against the communist insurgents, who have been attacking government forces despite ongoing peace talks.
“What you can be assured of is that every time there are violations or hostilities that occur, the peace panel with (chief government negotiator) Alex Padilla always raise it up with the (CPP-NPA-NDF) panel,” Lacierda said.
“They raise it up with the NDF that violations and they expect some appropriate action towards that. It’s a long process. On one hand, they have to verify the reasons for doing that. It always reaches the panel,” he related.
Lacierda gave assurance that hostilities committed by communist insurgents would not go unpunished.
“Those who have committed those atrocities —while we both raised it with the peace panel —we are also going after them. This is a commission of a common crime. It does not exempt the Army or police to go after those who committed those crimes,” he said.