Government won’t remove CPP-NPA terror tag

MANILA, Philippines — The Duterte administration will withdraw the court petition seeking to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and New People’s Army (NPA) as terrorist groups only when a peace agreement is signed, Malacañang said yesterday.

But the government can ask the court to put on hold the petition once negotiations between the government and the communists start, according to presidential spokesman Harry Roque. 

“If the talks resume, the government can file a manifestation to hold in abeyance the petition filed before the court pending the outcome of the peace talks,” Roque said in a press briefing. 

“I think it will be withdrawn if there is a final peace agreement signed. But while the peace talks are ongoing, what we can do is to just let it remain there,” he added. 

The terrorist tag on communists caused the collapse of the peace talks during the time of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. 

Last November, Duterte scrapped the talks with the communists, accusing them of bad faith by attacking security forces and civilians while negotiations were ongoing. 

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked a Manila court to declare about 600 persons, including communist peace consultants, as terrorists, citing their violent acts.

DOJ Undersecretary Erickson Balmes said they will pursue the petition unless there is a desist order from the government.

“The peace talks have not actually resumed. We will comply with any new directive of our President on this matter. For the time being, there being no order to the contrary, we will pursue the petition as filed,” he said.

On Tuesday, Duterte expressed readiness to resume talks with the communists, saying he no longer wants to fight with fellow Filipinos.

He also offered to shoulder the expenses of the National Democratic Front (NDF), which negotiates on behalf of the communist movement.  

Duterte has also authorized the resumption of peace talks subject to certain conditions like the forging of a ceasefire agreement and stopping the collection of the so-called revolutionary tax.

“Number three is that the CPP-NPA would not insist on a coalition government because that is absolutely not part of the bargain,” Roque said. 

“So if the CPP-NPA would agree to these conditions, then peace talks could resume,” he added. 

CPP founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison, on the other hand, said they are willing to return to the negotiating table and “to meet as soon as possible.”

Sison wanted the terror tag on the communist rebels dropped so that they could participate in the peace talks with the government.

“Of course, proscription of the CPP-NPA as terrorist filed in Manila RTC, well that is a problem because it bars the NDF consultants from participating in the peace negotiations. So that kind of obstacle must be dealt with properly in a timely manner because most of the NDF panel has been incapacitated by this case,” Sison said.?“ If the (government) side is really serious in aiming for big results, which is the attainment of peace and even truce or ceasefire in the meantime... the obstacles and hindrance should be done away with,” he said.?Sison stressed the peace talks should resume without preconditions. He said the two sides could resolve any differences during negotiations.

In a radio interview, the exiled leftist leader said both sides should “bring different positions on issues to the table in order to thresh out the differences and arrive at agreements.”

“The (government) and NDF as negotiating parties must comply with agreements already signed and approved by them… In resuming the peace negotiations, these agreements must be reaffirmed and followed,” Sison said.

Roque said the President is also willing to grant Sison an assurance that he can come home without being arrested so he can join the negotiations. 

Roque said former Pangasinan representative Hernani Braganza has been instructed to meet with communist negotiators to relay the information to them. 

If the talks resume, communist peace consultants would again enjoy immunity from arrest, Roque added. 

Roque, however, clarified that security operations against the rebels would continue until a ceasefire deal is forged. 

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said there should be no attacks from either side before talks resume and the rebels have to stop their practice of extortion.

These were not conditions, he stressed, only moves to create an “enabling environment.”

Trust issues

The government peace panel is set to reconvene today to discuss preparations for the resumption of peace negotiations with the communist rebels.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, chairman of the government peace panel, will meet with Dureza to discuss the ceasefire agreement and other matters concerning the resumption of talks.

“The issue of ceasefire agreement will have to be discussed, whether it will be a bilateral ceasefire or a coordinated unilateral ceasefire,” Bello said.

Bello expressed hope that the negotiations for ceasefire agreement will be faster this time since the government panel and the NDF will just be revising an agreement signed last year.

The government and NDF panels had forged an agreement on an interim joint ceasefire. The guidelines and ground rules had yet to be drafted when the President ordered the suspension of talks.

The agreement provides for the formation of a Joint Ceasefire Committee and the prospective role of a third party in the ceasefire monitoring and other mechanisms.

“We just need to make minor revisions to address the concerns of both panels,” Bello said. 

The President on Wednesday directed officials to work on the resumption of peace talks and give importance on forging a ceasefire agreement to stop mutual attacks while talks are underway.

Bello earlier said the resumption of talks appeared dim due to recent attacks by the NPA.

“Honestly I don’t know what changed the decision of the President, probably he saw some indication or sign the other party is eager to discuss the talks on peace again,” Bello said.

Bello said the NDF has not made any precondition in the resumption of peace talks, thus the government does not need to stop efforts to put back in detention the communist negotiators who were allowed bail.

Bello noted Sison’s pronouncement that they are willing to resume talks without preconditions. –  Jose Rodel Clapano, Mayen Jaymalin, Edu Punay, Jess Diaz, Rhodina Villanueva, Reuters