MANILA, Philippines - Communist rebels have been preoccupied with seeking the release of their “alleged consultants” and have been violating an agreement forged in Oslo, Norway with the Philippines, the government’s peace negotiating panel has observed.
In a statement, chief government negotiator Alex Padilla noted the “continued demands” of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) to release its so-called “consultants” even before talks could begin.
It has already taken five administrations or a span of 24 years – from the late President Corazon Aquino to her son, Benigno Jr., – but nothing substantial has been reached yet between the two parties, Padilla said.
“Our negotiations have already gone 24 years and only one of four substantive agreements has been signed,” he said, adding that proposals have always been “preconditioned on their demand for releases of their alleged consultants.”
“Unfortunately, it seems the NDF (National Democratic Front) is giving primacy to prisoner releases over and above the completion of substantive agreements that address the root causes of the armed conflicts,” he added.
Padilla said the CPP, NDF and their armed component, the New People’s Army (NPA), have “unilaterally postponed” the talks last June on the Reciprocal Working Committees on Social and Economic Reforms (RWCs-SER).
The CPP-NDF-NPA demanded that their detained colleagues be released prior to the resumption of talks, but the government panel insisted on holding the RWCs-SER first and complete the draft Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms.
“These are clear arrangements in the Oslo Joint Statement (dated Feb. 21, 2011) to which we had both given our imprimatur and which they now violate with impunity,” Padilla said.
“They (communist panel) have continued to demand releases as a precondition to any resumption of talks. The RWCs-SER have been unable to meet, their resumption held hostage to NDF demands,” he added.