Palace OKs plan to raise NPA attack on Noy convoy in Oslo talks

Manila, Philippines -  Malacañang yesterday gave its imprimatur to the plan of government chief negotiator Alex Padilla to bring to the negotiating table a recent attack of the communist rebels on the convoy of President Aquino.

“The fact that it came from the CPP-NPA-NDF,(Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army- National Democratic Front,) it was prudent of Undersecretary Padilla to raise it,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

“That’s to show where we are now in the process. Do you want peace to be achieved? And that’s something I think that Undersecretary Padilla feels he has every right to bring up to the negotiating table,” he added.

Four suspected NPA members fired at the convoy of the President’s security escorts in Ligao City in Albay last week. The Army said the incident was meant by the NPA to embarrass the Presidential Security Group.

Lacierda also cited the “considerable difficulties” that government negotiators had with the CPP-NPA-NDF because of a number of preconditions that they have laid out, including the grant of safety passes even to non-members of the CPP-NPA-NDF.

“The latest statement of Undersecretary Alex Padilla is something that he feels strongly that he should raise before the negotiating panel,” the spokesman said.

 Lacierda maintained that a peace agreement would only be possible if a “ceasefire is in place.”

“Talking about ceasefire without even talking about the preconditions poses difficulty for us. It is really a difficult job for Padilla but I hope that he can achieve the main purpose for which he was asked to head the negotiating panel,” he said.

Padilla said he remained hopeful that the informal talks being scheduled by Norway in September will push through. He said the government will once again urge the CPP-NPA-NDF to consider signing a ceasefire agreement during the meeting.