CPP: The NDFP-GRP peace negotiations can resume if Duterte will drop his earlier precondition of a bilateral cease fire that became the single biggest factor in scuttling the talks.
The Communist Party of the Philippines on Tuesday said the position that it takes, as with that of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), is that the revolutionary forces always remain open to principled peace negotiations with any ruling regime.
This implies the rebels’ willingness “to seriously discuss the roots of the armed conflict in accordance with previously agreed principles and procedures as stipulated in The Hague Declaration.”
President Rodrigo Duterte has been quoted by recent news reports saying he was open or not averse to resuming peace talks with the NDFP.
The NDFP-GRP peace negotiations can resume if Duterte will drop his earlier precondition of a bilateral cease fire that became the single biggest factor in scuttling the talks.
“The ball,” CPP said, “is still in Duterte’s hands.”
“Clearly, Duterte is resurrecting talks of peace negotiations as part of his damage control measures in the face of the increasing isolation of his regime.
“He is widely blamed for terminating the NDFP-GRP negotiations because of his stubborn insistence to toe the US line of using peace talks as an instrument for the pacification and capitulation of the revolutionary forces.
“While open to resuming peace talks with the Duterte regime, revolutionary forces are no longer hopeful that anything substantive will come out of it in the face of Duterte’s subservience to the interests of US imperialism and other big foreign capitalist countries.
“How can negotiations on socioeconomic questions go anywhere when Duterte zealously implements neoliberal policies and pushes for such anti-people policies as the Compressed Work Week or 12-hour workday, removal of restriction on foreign ownership of public utilities, debt-driven infrastructure projects and others?
“What will come out of negotiations on political and constitutional reforms considering Duterte’s all-out subservience to the US military and its counter-insurgency doctrine and aerial bombardment campaign in Marawi and other parts of the country?
“Duterte’s triple war violates the human rights agreement with impunity. He could not even fulfill his vow to release political prisoners now numbering more than 400,” The Communist Party said.
