Topic: Philippines

DAVAO CITY – Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison said the resumption of the peace talks between government (GRP) and National Democratic Front is necessary to thresh out substantive issues and deal with the complaints and expressed confidence they can achieve a “substantial success.”

NDFP chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison said they are likewise open and ready to resume the peace negotiations and expect the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and NDFP negotiating panels to meet as soon as possible.

Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison on Thursday said that there should be no preconditions for the resumption of peace talks, noting that the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to go back to the negotiating table is being welcomed as good development.

Sison, however, said the petition is “a problem” because it has banned NDFP communist consultants from participating in peace negotiations.
“That kind of obstacle or hindrance must be dealt with properly in a timely manner,” the Netherlands-based Sison said in an interview with ANC.

The petition is “a problem” because it has banned NDFP communist consultants from the 2 organizations from participating in peace negotiations, said Sison, founder of the CPP.

He also reminded that Duterte, whom he had a word war with in November after he tagged the CPP and the New People’s Army (NPA) as terrorists, still enjoys his support.

The GRP and NDFP as negotiating parties must comply with agreements already signed and approved by them, such as The Hague Joint Declaration, JASIG, Joint Agreement on the Reciprocal Working Committees, CARHRIHL and others. In resuming the peace negotiations, these agreements must be reaffirmed and followed. Obstacles and hindrances to the peace negotiations must be done way with

As a rabid reactionary, Lorenzana obscures and denies the fact that the cause of underdevelopment and mass poverty in the Philippines is US and other foreign monopoly powers which take out superprofits from the country and the conniving local reactionary classes of big compradors, landlords and corrupt high officials of the reactionary government

“The fact that there are documents painstakingly drafted, which served as the guidelines on the series of negotiations are proof that there are positive outcome from the talks,” he said, citing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reform and the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantee.

“This agreement on coordinated unilateral ceasefire is in the same package of draft agreements, including the draft amnesty to release all NDFP-listed political prisoners in compliance with CARHRIHL and the drafts of such major parts of CASER as Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ARRD) and National Industrialization and Economic Development (NIED),” Sison said.