Topic: Philippines

Sison said the concurrence of Congress is needed for a presidential amnesty proclamation to release all political prisoners in compliance with the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) in exchange for a mutually effective ceasefire as the first step towards the end of hostilities.

“The cooperation of Congress is also needed to pass the laws for enabling the realization and implementation of the policy agreements to be embodied in the comprehensive agreements on social and economic reforms, political and constitutional reforms and the end of hostilities and disposition of forces,”

Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat, who was among 60 lawmakers who signed an “appeal” to Duterte to continue the peace talks, said he believes communication lines between government and the left “have not really been cut off.”

At least 22 party-list representatives and 40 district representatives signed House Resolution 1803 on March 22, urging President Rodrigo R. Duterte to return to the peace table with the communist group and continue discussions on Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER), dubbed as the “heart and soul” of the peace talks, and Comprehensive Agreement on Political Reforms (CAPCR)

“Sumusunod ako sa patakaran ng NDFP. Ang magkadigma ay pwedeng magpeace talks, hindi iyong magkaibigan at mapayapa na ang relasyon,”

NPA presence denotes the existence of the people´s militia and the self-defense units of the revolutionary mass organizations

“The concurrence of Congress is needed for a presidential amnesty proclamation to release all political prisoners in compliance with the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law in exchange for a mutually effective ceasefire as the first step towards the end of hostilities,” he added.

Sison said the CPP and the New People’s Army (NPA), under the National Democratic Front (NDF), will remain open to several possibilities of talking peace until Duterte and his subordinates change their minds and agree to negotiate or when a new administration is in place.

Imperialism is not just about war and invading and bombing countries, as the US military machine has done in Iraq, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Vietnam, Korea and so my other countries around the world. It is not just about the CIA overthrowing democratic governments, as it has done in so many countries, and is now trying to do in Venezuela.

The regime has made the tax burden heavier at the expense of the consumers to raise more funds for the military and police and for the counterpart to the high interest loans tied with the overpriced infrastructure projects arranged between China and the corrupt Duterte ruling clique