Palace adopts guidelines on CPP issue

President Arroyo and her Cabinet adopted yesterday a nine-point guideline to govern her administration’s action on the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the government would keep open its line of communication with the communist rebels even after the US government tagged the CPP and its military arm, the New People’s Army (NPA), as a foreign terrorist organization.

"We have these policies now to guide us in these issues," he said.

Bunye said the US decision was a "unilateral action" which does not bind the government when it decides to talk peace with the communist rebels.

However, Bunye said US sanctions would cover leaders of groups identified with CPP-NPA-National Democratic Front (NDF).

"For example, (Bayan Muna sectoral) Rep. Satur Ocampo, if he applies for a visa, surely he would be denied if he wants to go to the US," he said.

Left-leaning groups like Bayan Muna are now legal if they don’t advocate the overthrow of the government because Republic Act 1700, the Anti-Subversion Law, has already been repealed, Bunye added.

On the other hand, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Lauro Baja Jr. said the government would "‘keep communication lines open" instead of holding formal peace talks with communist rebels.

"Negotiations are bound by certain perimeters," he said. "Why negotiate with terrorists? Now if they want to talk, we talk. If they want to fight, we fight."

However, Baja said the government will still talk with the communists because it wants them to stop the violence against civilians.

"We are left with our sovereign will to do what we want to do," he said.

Baja said the US has no right to come in and go after the NPA just because they have classified them as terrorists.

"The government will solely decide on what action is to be taken against the insurgents," he said.

Baja said the government has been denying the CPP-NPA the status of belligerency so they would not be recognized in the international community.

"When given the status of belligerency, the CPP-NPA will enjoy the rights based on international conventions, and states have the obligation toward belligerent organizations," he said.

The government wants to talk peace with the communists and decided "to go an extra mile for peace" by agreeing to hold negotiations in Norway, Baja added.

The nine-point guidelines on the CPP are:

• The government proscribes and abhors the use of violence and terrorism, whether to attain political or plain criminal ends, whether done by communists or other ideologically-oriented groups.

• The CPP-NPA has engaged in terrorist acts against civilian targets such as extortion and arson; the destruction of public utilities and infrastructures, communications and power lines and public transport facilities; and the assassination of political leaders and individuals as part of the overall aim to overthrow the duly constituted government and the democratic system;

• The violence and terrorism perpetrated by the CPP-NPA adversely affects the economy, prejudices employment, aggravates poverty and deepens the suffering of the people.

• The government welcomes the action of the US declaring the CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization; this is not interference in the internal affairs of the Philippines.

• The use of the term "communist" by the President or any official of the government is simply to identify, in clear and candid terms, the ideological orientation of a given person or group.

• The government will maintain open lines of communication with the CPP-NPA in the hope of ending the employment of violence and terrorism as a means to attain political ends, and to achieve national unity and reconciliation under the Constitution.

• There is no ceasefire between the government and the CPP-NPA; military and police operations will continue.

• The government calls on other communist organizations that are not engaged in unlawful acts to condemn the violence and terrorism being perpetrated by the CPP-NPA.

•The government calls upon the entire citizenry to get involved in the fight against the CPP-NPA, and in upholding all government programs of free enterprise, social equity, good governance and poverty alleviation that strike at the roots of armed conflict. – Marichu Villanueva, Aurea Calica, Christina Mendez, James Mananghaya, Romel Bagares