Palace: We’re Filipinos, let’s talk peace in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — There is no need for a third party facilitator for the peace talks between the government and the communists because the matter can be addressed by Filipinos, Malacañang said yesterday.

“Let’s just say that as far as the President is concerned, venue matters. He does not understand why we should continue talking in Norway. We are all Filipinos. We can talk about it here in the Philippines. Why do we need to go far? It will just entail costs,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said at a press briefing.

Asked if there is a need for a third party facilitator for the talks, Roque replied: “Wala na po siguro, nandito na naman tayo sa Pilipinas. (Perhaps no more. We are here in the Philippines).”

“But you know, any party who wants to help and who’s been involved in the process can help. But the point of the President is he does not understand why we have to talk in another country,” Roque added.

Roque said the government peace panel has the authority to fix the logistics and other requirements for the resumption of talks. He noted that President Duterte has also offered to shoulder the costs of travel of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria Sison and other communist negotiators who will join the talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF).

“The President is dead serious about (the talks). He has already asked the Department of Justice to file the necessary motions in court to set free individuals who will be participating in the talks and I think that is the best evidence of good faith on the part of the government,” he added.

Palace justifies delay

Duterte has moved the talks scheduled for this month to July, a move that communists said would enable the military to launch offensives against the New People’s Army (NPA).

Roque said the delay in the talks with the communists was meant to ensure that any agreement would pass legal scrutiny.

He said the communists should go slow in releasing documents and statements about topics that should be settled during negotiations.

“(Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process) Secretary (Jesus) Dureza told me there are matters that should be discussed among negotiators and should not be released to the public,” he said.

“They can address their troops but let’s keep matters being discussed in the peace talks for the ears of the negotiators for the time being,” said Roque.

One of the documents released by the NDF is the supposed stand-down agreement that was said to have been signed by government and communist negotiators in Utrecht, the Netherlands last June 8.

The stand-down agreement supposedly required the two parties to cease hostilities to create an atmosphere conducive for the resumption of formal peace talks. The agreement also prohibits the conduct of offensives against combatants and civilians.

Roque said he could not comment on a document that was not released by the government.

“I have not seen the document and as far as I am concerned, we still have to subject it to authentication and vetting, which is our practice in the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson,” he added.

Communist guerrillas believe the government cancelled the resumption of peace negotiations because of a plan for an all-out military offensive across the country until the end of the year.

“By calling off the scheduled peace negotiations with the NDF, Duterte aims to give the Armed Forces of the Philippines more time to complete its military campaign plan for (the year) of mounting bigger offensives under Oplan Kapayapaan in the hope of crippling the NPA and inducing the NDF to negotiate a surrender,” the CPP yesterday said.

But Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has belied these claims. – With Artemio Dumlao, Michael Punongbayan, Jose Rodel Clapano