CPP agrees to resume peace talks

MANILA, Philippines — The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the government have agreed to the resumption of peace talks, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III reported yesterday.

Bello, who serves as government peace panel chief negotiator, said he could not divulge other details, except for the fact that CPP founder Jose Ma. Sison has agreed to resume peace talks with the Philippine government.

“I am not at liberty to tell what transpired because I have to meet the President (tonight). All I can tell you is we agreed for the resumption, I cannot say where,” Bello said.

Bello said the process or what will be the set up for the resumption of the talks depends on President Duterte.

Upon orders of the President, Bello said he flew to the Netherlands last Dec. 6 and met Sison the following day.

He said the fruitful meeting attended by Sison and National Democratic Front (NDF) senior adviser Luis Jalandoni, their respective wives as well as representatives of the Norwegian government, lasted for two days.

“I don’t want to give any details of the result of our talks. But what is important is that they are willing to resume the talks and they agreed to 90 percent of what the President said,” Bello added.

Bello expressed optimism that the President will be happy with the results of his meeting in the Netherlands.

Although the peace talks with the CPP was suspended, Bello said the President did not really abandon his dream for lasting peace.

“There were different approaches, but he never abandoned it. Peace is his lasting legacy to our country,” Bello said.

Members of the CPP, Bello said, will not be arrested if ever they agree to come to the Philippines for the talks. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that Sison is in no position to demand that resumption of the peace talks should be held in a neutral foreign country.

Lorenzana said the initiative for the possible revival of the already terminated peace talks was not from the government but from the group of Sison.

President Duterte had ordered the termination of the off-and-on peace talks last March due to continued rebel atrocities against civil and military targets.

Sison earlier said that the NDF cannot trust any “no arrest” declaration from the government if the peace talks will be held in the country.

He stressed that under the standing agreement between the Philippines and the NDF on the Joint Safety Immunity Guarantees, it is stated that the peace negotiations should be held in a neutral foreign venue.

He added the Duterte regime has to prove that it is not merely trying to put the NDF in a trap wherein government security forces can murder or arrest them on trumped-up charges. - Jaime Laude