By CPP Information Bureau
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today condemned the Aquino regime for its refusal to be bound by agreements that the Philippine government has entered into with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in peace negotiations. “The Philippine government’s (GPH) adamant refusal to comply with its obligations in agreements with the NDFP does not bode well for the scheduled resumption of talks in late October,” said the CPP.
The CPP issued this reaction to statements issued yesterday by a Malacañang spokesperson insisting that the GPH is not obligated to release any more consultants of the NDFP who are detained in GPH jails. “The CPP reiterates the position that peace negotiations can only move forward on the basis of compliance with all previous agreements, specifically, the release of NDFP consultants in line with the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) and the joint statements signed in January and February this year.”
“The GPH’s compliance with its commitment to release all or most of the JASIG-covered consultants of the NDFP has now become the crucial yardstick by which the seriousness of the GPH to push forward peace negotiations is being measured,” added the CPP. It pointed out that “the GPH has a few more weeks to comply with its obligations in order to pave the way for the resumption of talks by October.”
“The Aquino regime’s dogged refusal to be bound by previous agreements with the NDFP raises the question of whether the GPH is indeed capable of complying with agreements on more profound issues such as land redistribution and other fundamental economic reforms since it is unable to comply with a commmitment as simple as the release of all or most of the JASIG-covered NDFP consultants.
“It is becoming increasingly apparent that the Aquino regime is more interested in escalating its war of suppression rather than addressing the roots of the armed conflict through peace negotiations,” said the CPP. “Despite its endless human rights rhetoric, there has been no fundamental shift in policy under the Arroyo regime’s Oplan Bayanihan in terms of violating the JASIG and trampling on the people’s human rights.”
“The revolutionary forces will continue to vigorously push forward peace negotiations by untiringly persuading the GPH to comply with its obligations,” said the CPP. “At the same time, they will continue to resist the military campaigns by the fascist forces of the AFP and prepare for the escalation of the Aquino regime’s war of suppression through the intensification of mass struggles and heightening the people’s armed revolution.”