By CPP Information Bureau
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today welcomed the statements of the Aquino government's peace adviser Teresita Deles reciprocating earlier declarations of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) that it remains open to the resumption of formal peace negotiations between the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP).
Deles yesterday said the Aquino government is committed to providing a "negotiated settlement" to the raging armed conflict in the Philippines. She said she has already sent messages to the NDFP seeking the resumption of peace negotiatations.
To resume and push forward the peace negotiations, the Aquino government needs to commit itself to all previous agreements, including The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992 which set the guiding principles, framework, agenda and procedures for the talks, the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).
The CPP also urged the Aquino government to resolve the outstanding cases of abduction and enforced disappearance of NDFP peace consultants including Leo Velasco, Prudencio Calubid and Rogelio Calubad and their staff members. It also called for the immediate release of Eduardo Sarmiento, Eduardo Serrano, Edgardo Sacamay, Glicerio Pernia, Angela Ipong, Jaime Soledad, Randy Malayao, Alfredo Mapano, Jovencio Balweg, and other NDFP consultants who were arrested during the previous Arroyo regime and continue to languish in the GRP's detention centers.
These cases of abduction, enforced disappearance and illegal detention were carried out by the Arroyo regime in gross violation of the JASIG and CARHRIHL.
In 2007, the Arroyo regime also plotted with the US intelligence and Dutch police in filing trumped-up murder charges in a Dutch court against NDFP chief political consultant Jose Ma. Sison and having him arrested in 2007. Sison was subsequently released after the Dutch court determined that Sison was not guilty of the charges.
The NDFP-GRP peace negotiatations have been practically stalled since 2004 when the Arroyo regime reneged on most of its commitments in the peace talks. Among these was the commitment to take steps to undo the Arroyo regime's collusion with the US to campaign for the inclusion of the CPP, NPA and NDFP chief consultant Jose Ma. Sison in the US and other imperialists' list of "foreign terrorists." The NDFP also asked for the release of 14 illegally detained and missing peace consultants, but the Arroyo government only conditionally released two of them.
Reference:
Marco Valbuena
Media Officer
Cellphone Numbers: 09156596802 :: 09282242061
E-mail:[email protected]
