NDFP International Information Office
[Utrecht – 15 January] Ruth de Leon, head of the Secretariat of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines Negotiating Panel, yesterday twitted the Manila government’s Army chief for “his bellicose words” and rejected as “out of order” his prattle about ending peace negotiations with the NDFP.
NDFP International Information Office
[Utrecht – 15 January] Ruth de Leon, head of the Secretariat of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines Negotiating Panel, yesterday twitted the Manila government’s Army chief for “his bellicose words” and rejected as “out of order” his prattle about ending peace negotiations with the NDFP.
“Unless the military now holds the reins of the government, the peace negotiation is a top-level policy decision that is the responsibility of the political leadership of the government of the Republic of the Philippines”, explained de Leon. “Gen. Esperon is plainly out of order when he has ‘ruled out peace talks with the CPP-NPA’”.
De Leon also lambasted Esperon’s claims that the military is ready to do battle with the New People’s Army. “His bellicose words are a futile attempt to cover up the fact that the AFP has been violently attacking civilian communities causing the death of countless civilians and the forced evacuation of communities in Quezon, Aurora, Sulu, Samar, Davao provinces, and other areas”, de Leon asserted.
According to de Leon the military and every administration in the past have trumpeted plans that would eliminate the CPP/NPA. But all these have failed. In fact, the revolutionary movement has become stronger.
The CPP reports in its website that the NPA launched over 200 armed offensives since September 2005 against several units of the AFP capturing a sizeable number of high-powered firearms and inflicting heavy casualties on the military.
The NPA on 6 January took control of the municipal police station of Albuera, Leyte without firing a single shot. The Red fighters were able to seize 20 high-powered rifles and several more pistols from the clueless police officers.
De Leon reiterated that “the NDFP is open to hold peace negotiations with the Arroyo government, if these are aimed at addressing the root causes of the 36-year old civil war”.
“Unfortunately, instead of acting on the NDFP proposal for an immediate end to the civil war as contained in its 10-point ‘Concise Agreement for Immediate Just Peace’,” de Leon added, “the Arroyo government has only replied with an escalation of armed attacks against the civilian population and assassination of political activists and dissenters”. [NDFP-IIO]
