By Jose Maria Sison
NDFP Chief Political Consultant
January 10, 2019

On the surface, Duterte’s threat to arm mayors and “every one” (or the public) sounds very offensive to the revolutionary movement. 

In that sense, the revolutionary movement can easily make a riposte that the arms put in the hands of so many people can be ultimately turned against the Duterte regime because of its policies and acts detrimental to the people.

But I also take note of Duterte’s qualification of his threat that he would be willing to go back to peace negotiations on his premise that the revolutionary movement could tone down its offensives against the military and police.

There is some silver lining in his threatening statement: that he is willing to engage in peace negotiations. In this regard, the NDFP is open to exploring whatever opening the GRP is willing to offer.

If peace negotiations between the GRP and the NDFP resume and reach a point where substantial agreements are made, ceasefire can be agreed upon by the two negotiating parties.

In the next three years, it is possible for the GRP and NDFP to make a peace agreement if the Duterte regime is serious and sincere about negotiating and ending its all-out war against the revolutionary forces and the people.

It is even more plausible and less costly for a peace agreement to be made by the two parties than for the GRP to seek in vain the destruction of the revolutionary forces in the next three years. ###