Who can trust the Arroyo Regime?

By LUIS G. JALANDONI
Chairperson, NDFP Negotiating Panel

Who can trust the Arroyo regime? It declares it will arrest those with whom it has been negotiating. The NDFP Negotiating Panel, consultants, staffers and volunteers who are covered by safety and immunity guarantees are now targeted for arrest — without any due process, completely arbitrary on the part of the Arroyo regime. On the basis of a unilateral and invalid suspension of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), the Arroyo regime declares that it will hunt down and arrest those whom both GRP and NDFP agreed to give safety and immunity.

By LUIS G. JALANDONI
Chairperson, NDFP Negotiating Panel

Who can trust the Arroyo regime? It declares it will arrest those with whom it has been negotiating. The NDFP Negotiating Panel, consultants, staffers and volunteers who are covered by safety and immunity guarantees are now targeted for arrest — without any due process, completely arbitrary on the part of the Arroyo regime. On the basis of a unilateral and invalid suspension of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), the Arroyo regime declares that it will hunt down and arrest those whom both GRP and NDFP agreed to give safety and immunity.

This regime is committing an act of treachery. It refused to honor the agreements it had signed with the NDFP. It refused to comply with the obligations it agreed to in accordance with the Oslo Joint Statement of February 14, 2004 and the Second Oslo Joint Statement of April 3, 2004.

Now it is violating the JASIG as it has violated the principle of national sovereignty and non-capitulation enshrined in The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992. It has not complied with its obligations to release political prisoners and provide the indemnification of victims of human rights violations under the Marcos regime. It has colluded with the US and other foreign powers to unjustly put the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People’s Army and the NDFP Chief Political Consultant Prof. Jose Maria Sison on the “terrorist” list. Repeatedly it refused to stand up for the national sovereignty of the Filipino people on the issue of the “terrorist” listing.

The NDFP and the revolutionary forces it represents will hold the Arroyo regime accountable for any harm done to those vested with safety and immunity according to the agreements approved by the Principals of the GRP and the NDFP. We make special mention of those most vulnerable: the NDFP-nominated consultants who are living legally in the Philippines and the personnel of the NDFP-nominated Joint Secretariat who are holding office in Metro Manila.

The NDFP is willing to hold peace negotiations in order to address the roots of the armed conflict, to negotiate economic, social and political reforms that will be the basis of a just peace. But the NDFP is able to do this only with an administration that is trustworthy in honoring agreements and complies with obligations it has agreed to.