PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte ordered his Cabinet Wednesday to work on the resumption of peace talks with communist rebels with clear instructions on the importance of forging a ceasefire agreement to stop mutual attacks and fighting while talks are underway.
“Let’s give this another chance,” the President said.
He also committed to provide support, if necessary, to replace the “revolutionary tax” that the rebels collect from companies in areas where they are active.
Duterte said the “revolutionary tax” must be stopped.
Earlier, Duterte expressed willingness to revive the stalled peace talks with communist rebels but called on the insurgents to stop committing atrocities.
The President also said he wants the New People’s Army (NPA) to respect a bilateral truce and to stop collecting “revolutionary taxes.”
In a speech in Mindoro during the inauguration of Lisap bridge, Duterte even offered to subsidize the peace talks and hinted at paying for the hotel accommodations of the rebels’ consultants.
The President said he would be happy if the rebels would be true to their word.
“If you really want it, you stop immediately. You and I, let’s have a ceasefire,” he said in Filipino. “Not one blast, even from a firecracker and I’d be happy.”
He said he expected there to be obstructions along the way because their destination would not be easily reached.
The peace panels held four rounds of talks before Duterte cancelled the negotiations in November last year because of continued attacks by the NPA on government forces.
The following month, Duterte declared the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and NPA as terror groups.
Duterte said he wants the fighting and killings to stop so he could use government funds to build more hospitals and schools instead.
However, Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the government has no plans to withdraw its petition to declare the communist rebels as terrorists before a Manila court.
Guevarra said Duterte’s latest pronouncement will not affect in any way the pending petition to declare the CPP-NPA as a terrorist group.
“For as long as the requirements under the Human Security Act are met then the government will pursue its proscription action against these people regardless of the fact that coincidentally, they are supposed to be consultants in the peace process,” Guevarra said.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzano said he was pessimistic that anything good would come from resuing talks with the communists.
Lorenzana pointed to the recent torching of construction equipment in Davao del Norte, which cast doubts on the credibility of the communists.
Lorenzana was citing the recent torching of construction equipment in Davao del Norte, a factor that contradicts the communist sincerity as embodied in the provision in the bilateral agreement reached between the government.
“If there would be talks, we should be assured and they have to prove that they can control their fighters on the ground. That is the question that I was asking even before,” Lorenzana said.
Exiled CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison said they are ready to resume peace negotiations and finish draft agreements that were stalled when talks collapsed in 2017.
Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate welcomed the prospect of renewed talks.
“While we welcome President Duterte’s openness to the resumption of talks, it would be best if the two parties would not set preconditions for it to resume,” Zarate said.
Senator Loren Legarda on Wednesday expressed her support for the resumption of the peace negotiations.
Legarda made the statement in support of House Resolution No. 1803 authored by 61 congressmen urging President Rodrigo Duterte to resume the peace talks with the NDFP. With PNA, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz
