Peace Talks Delayed-No more.
Anakbayan-Europe·Monday, April 3, 2017
The sight of “ordinary clothes” among the negotiators serve as an indicator that there wouldn’t be opening ceremony of the fourth round of Peace Talks despite the attendance of the Filipino migrants living in Belgium and the Netherlands. The Filipinos showed up in Noordwijk aan Zee, the Netherlands to show their support and solidarity with the Peace Talks.
Earlier that day, the negotiators announced the postponement of the opening ceremony from 10 am to after lunch, but eventually moved it to April 3, though it was only confirmed at 9pm. Consultants and media all held their breathe as to what would the following day bring, and only relaxed when the negotiators paraded their barongs.
Elisabeth Slattum, Special Envoy Ambassador from Royal Norwegian Government (RNG) welcomed the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and Government of the Philippines (GRP) negotiators. According to her, although the two parties sit at the opposite side of the table, they remained amiable towards one another, throwing jokes and laughing together. She said that she had never experienced a peace negotiation without difficulties, but she is pleased that GRP and NDFP still work hard to continue the said negotiation. Slattum also hope that this round would be as successful as the three precedent rounds held in Oslo and Rome. Slattum welcomes Prof. Jose Maria Sison back to the Peace Talks after a month of hospitalization.
Pro. Jose Maria Sison, Chief Political Consultant of NDFP laud Slattum on his opening ceremony. Prof. Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) reminded the attendees why is there armed struggle in the Philippines and why it is persisting for almost five decades now. This reminders are significant to the Peace Talks. Armed struggle in the Philippines is due to the semi-colonial and semi-fuedal characteristic of the Philippine society that results to extreme poverty and oppression of the Filipino people. Still strong in mind and spirit, Prof. Sison encourages the Filipino people to support the peace negotiations as this is a way to addressed the root of the armed conflict.
“The NDFP is most interested in the soonest possible forging of the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER) to respond to the people’s demand for substantive reforms.”, said Prof. Sison in his opening statement. He also said that the pronouncement of GRP in obtaining bilateral ceasefire will soon be possible provided if Pres. Duterte can put forward amnesty and release of all political prisoners.
According to Fidel Agcaoili, Chairperson of NDFP negotiating panel, NDFP and GRP comes to the fourth round of formal talks to “push and accelerate the negotiation in the hopes of forging comprehensive agreement on social and economic reforms by the end of 2017.” He shares the view of Prof. Sison in securing the approval of CASER. Although the NDFP is saddened by GRP’s announcement that it will not restore the unilateral ceasefire, they are still hopeful that there will still be positive atmosphere between the two parties through out the talks as achieved in the last three rounds, he also mentioned that the NDFP is willing to further discuss with the government what kind of bilateral ceasefire do they desire. He is also hopeful that their counterparts in GRP will be open in addressing the issues concerning the implementation of Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRHIL). The issues concerning CARHRIL according to Mr. Agcaoili includes the promised to released the 19 ailing and elderly political prisoners and continued detention of NDFP consultants, continuous disappearances of and [supposedly] JASIG-protected consultants, extra-judicial killings and escalating militarization in the country side. The latter indeed resulted to the killings of 46 farmers under the Duterte regime as per report of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), half of these killings were committed under the proclamation of ‘all-out war”policy.
CASER
Referred as the soul of the peace talks, CASER or Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms addresses the root cause of armed conflict in the archipelago. It aims to resolve the worsening poverty and oppression of the Filipino people through bilateral economic and social agreement between NDFP and GRP. CASER’s programme aims to implement land reform and national industrialization in order for the Philippines to have an economy independent from foreign powers to be able to provide and secure jobs for the Filipinos and assure that the wealth of the nation will be beneficial for the Filipinos.
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