Palace: Reds cannot blame themselves so they blame gov't on cutting short of truce

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 2): Palace: Reds cannot blame themselves so they blame gov't on cutting short of truce

Malacanang Wednesday said the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) was just looking for ways to disrupt peace negotiation with the government when it decided to terminate the cease fire between government forces and the rebels, which is supposed to end by Jan. 15. "That is expected from somebody who cannot blame themselves," Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda told a Malacanang news briefing. "They (rebels) know that a ceasefire of that effect would be detrimental to them so they decided to cut it short and blame government," he said.

But, insofar as the government is concerned, Lacierda said, "we have honored the ceasefire. It is something that we would like to have also for our own soldiers to be able to spend time with their families." Nonetheless, during the period of the ceasefire, the Armed Forces remained vigilant, he said. "It’s unfortunate that the CPP-NPA-NDF would change its mind so soon after they declared a statement calling for a ceasefire. We know that ceasefire would be good for the rebels because it’s an opportunity for the CPP-NPA-NDF rebels to come down from the mountains and to be with their family. By doing so, they have cut short the time the rebels can spend with their families. It is unfortunate," he noted.

Lacierda also denied that the government did not comply with the ceasefire agreement. "The one proof that we were cognizant of that ceasefire is that we published it on the www.gov.ph., our official website. When we learned about the ceasefire, we immediately relayed it to the AFP, we relayed it to media, we relayed it to the public. That is the extent of our sincerity. We had no reason not to honor the ceasefire," he stressed.  He added: "(The) CPP-NPA-NDF has always been making excuses. The first excuse was they wanted the number of their political consultants freed. We said we agreed on a JASIG (Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees) list, they refused to. "Their JASIG list was corrupted and now they’re coming up with other stumbling blocks to peace. They keep on using reasons to not to push the envelope for peace."

Despite that, Lacierda said the government remains committed to pursuing peace in all fronts. "We have seen that. We have proven our sincerity with the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front). We are prepared to seek peace with CPP-NPA-NDF," he said.

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