THE Communist Party of the Philippines said if the Aquino government is not keen on reviving the stalled peace negotiations, it is more than willing to oblige and wait for the next administration.
“The corrupt Aquino regime and rotten ruling system of big compradors and landlords like the Aquino dynasty need the peace negotiations more than the revolutionary government and mass movement of peasants and workers do,” Sison added.
Sison took exception to recent statements from presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles and Armed Forces Public Affairs Office chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc last week.
Cabunoc said the CPP needs the resumption of the formal peace talks more than the Aquino administration because the strength of the New People’s Army has dwindled to 3,200 rebels.
Deles, on the other hand, condemned recent attacks by the NPA over the holidays, which left two unarmed soldiers and one militiaman dead.
“If the Aquino regime and its military mercenaries know how to read, they can find out from the 46th anniversary statement of the Central Committee of the CPP that the NPA in Mindanao has succeeded in luring in, preoccupying and overcoming 60 percent of the enemy military forces and that the regional commands of the NPA in the Visayas and Luzon can now make their tactical offensives more often and more fruitfully,” Sison said.
The self-exiled communist leader also described Deles as a “hindrance” to the resumption of the peace talks, which have been stalled for close to three years now.
“Deles remains a problem. She is pathologically anti-communist. As long as she is there, it will be difficult to move the peace negotiations forward,” Sison said.
“Deles is malicious. Her statement on the offensives of the NPA outside of the NPA’s ceasefire dates was orchestrated. She wants to downplay the goodwill gesture of the National Democratic Front in releasing prisoners of war.”
“Pope Francis is better than her. He said that even communists may go to heaven as long as they do good,” Sison added.
Sison said the NDF will not force the government to talk peace if the Aquino administration does not want to do so.
“Peace negotiations are two-sided and consensual,” added Sison, who earlier announced that formal peace talks are scheduled to resume this month after the papal visit.
Deles said that while the attacks were outside of the NPA’s ceasefire dates, these were still “in blatant disregard of the Christmas season.
“The government condemns the attack on development projects, civilians, and unarmed soldiers -- combatants out of combat -- in any season,” she said in a text message.
“With regard the resumption of peace talks, it has never been about me -- nor should it be about Mr. Sison. For government, it has always been about our people’s welfare and their desire for an end to violent conflict from which the poor suffer first and foremost,” Deles added.
Cabunoc said he was merely giving factual data on NPA strength and had no intention of derailing the peace process.
“We fully support any effort to end all internal armed conflicts through peaceful means but we are very concerned about the real intentions of the CPP-NDF-NPA because of what they have shown on the ground,” he said.
“They are talking peace but there should be parameters to show if they are sincere in their intentions. They should stop senseless attacks against civilians. They should stop killing unarmed military and police deployed for community development activities. They should stop extorting and demanding payment of revolutionary taxes. And they should stop recruiting child warriors,” Cabunoc said.
Armed Forces spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla Jr. said the killing of unarmed soldiers Ronald Bautista and Albert Amor and militiaman Renel Baluca -- all in civilian clothes who were on their way to spend the holidays with their families -- on Dec. 29 deserved to be condemned whether or not a truce was in place.
“Regardless of whether it is covered by their the ceasefire or, those were unarmed soldiers. There should be a gentleman’s agreement even among warriors,” Padilla said.
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/01/05/govt-reds-swap-barbs-again-peace-gab-iffy/
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