ON CPP-NPA'S DECLARATION OF CEASEFIRE: Malacañang: President appreciates CPP-NPA's 'gesture of goodwill'

From GMA News (Aug 20): ON CPP-NPA'S DECLARATION OF CEASEFIRE: Malacañang: President appreciates CPP-NPA's 'gesture of goodwill'

Malacañang on Saturday welcomed the ceasefire declaration of the Communist Party of the Philippines- New People's Army (CPP-NPA) saying the group's gesture of goodwill brings renewed optimism that the resumption of the peace talks in Norway will bear fruit.

"The President [Rodrigo Duterte] has already walked an extra mile for peace. He is glad that the CPP/NPA/NDF showed a similar gesture of goodwill as a sign of sincerity to the peace process on the eve of our talks in Oslo, Norway," Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in statement.

On Friday evening, the CPP-NPA announced a seven-day unilateral ceasefire ahead of the formal peace talks between the government and the communist group's negotiating arm National Democratic Front (NDF) to be held in Oslo, Norway from August 22 to 26.

The CCP-NPA said the ceasefire will take effect starting 12:01 a.m. of August 21 and will last until 11:59 p.m. of August 27.

The CCP-NPA declared the ceasefire following the release of 17 of the 22 detained NDF consultants including couple Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, chairman and secretary-general, respectively, of the CPP-NPA, to allow them to participate in the peace talks.

Andanar said the commitment and sincerity being shown by both the government and the communist group sends optimism that the peace negotiation will bear fruit.

"We therefore feel optimistic that the mutual efforts of both sides would lead to fruitful negotiations that could pave the way for substantive discussions in the hope of putting an end to one of Asia’s longest-running insurgencies," Andanar said.

The government's delegation in the peace talks, lead by Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Secretary Jesus Dureza is set to fly to Oslo on Saturday afternoon. It can be remembered that Duterte during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25 declared a unilateral ceasefire with the CPP-NPA-NDF expecting the other camp to do the same.

Duterte, however, lifted the ceasefire on July 30 after the CPP-NPA-NDF failed to reciprocate it within his deadline and following an ambush of government’s Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) in Davao Del Norte on July 27.

Duterte and CPP-NPA founder Jose Maria Sison also figured into verbal spat with both camps accusing each other of arrogance. Duterte and Sison, however, seemed to have recently patched things up, with both the government and the CPP-NPA agreeing to free some political prisoners.

Peace talks earlier brokered by Norway were stalled in 2012 after the Philippine government refused to free communist leaders who had been in jail for decades.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/578329/news/nation/malacanang-president-appreciates-cpp-npa-s-gesture-of-goodwill