NDF consultants coming home from peace talks should return to jail -- Aguirre

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 6): NDF consultants coming home from peace talks should return to jail -- Aguirre

The consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF) who participated in the peace talks between the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) should go back to the country and return to detention.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II made the statement on Monday when sought for comment on President Rodrigo Duterte's declaration of the suspension of peace talks between the government and communist rebels where he ordered government negotiators to come home.

”Yun kasing bail, conditional halimbawa wala ng peace talks so dapat lang na sila ay bumalik sa kanilang detention cell yun ang nakalagay don. Ngayon as to the period siguro kung andun pa sila hindi sila maaaresto but when they come back here dapat as a sign of good faith dapat bumalik sila sa kanilang detention cell tulad ng good faith na ipinakita ng ating pangulo sa kanila,” Aguirre told reporters on Monday afternoon.

The NDF said they are also covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).

Aguirre said it is up to the NDF if they would file a motion asking the courts to extend their temporary liberty though he insisted it would be better if they would report to the courts since the bail granted to them is not indefinite.

“Nasa kanila yan, bahala silang kumilos dyan but ang magdedesisyon dyan ay ang korte. Pero whether ang peace talk would continue, dapat magreport muna sila dahil hindi naman indefinite ang bail. Kung tapos na ang six months, dapat mag-renew sila so kung walang renewal, parang wanted na sila,’ he added.

Asked if the peace talks is really over, Aguirre said he believed only the ceasefire has been terminated.

“Hindi naman pinutol pa, ang pinutol lang ng ating Pangulo ay yung ceasefire but judging from the previous pronouncements from the Palace although the ceasefire agreement has collapsed, the peace talks would continue pero it could continue in a foreign country so kung andito ka paano ka magpaparticipate. Kaya dapat siguro, kung andito ka na, they have to return to their cells and then halimbawa magresume yung peace talks, and then that would be the that they would be set free temporarily,” he explained.

NDF consultants who participated in the latest round of peace talks in Rome, Italy include Benito and Wilma Tiamzon who were arrested by the military in Cebu last 2015.

Authorities said Benito was the chairman while his wife Wilma the secretary general of the CPP at the time of their arrest.

In an interview in Davao City on Saturday, President Duterte said he is not ready to resume peace talks with the communist groups.

"As I have said, I would like to tell the Filipino people: peace with the communists might not come in this generation," he said.

The President said he has done everything and has walked the extra mile in extending an olive branch with the rebels but their "unreasonable" demand of releasing more than 400 political prisoners prompted him to discontinue the talks.

He was likewise angered by the deaths of several soldiers despite ongoing peace negotiations with the leftist groups.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=961471