CPP/NPA-Southern Tagalog: On GRP’s Cancellation of the 5th Round of Peace Talks

NPA-Southern Tagalog propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines Website (May 28): On GRP’s Cancellation of the 5th Round of Peace Talks

Jaime “Ka Diego” Padilla, Spokesperson
NPA-Southern Tagalog (Melito Glor Command)

28 May 2017

The GRP panel cancellation of the 5th round of talks in The Netherlands is blatantly one-sided, unjustified and flimsy. It based its reason on illogical ground centering on the New People’s Army’s (NPA) escalating armed offensives while omitting the fact that since the breakdown of the reciprocal interim ceasefire agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines last February, the Duterte government has given the marching order to launch full-scale offensives against the revolutionary forces. This left the NPA with no option but to defend the people and its own forces by launching counter tactical offensive in self-defense.

In fact, during the informal talks between representatives of the GRP and NDFP panels held on March 10-11, in The GRP-NDFP Joint Statement released, the two parties agreed to “reinstate their respective unilateral ceasefires which shall take effect before the scheduled fourth round of talks in April 2017.” In this regard, upon the announcement of the Communist Party of the Philippines that it will issue a ceasefire order prior to the opening of the peace talks, the NPA suspended its tactical offensives to show respect and goodwill. However, the GRP didn’t reciprocate and proceeded with its all out war that has caused casualties on the side of the NPA.

In Southern Tagalog, the NPA has sustained casualties in numerous defensive actions as a result of standing-down their offensive preparations while the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is unrelenting in launching offensive military operations since Duterte’s all out war declaration last February. Some of these are the encounters that occurred in Mindoro, North Quezon, South Quezon, and Palawan.

The GRP panel and the Duterte government have been drumbeating that the NDFP Panel has no control over the NPA and local forces in order to undermine and cast doubt on the integrity as well as discredit the authority and trust given by the Party and the entire revolutionary forces on the NDFP Panel to negotiate peace with the reactionary regime.

It should be clear that the NDFP Panel derives its authority and receives directives from its principal based on the home front with regards to any agreement entered by the NDFP with the GRP in the same way that the GRP Panel receives instructions and order from its principal Duterte. For instance, when Duterte didn’t approve of a ceasefire declaration before the fourth round of peace talks, the GRP Panel had to follow the directive of its principal even though the GRP and NDFP panels agreed to reinstate its respective unilateral ceasefire declarations.

Jesus Dureza and Silvestre Bello III of the GRP Panel are lamenting that the NDFP Panel has no control over the NPA to justify the option of local peace negotiation. They are forgetting that even the GRP Panel has no power and control over the AFP and the PNP. So why should Dureza and Bello make a big fuss over this matter?

The Hawks and the peace spoilers in the Cabinet Cluster E embodied by the likes of Lorenzana and Esperon as well as in the AFP have long been scheming since day one how to scuttle the peace talks. They are only interested in securing the demise of the revolutionary forces through surrender and pacification. They are never interested in addressing the root causes of the armed conflict which are deep-seated in the exploitative and oppressive semicolonial and semifeudal Philippines.

The GRP Panel has been acting on this track since day one also. They are only interested in first securing a permanent cessation of hostilities through prolong ceasefire while setting aside and giving lip-service interest in forging the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms, Comprehensive Agreement on Political and Constitutional Reforms and using the promise of releasing the more or less 400 political prisoners as bait to secure a ceasefire agreement with the revolutionary forces represented by the NDFP.

After the series of release of NDF consultants last year, the Duterte government has not released a single political prisoner and has even violated the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law and the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees. The Duterte regime rearrested NDF Consultant Ariel Arbitrario right after the termination of its unilateral ceasefire. Moreover, the GRP also arrested NDF Consultants Ferdinand Castillo, Promencio Cortez and Rommel Salinas, and other JASIG-protected personnel.

While the GRP Panel has been speaking out against the offensives launched by the NPA, it is mum on the attacks carried out by the AFP against the revolutionary forces and the people. It is excluding the fact that the actions launched by the NPA are self-defense in nature due to the unceasing military operations of the AFP. In Southern Tagalog, one of these incidents was the peace consultation conducted by the NPA in Sityo Pahimuan, Barangay Lumutan in Gen. Nakar, Quezon that was attacked by elements of the 80th Infantry Battalion. In self defense, the NPA had to maneuver and counter the offensive of the AFP.

The revolutionary movement in Southern Tagalog has the full confidence and trust on the NDFP Panel and the Chief Political Consultant and fully support them as the sole authority entrusted by the Party and the NPA to negotiate a long and lasting peace with whoever hold the helm of the reactionary government. The revolutionary forces under the leadership of the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee will not be enthused by the scheme of the Duterte government to negotiate peace at the local level. This is a divide and rule policy long discredited and frustrated by the revolutionary forces but always dreamed-of by the past reactionary rule.

While the revolutionary movement in Southern Tagalog lends its support and wishes for the success of the peace process, the NPA forces are ready and determined to pursue all forms of revolutionary struggle and escalate armed tactical offensives should the Duterte government scuttle the peace talks and put the entire Philippines under Martial Rule.

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statements/20170528-on-grps-cancellation-of-the-5th-round-of-peace-talks