CPP debunks Bello: No ceasefire deal will be signed by December 10

From GMA News (Nov 25): CPP debunks Bello: No ceasefire deal will be signed by December 10

The Communist Party of the Philippines has debunked claims by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, head of the government negotiating panel (GRP), that a bilateral ceasefire agreement may be signed by December 10.

“[A] bilateral ceasefire agreement is most likely not to be forged before or around December 10,” the CPP said in a statement issued Thursday, adding that no negotiations for the agreement occurred between the two parties.

On Tuesday, Bello said they would still target to sign the ceasefire agreement by December 10 despite some drawbacks.

“Hindi pa nagkakaroon ng consensus kaya medyo hindi natin siguro ma-attain ‘yung December 10. But we are still, we are not giving up na by December 10 magkakaroon pa rin tayo ng signing of the joint bilateral permanent ceasefire," Bello said during a press briefing in Malacañang.

"‘Yun ang huwag ninyong kalimutan, permanent ceasefire which will eventually lead to the cessation of hostilities,” he added.

The CPP, however, said the GRP’s failure to set political prisoners free discouraged them from pursuing negotiations to sign the bilateral ceasefire agreement.

“Bello is conjuring the illusion that a bilateral ceasefire is already in the works in the hope of drawing away attention from the fact that the GRP, so far, has failed to meet its obligation to release political prisoners en masse through a presidential amnesty proclamation,” the CPP said.

“Worse, the GRP has yet to rein in the soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) which continue to conduct armed suppression operations in the countryside among the barrios in the guerrilla zones and revolutionary areas,” the CPP added.

As long as the GRP fails to meet its obligation to release all political prisoners, chances for the bilateral ceasefire agreement to be signed “become ever dimmer,” the CPP said.

Meanwhile, the CPP reiterated its call for the government to pull out Oplan Bayanihan armed suppression groups and their troops in rural areas.

“If the Duterte regime will continue to turn a deaf ear to the clamor for it to end Oplan Bayanihan, it might just force the hand of the revolutionary forces to defend the rights and welfare of the broad masses within the guerrilla zones and defend the peace talks against its fascist saboteurs in the AFP,” the CPP said.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/590214/news/nation/cpp-debunks-bello-no-ceasefire-deal-will-be-signed-by-december-10