MILF: DEPADev orients UBJP SouthMin on federalism, parliamentary system

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Website (Jul 30): DEPADev orients UBJP SouthMin on federalism, parliamentary system



In line with its mission to empower civil society to actively participate in the political decision processes in the envisioned Bangsamoro autonomous entity, the Democratic Party Development (DEPADev)- Bangsamoro Project oriented the officers of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) from Southern Mindanao about federalism and parliamentary system of government.

Through lectures by experts during the Training on Political Party Development Training held at Microtel Inn in General Santos City on July 27-29, DEPADev project implementers, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG), educated the participants about federalism which is being pushed by Duterte Administration.

Dr. Patrick Ziegenhein from Asia-Europe Institute University of Malaya in Malaysia discussed the topics Federalism, Best Practices and Success Stories and The Role of Civil Society and Political Parties on Federal System.

He also tackled Political Parties: Definition, Criteria, Rationale and Role under a Parliamentary System of Government.

The resource person conveyed the differences between parliamentary and presidential, the current system of government in the Philippines.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Peace Panel Chairman Mohagher Iqbal tackled Bangsamoro Right to Self-Determination in the Context of Federalism.

“Federalism is acceptable to the MILF provided that the Bangsamoro Basic Law is passed first and become the template for federalism in the country,” he underscored.

Professor Abhoud Syed Lingga, MILF Peace Panel Member, discussed Islam and Politics and Crafting the Party’s Political Platform.

President Rodrigo Duterte is bent to push for charter change to shift the current presidential system of government into federalism.

He believes that federalism which will eventually provide the Bangsamoro people of their own federal state is a solution to the Bangsamoro’s quest for self-determination.

Since January 2016, DEPADev has been providing capability-building seminars and training to members of the civil society both from religious and non-religious groups inside the future Bangsamoro entity. The project is funded by European Union.

UBJP is a principled political party created in 2013 which will give the Bangsamoro people an avenue to join in the democratic process of the country once the BBL is passed.

Passing the BBL by the Philippine Congress is the sole obligation of the government. The Aquino Administration failed to pass the proposed legislation.



http://www.luwaran.com/home/index.php/news/21-southern-mindanao/829-depadev-orients-ubjp-southmin-on-federalism-parliamentary-system

MILF: Armed fighting in Basilan displaces 17,000 residents : ICRC

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Website (Jul 30): Armed fighting in Basilan displaces 17,000 residents : ICRC



Armed fighting between government security forces and non-state armed groups since the first week of July has caused the displacement of around 3,400 families in Basilan Province, southern Philippines.

The affected families in Tipo-Tipo, Al-Barka and Ungkaya Pukan municipalities have sought refuge with their relatives after shelling and air strikes occurred on an almost daily basis over the past three weeks. Casualties and injured fighters were reported on both sides, while a few civilians were also wounded as a consequence of the clashes.

“The security situation in Basilan is precarious. We are concerned for the civilians as we expect clashes to continue in the coming weeks,” said Yann Fridez, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sub-delegation in Mindanao.

“We urge all parties to the fighting to exercise utmost precaution to minimize the impact or damage to civilian communities. We also ask them to spare civilian structures such as hospitals, schools and houses, and facilities that are essential for their daily lives,” he stressed.

To complement the assistance provided by the authorities, the ICRC, with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), distributed essential household items to more than 17,000 displaced people in the three municipalities. The items distributed by the PRC Basilan chapter on July 27-28 included hygiene kits, blankets, towels, jerry cans, mosquito nets and sleeping mats.

The ICRC also distributed dressing kits and medical supplies including drugs and anti-tetanus vaccines to enhance the capacity of rural health units in these three municipalities to treat sick and wounded people. Already in April, the ICRC and the Department of Health-Health Emergency Management Bureau had conducted Basic Life Support training for 168 health staff in Basilan and Sulu provinces.

The ICRC is a neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian organization whose mandate is to protect and assist people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence. It has had a presence in the Philippines for more than 70 years and a permanent presence in Mindanao since 1982.

http://www.luwaran.com/home/index.php/news/19-national/830-armed-fighting-in-basilan-displaces-17-000-residents-icrc

Sison/ILPS: On the Philippine Supreme Court decision regarding EDCA's constitutionality

Posted to the Website of Jose Maria Sison, founder and chief ideologue of the Communist Party of the Philippines and who now claims to be just a "consultant" for the National Democratic Front, the political wing of the CPP (Jul 29): On the Philippine Supreme Court decision regarding EDCA's constitutionality



Statement issued by the Office of the Chairperson
International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS)
July 28, 2016

The International League of Peoples’ Struggle views the recent ruling of the Philippine Supreme Court, which upheld with finality the constitutionality of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), as a stark reminder that the Philippines remains a staunch bulwark of US imperialist hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region, and that reactionary pro-US forces remain in control of the main levers of the Philippine state.

The Philippine SC, voting 9-4, upheld its earlier January 2016 decision, which ruled that the EDCA is an executive agreement that merely “operationalizes” the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the US and the Philippines, and therefore does not need Senate concurrence. The SC thus upheld EDCA’s constitutionality and its implementation under the existing VFA, which allows US troops, planes, and ships to establish a rotational but permanent presence, build storage facilities and preposition weapons in military bases in the Philippines.

The most important issue is whether the EDCA as executive agreement can be allowed to violate the constitutional ban on the foreign military forces and bases absent a treaty as required by Sec. 25 Art XVIII of the Constitution. But the SC skirted this issue on technical grounds, by arguing that constitutional restrictions on the entry of foreign troops or facilities refer only to the initial entry—which was already allowed by the 1999 VFA, a mere executive agreement—and that subsequent entries are henceforth allowed such as those defined by the EDCA.

The SC ruling upheld the EDCA on the narrow ground that the president can make executive agreements with foreign governments and that there is therefore no need for Senate process of ratification. The SC has therefore rendered useless and a mere surplusage the treaty requirement under Section 25 of the 1987 Constitution because based on the decision, a mere executive agreement called the VFA and later EDCA under the framework of a 1952 defense treaty has done away with the constitutional demand for a treaty. The SC refused to comprehend that the Constitution, despite the 1952 MDT, required a new treaty for the entry of foreign troops, bases or facilities because of the humiliating and unequal treatment of the Philippines under the US-RP Bases Agreement,
This SC ruling represents a narrow, unpatriotic, and even unconstitutional view. It is an outrageous affront to Philippine sovereignty. It is tantamount to asserting that a peasant woman who is married off to her landlord master after being abducted and raped by him no longer has any legal basis for complaining against further rape and abuse because of marriage. At the same time, it further exposes the utter inequity and illegitimacy of the MDT and VFA as unequal treaties and agreements foisted by the US on the Philippines in the past decades.

The presence US troops, facilities and bases in the country is violative of the Filipino people’s interest because (i) these are magnets of attack as we become legitimate target of the many US enemies worldwide (ii) it results in human rights violations including rape and murder not to mention prostitution that goes with US bases (iii) threat to peace both in the Philippines and the region (iv) we are also vulnerable to nuclear accident and toxic waste contamination, and more importantly (v) violates our sovereignty as thousands of foreign troops roam our country at will.

Patriotic groups led by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and former and incumbent legislators had filed a motion for reconsideration against the earlier January 2016 SC decision, arguing that the EDCA is unconstitutional because it did not pass through Senate ratification and violated the constitutional ban on basing foreign military troops or facilities in the country. But the SC rejected their petition, explaining that its “only concern is the legality of EDCA and not its wisdom or folly; their remedy clearly belongs to the executive or legislative branches of government.”

The SC ruling is especially revolting since it was issued on the day US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived to visit the Philippines—a welcoming gift of the native subjects to their foreign master, as it were. The timing is reminiscent of a similar scene in 2014, when the previous Aquino government signed EDCA in time for Obama’s first visit to the country.

The previous Aquino regime and other reactionary pro-US circles have been trying to justify EDCA as an effective Philippine leverage against China, particularly to ensure US support for its assertion of sovereignty over the disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea and of its sovereign rights over its Exclusive Economic Zone and Extended Continental Shelf.

But events are proving otherwise. The recent ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration as mandated by UNCLOS can already provide that leverage, if only the Duterte government decides to wield it effectively through a genuinely independent foreign policy. After all, during the two years since it was signed in 2014 EDCA and the US did not provide any succor when China harassed our fisherfolks, built islands thru reclamation, constructed airports and destroyed marine environment in the disputed area.

For the Philippines to invoke the military involvement of the US by allowing it wider access to domestic facilities in the guise of “agreed locations” through EDCA will only further invite more Chinese counter-moves and escalate tensions in the region. It was multilateral initiatives such as the Tribunal case under UNCLOS and diplomatic offensive to gather international support–not EDCA–that gained positive results for the Filipino people.

The ILPS hereby reiterates its long-standing call for the peoples of Asia-Pacific, including the people of the Philippines, to persevere in their struggles to kick out or resist the return of US bases and interventionist forces in the region.

We reiterate our support for the Filipino people in their general efforts to resist the entry and continuing presence of all foreign bases and troops within their national territory. This is in the spirit of asserting the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, especially based on the 1987 constitutional provision that bans the presence of foreign bases and troops.

Now that the Philippine Senate is legally barred by the SC ruling from subjecting EDCA to its treaty-ratifying process (and possible rejection), the Filipino people may shift their political action towards other courses of action. In particular, the ILPS joins Filipino patriotic forces in challenging the Duterte government to terminate the EDCA since it is within his power to do so, and to subject the VFA, MDT, and other unequal military treaties to review. All forces of the ILPS Philippine chapter have committed to heighten their participation in anti-imperialist mass actions in the coming months.

http://josemariasison.org/on-the-philippine-supreme-court-decision-regarding-edcas-constitutionality/

NDF/NPA: Two-faced AFP violated own ceasefire, is ambushed in Davao del Norte

New People's Army propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Jul 29): Two-faced AFP violated own ceasefire, is ambushed in Davao del Norte

Red fighters of the Comval North Davao South Agusan Sub-Regional Command of the New People’s Army in Southern Mindanao thwarted a military offensive by the Civilian Auxilliary Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) of the 72nd Infantry Battalion and armed Alamara paramilitary troops and carried out an ambuscade that killed Alamara member Panggong Bukad, and wounded four others in Bagnakan, Sitio Muling, Brgy. Gupitan, Kapalong, Davao del Norte, July 27.

The ambush was in adherence to the directive by the NPA National Operations Command for Red fighters to maintain on alert status and on active defense mode in response to Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s declared unilateral ceasefire with the National Democratic Front, NPA and the Communist Party of the Philippines during his State of the Nation Address on July 25.

The fascist AFP deceived its own Commander-in-Chief by saying that the NPA violated the unilateral ceasefire when it waylaid the PDOP (Peace & Development Outreach Program) troops who were returning to their detachment in Sitio Patil, Barangay Gupitan. Nothing can be so farther from the truth.

The AFP and the Alamara have been on active operation in Kapalong, resulting in several engagements including its July 5 ambush that wounded one Red fighter. Determined to continue its offensive military operations in Kapalong, the same troops ignored the ceasefire declaration of their Commander In Chief and again took off for combat operation from their detachment in Brgy. Patil on July 26.

The NPA guerrillas were able to detect their movement enroute to what the military and the paramilitary purported to be fixed NPA targets some 20 kilometers away from their detachment. Had the Red fighters not taken the initiative to actively defend itself by intercepting the 72nd IB/Alamara troops, the operating AFP troops would have carried out its own combat action and inflicted damage against the NPA unit.

In twisting the facts presented to their commander-in-chief, the AFP is leaving out the glaring truth that the its troops were clearly on combat operation and not engaged in “civilian” activities, in direct violation to GRP Pres. Duterte’s ceasefire order.

GPH Pres. Duterte, having acted as mediator on several occasions in the past regarding the abuses perpetrated by the Alamara against the Lumads in Kapalong, knows well how the AFP employs the paramilitary Alamara in its counter-revolutionary and anti-people campaign. This is the same fanatical armed group that killed several of their own Lumad kin, harassed and threatened hundreds of civilians and continue to displace Lumads from their livelihood and communities. The Lumads, who since late last year have evacuated to Davao City, are still in fear of returning to their homes and communities because of the presence of AFP troops and the Alamara.

The NPA abides with the spirit of the resumption of the peace negotiations in addressing the roots of the civil war, respects the ceasefire order of GPH Pres. Duterte, and strictly adheres to the directive of the national leadership and the CPP. It is the militarist clique in the AFP and its paramilitaries like the Alamara that ridicule their Commander In Chief in virulently sabotaging the peace process.

(sgd.) Aris Francisco
Spokesperson
Comval North Davao South Agusan Subregional Command
NPA

http://www.ndfp.org/two-faced-afp-violated-ceasefire-ambushed-davao-del-norte/

NDF/NPA: GRP ceasefire non-existent in Southern Mindanao

New People's Army propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Jul 30):  GRP ceasefire non-existent in Southern Mindanao

Press release | by RIGOBERTO F. SANCHEZ, New People’s Army Spokesperson, Regional Operations Command, Southern Mindanao Region

The New People’s Army Regional Operations Command avers that there is no conspicuous and veritable unilateral ceasefire exercised by AFP, PNP and paramilitary troops in Southern Mindanao, five days after its Commander In Chief, GRP Pres. Rodrigo Duterte proclaimed such an order in his State of the Nation Address on July 25.

While the NPA-SMROC is ready, willing and able to reciprocate the unilateral ceasefire in accordance to the parameters, guidelines and rules to be set by the national leadership of the NPA, CPP, and NDFP, it cannot be harangued to reciprocate a unilateral ceasefire order that is overtly mocked by the AFP hierarchy and its ground troops and paramilitary forces.

Pending its own unilateral ceasefire declaration, the NPA has placed its troops on active defense mode as a welcome gesture to GRP Pres. Duterte’s unilateral ceasefire declaration. But it cannot surrender its military initiative and diminish the authority of the People’s Democratic Government by placing in jeopardy the lives of the Red Army and the civilian masses in the face of relentless attacks by the fascist enemies of the people.

The NPA and the people’s militia are ready to defend itself from enemy troops who are actively present in almost all villages in Southern Mindanao. These are not troops implementing innocuous “civil-military operations” but are implementing combat operations, surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence, and psychological warfare in civilian communities. These are troops who use communities as garrisons, conduct counter-revolutionary operations, harass and threaten civilians and ensure that their protected illegal activities such as drug trade and logging and mining pay-offs continue unhindered.

In North Cotabato, the 39IB-AFP recently identified 13 barrios in Kidapawan City to be placed under Peace and Development Outreach Program (PDOP) to purge them of “communist-influence” while its troops are currently in clearing operations in Magpet town. On July 27, platoons of the 84thIB were deployed in far-flung communities of Toril, Davao City. In Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, troops of the 2nd Scout Rangers Battalion conducted combat operations on July 29.

The July 27 engagement of Red fighters against members of CAFGU of 72nd IB and the paramilitary Alamara in Kapalong, Davao del Norte only highlighted the unrelenting military operations of AFP troops. Worse still, the fabricated lies they spin to their commander-in-chief and the media to smokescreen their palpable violation demonstrate their outright disdain for the peace process.

The NPA-SMROC urges the current GPH Commander-In-Chief to subject its own troops to a scrutiny of its own operations, deployment, and conduct nationwide to enable the aforesaid unilateral ceasefire order to become effective. Otherwise, it cannot burden the NPA to reciprocate what is turning out to be a spurious unilateral ceasefire.

http://www.ndfp.org/grp-ceasefire-non-existent-southern-mindanao/

CPP/NDF: On simultaneous unilateral ceasefire declarations for peace talks

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Website (Jul 31): On simultaneous unilateral ceasefire declarations for peace talks  

Central Committee, Communist Party of the Philippines

1. The unilateral declaration of ceasefire by GRP President Duterte last July 25 was welcomed by the CPP as a measure to promote the scheduled NDFP-GRP peace negotiations. It is too bad that he has withdrawn such an order. We trust, however, that this will not affect preparations for formal resumption of peace negotiations scheduled for August 20-27 in Oslo, Norway, nor will it preclude the GRP President from reissuing such a declaration simultaneously with a similar unilateral declaration by the CPP and NPA on August 20.

We continue to look forward to work with the GRP President in peace negotiations. With his declared intent of resolving the issues at the root of the armed conflict, GRP President Duterte will not want the fascist zealots of the US counter-insurgency doctrine to succeed in derailing peace negotiations and seeing him fail to forge a lasting peace agreement with the NDFP.

2. When GRP President Duterte declared a unilateral ceasefire, the CPP and NPA immediately reciprocated with an order for all units of the NPA to go on active defense mode, a state just one notch below a ceasefire, as it awaited the CPP Central Committee to evaluate the situation and issue appropriate orders. By going on active defense, the NPA sought to help promote an atmosphere favorable to peace talks without sacrificing the safety of the NPA and the peasant masses.

Since July 25, the CPP Central Committee had been refining its draft interim ceasefire declaration as a way of further promoting the NDFP-GRP peace negotiations and reciprocating the July 25 ceasefire declaration by GRP President Duterte.

Through the Information Bureau, an announcement was made at past 4 p.m. yesterday that a reciprocal ceasefire declaration was set be issued by the CPP at around 8 p.m. last night. That Malacañang’s announcement withdrawing the ceasefire declaration was made at around 7:30 p.m. lacks circumspect to say the least.

On Thursday, speaking before soldiers at Lucena, Quezon, the GRP President would threaten to withdraw his ceasefire declaration if he did not receive an explanation of the ambush by that afternoon.

He would not take back his ultimatum even after an accounting was made by the responsible NPA command on Friday afternoon where it was exposed how the AFP ground troops were carrying out offensive maneuvers in non-compliance with the GRP’s unilateral ceasefire.

On Saturday, he will turn to demand the CPP to issue a reciprocal unilateral ceasefire declaration by the end of the day under threat of withdrawing his own order.

It was quite capricious for the GRP President to have imposed such ultimatums of a few hours or several days for the CPP to act in accordance with his whims. It was quite disconcerting that the GRP President would impose such an inflexible ultimatum on the CPP. Despite his anti-crime bravado, it would seem he has shown the drug lords and protectors of criminal syndicates more flexibility and accommodation.

It is advisable for the GRP President to exercise a little more prudence and display more measured temperament as a way of appreciating the situation from a broader historical perspective in order to avoid such impulsive acts as imposing ultimatums by the hour on a conflict that has spanned nearly fifty years.

3. Over the course of five days that the Duterte ceasefire declaration was in effect, there was zero compliance on the part of the AFP. Its public expression of support for the ceasefire declaration was not reflected on the ground. Not a single AFP command ordered its troops withdrawn back to their barracks.

Palparan-trained AFP Chief Gen. Ricardo Visaya has zero sincerity in his avowed support for peace talks and for the ceasefire declaration. In fact, in his “suspension of offensive military operations”, he ordered AFP combat troops to continue with so-called “civil-military” operations under Oplan Bayanihan, a euphemism for combat, psywar, surveillance and intelligence operations targeting civilian communities.

Not one AFP encampment in civilian communities was taken down. Armed combat troops of the AFP stationed in and around the scores of Lumad sitios did not move an inch. Thousands of Lumad people remain in evacuation centers unable to safely return home.

Combat units of the AFP have remained active in civilian communities throughout the country, from Isabela to Sorsogon, Northern Samar to Surigao del Norte, to Compostela and even in Duterte’s home province of Davao del Norte where AFP combat troops continue to wage armed offensives. The NPA will soon issue a report on the matter.

4. On Wednesday morning, a unit of the NPA launched an ambush against operating troops and auxilliary forces of the 72nd Infantry Battalion in Kapalong, Davao del Norte. GRP President Duterte raised protests over the ambush and demanded an explanation for what he claimed to be a violation of, in fact, a non-existent truce (a mutually signed ceasefire agreement as opposed to a unilateral ceasefire declaration).

In its report, the NPA unit pointed to how they were provoked to carry out the ambush as part of its active defense in the face of an imminent armed encounter with the operating armed troops and auxilliary forces of the 72nd IB of the AFP.

The ambush was carried out as a last resort to preserve the forces of the NPA in the face of an impending armed encounter with the forces of the 72nd IB. The NPA unit carried out counter-maneuvers after armed operating troops of the AFP and its p aramilitary forces launched themselves that morning and was about to make armed contact with the NPA unit.

The local NPA unit clearly saw that the AFP troops were engaged in a combat operation. NPA Red fighters immediately disengaged after disabling the enemy unit from carrying out further offensive action.

This shows that the concerned NPA unit was in full regard of GRP President Duterte’s ceasefire declaration and was fully aware and complied with orders of the NPA national command to stay on active defense.

5. The CPP leadership has since June, prepared a draft for a unilateral ceasefire in anticipation of peace talks with the Duterte regime. It has long expressed willingness to engage in a ceasefire for as long as there are peace negotiations.

It was a different situation, however, when GRP President Duterte unilaterally declared a ceasefire even before it could fulfill its promises to release NDFP consultants and political prisoners. The CPP took the more prudent path of moving slowly in a deliberate effort to observe the situation at the ground even as it ordered the NPA to stay on active defense.

The CPP, however, will not allow itself to be browbeaten to order the NPA to go on a ceasefire while operating troops of the AFP showed no plans on letting up in their search-and-destroy operations and frenzied offensives that terrorize civilian communities.

To say the least, continuing offensives of the AFP prevented the CPP from declaring an interim ceasefire sooner.

6. At this point, the CPP reiterates its full support for the resumption of NDFP-GRP peace negotiations as a means of discussing the roots of the armed conflict. It expects the Duterte government to make good its promise to release all peace consultants of NDFP as well as all political prisoners arrested and detained under the Arroyo and Aquino regimes.

To further support peace negotiations, the CPP is willing to issue a unilateral ceasefire declaration separately but simultaneously with the Duterte government on August 20. The time-frame can be determined through negotiations.

As earlier planned, the negotiating panels of the NDFP and GRP can thereafter exchange these declarations in order to discuss points for cooperation and coordination and determine ways of preventing armed skirmishes, misunderstandings and miscommunications during the course of the peace talks.

http://www.ndfp.org/simultaneous-unilateral-ceasefire-declarations-peace-talks/

Yasay contradicts Del Rosario, adopts one of China’s views

From Rappler (Jul 31): Yasay contradicts Del Rosario, adopts one of China’s views

Unlike his predecessor, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr says the historic case filed by Manila against Beijing 'concerns China and the Philippines alone'   



OLD AND NEW. Former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario (left) and current Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr hold different views about the Philippines' case against China. Del Rosario's photo by AFP; Yasay's photo by EPA

Spot the differences.

Exhibit A: "The case before you is of the utmost importance to the Philippines, to the region, and to the world."

 

Exhibit B: "The case we filed before the arbitral tribunal with respect to our dispute with China concerns China and the Philippines alone."

 

"Exhibit A" is a quote from former Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario.

 

The context is Del Rosario’s opening statement on July 7, 2014, before an arbitral tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague. The tribunal was hearing the Philippines’ case against China over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), which the Philippines won on July 12 this year.

 

"Exhibit B" is a quote from Del Rosario’s successor, Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. The context is Yasay’s press conference on Wednesday, July 27. Yasay was recounting the recent meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Vientiane, Laos. He was also discussing the way forward in the South China Sea dispute.

 

Before Wednesday’s press conference, Yasay said the same thing when he justified why he didn’t want ASEAN to cite the Hague ruling in its joint communiqué.

 

Yasay told reporters in Laos, "Hindi naman kasama 'yung ibang nasyon doon sa pag-file natin ng kaso sa arbitral tribunal, so bakit tayo mamimilit na ilalagay ‘yan sa ASEAN statement?" (The other countries are not part of our filing of the case before the arbitral tribunal, so why would we insist that it be put in the ASEAN statement?)

 

Referring to the South China Sea row, he also said in Manila that "resolving this dispute within the context of international law,” particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), "is a matter for China and the Philippines to resolve." (READ: Recording shows Yasay didn't want ASEAN to cite Hague ruling)

 

Yasay’s position – that the case in The Hague concerns "China and the Philippines alone" – contradicts Del Rosario’s view that the case is "of the utmost importance to the Philippines, to the region, and to the world."

 

It is a complete turnaround.

 

China's position

 

More than this, Yasay’s stance echoes China’s position. China believes that settling the South China Sea dispute should be limited to the "directly concerned countries."

 

China, after all, opposes the "internationalization" of the dispute – which means bringing it to international fora like the ASEAN meetings.

 

China, instead, prefers bilateral or one-on-one talks directly with the countries involved.

 

"We do not wish to see the Philippines get other countries involved and get them to take sides over the issue," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said in 2011.

 

In the case of Yasay, he believes that the South China Sea issue "is a matter for China and the Philippines to resolve." 

 

With Yasay as top diplomat then, the Philippines is hewing more closely to China’s position that the South China Sea dispute should be limited to the "directly concerned countries."

 

Experts, however, say it is crucial for the Philippines to get ASEAN’s support for the ruling despite China’s objections.

 

'Case affects region'

 

In an e-mail to Rappler, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative director Gregory Poling said on Friday, July 29, "I agree that the ruling itself is only binding upon the Philippines and China, but it certainly affects other claimants and the region more broadly."

 

Poling cited the striking down of the 9-dash line, China’s demarcation to claim the South China Sea. He said this means the 9-dash line "is also illegitimate where it overlaps with the claims of Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia."

 

To illustrate, he said, "if the Spratlys are rocks for China and the Philippines, then clearly they are also rocks for the other claimants to them."

 

"This was a victory for the primacy of international law and norms as the organizing principle for Asia – not the might-makes-right system preferred by Beijing – and as such, it was a victory for all concerned states," Poling said.

 

He continued: "It is disappointing, but not surprising, that the rest of ASEAN has been unwilling to stand up and be counted supporting this ruling from which they will benefit. And that goes beyond the ASEAN statement – none of the Southeast Asian states except Vietnam has been willing to individually endorse the ruling."

 

Standing up for rights

 

Paul Reichler, the Philippines’ lead counsel against China, earlier said that the support of other coastal states in the region is crucial.

 

Reichler said that "although the award is legally binding only on the two parties, China and the Philippines, it has very strong implications for other coastal states in the South China Sea."

 

"If these other states stand up for their rights in the way that the Philippines has done, you'll get the situation where all of the neighboring states are insisting that China withdraw its illegal claims and respect their legal rights which have been defined and recognized and acknowledged today, because those states have the same rights as the Philippines," he said.

 

Prashanth Parameswaran, associate editor at The Diplomat magazine, also asserted the need to factor in global and regional needs in Duterte’s approach toward the South China Sea dispute.

 

In a Thought Leaders piece for Rappler, he said that "the real danger of Duterte’s approach to China and the South China Sea is that his administration will seek to engage Beijing in a way that not only undermines Philippine interests in terms of its relationship with China, but undercuts the regional unity and global solidarity needed to constrain Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea."

 

Yasay and Duterte's policy

 

For all these, the bigger context is Duterte’s policy not to flaunt the Hague ruling in an effort to improve ties with Beijing.

 

After all, the long-time Davao City mayor is known as a doer – a results-oriented leader who cares for the Philippines’ sovereignty as much as he does for concrete projects, such as a Chinese railway.

In fact, one of the things Yasay suggests is sharing resources with China in the West Philippine Sea – never mind that he is talking about the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which, experts stress, is "exclusive."

 

Poling pointed out to Rappler, "Secretary Yasay is implementing President Duterte’s policy, so ultimately the way forward must be decided by Malacañang."

 

Poling said Duterte’s policy, as far as we know, "is to pursue talks with Beijing to de-escalate and hopefully find a system of resource-sharing to manage disputes, but to do so within the bounds laid out by the PCA ruling."

 

"That is a sound path, and one that the US and all interested parties should support. But it needs to be pursued with open eyes," he said.

 

Poling explained that maybe "Manila is right to hold out the chance of compromise to China." On the other hand, he said, Manila "should also be preparing for the real possibility that China is just biding its time," until after international attention drifts following regional meetings like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.

 

Poling said: "That is why Manila should also be pushing other states to endorse the PCA ruling, so that the spotlight does not disappear – already the ruling risks becoming little more than a footnote as no member of Europe and almost no member of ASEAN is willing to endorse it."

 

Del Rosario himself, for one, told reporters that ideally, Yasay "should have stood strongly for promoting the arbitration ruling as being part of the final statement."

This ASEAN statement ended up including common issues surrounding the South China Sea, such as China’s land reclamation activities, but not the Hague ruling.

 

Yasay: 'Diplomatic triumph'

 

Still, in a Facebook post, Yasay said the joint communiqué was a "diplomatic triumph" for the Philippines.

 

On one hand, he has been criticized for not pushing to explicitly include the Hague ruling in the joint communiqué.

 

On the other hand, he said, "there are many ways to skin a cat."

 

He explained that unlike his predecessors, he helped in crafting an ASEAN statement that urged China "to desist from its reclamation activities." While the statement ignored the specific Hague decision, Yasay said it upheld international law and UNCLOS.

 

"The core message implicitly but undeniably conveyed by this ASEAN statement and joint communiqué called for all parties to respect the ruling of the arbitral tribunal without using the hard-line language demanded by my predecessors," Yasay said.

 

It is, however, not only about the language.

 

It is also about the premise of the case: Does Yasay think ASEAN has a stake?

 

Exhibit B shows that this is what Yasay, unlike Del Rosario, believes: "The case we filed before the arbitral tribunal with respect to our dispute with China concerns China and the Philippines alone. And resolving this dispute within the context of international law and UNCLOS is a matter for China and the Philippines to resolve."

 

http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/141437-yasay-del-rosario-philippines-china-asean

Duterte 'walked the extra mile for peace' – Dureza

From Rappler (Jul 31): Duterte 'walked the extra mile for peace' – Dureza

'...the President still patiently waited,' says the government's peace adviser, in the days and hours leading up to the eventual end of a unilateral ceasefire against communist rebels   



INTERNAL SECURITY. President Rodrigo Duterte presides over the command conference at the Western Mindanao Command headquarters in Zamboanga City on July 21. Photo by Kiwi Bulaclac/PPD

The government's peace adviser said President Rodrigo Duterte "walked the extra mile for peace" as a unilateral ceasefire against communist rebels was rescinded Saturday evening, July 30.

In a statement on Sunday, July 31, peace adviser Secretary Jesus Dureza detailed the timeline of events that started when Duterte declared a ceasefire against communist rebels and ended when he lifted that same declaration.

"It is very clear that the President walked the extra mile for peace. And no doubt, he will still continue to do so at any given opportunity," said Dureza, who added that he will make recommendations to the President and the Cabinet when they convene Monday afternoon, August 1.
By end August, government negotiators and representatives of the National Democratic Front (NDF) are set to meet for the resumption of peace talks.

Here's the timeline of events as detailed by Dureza:

The President's declaration

On July 25, during his first State of the Nation Address, Duterte declared a unilateral ceasefire with the NDF, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), and the New People's Army (NPA) "in order to stop violence on the ground, safeguard the citizenry and provide an enabling environment for the resumption of peace negotiation," Dureza quoted Duterte as saying.

"Consistent with previous unilateral ceasefires like during christmas holidays, there was high expectation that the National Democratic Front would forthwith and immediately announce also its own as positive response to the President's declaration. This was precisely the reason for the President's statement in the SONA that he was calling on and expecting the NDF 'to respond accordingly,'" added Dureza.

But the response took time.

"The following day, July 26, the NDF, instead of issuing its expected declaration said they could not do so as yet as they were waiting for the precise written orders on the ceasefire," said Dureza.
Meanwhile, the military and police both issued orders to units on the ground to stop offensive operations against the NPA.

"Copies thereof were sent immediately to the NDF in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Yet in spite of this, there was still no declaration from them," added the Cabinet secretary.

NPA clash

"The following day, July 27 a firefight happened between the NPAs and elements of the AFP civilian auxiliary in Davao del Norte resulting to the death of a civilian auxiliary force member and the wounding of 3 others. The President then called on the CPP/NPA/NDF again to explain why this happened in the midst of his ceasefire declaration," said Dureza.

The NDF was given until July 28 to explain. "Still the expected declaration was not issued," noted Dureza.

On July 29, during a visit to a military camp in Davao del Norte, the President "lamented the unnecessary loss of lives and publicly asked again the NDF to issue its own declaration of unilateral ceasefire to avoid similar incidents to happen."

Added Dureza: "Although already obviously disappointed and exasperated, he announced 5 o'clock the following day (July 30) as a final deadline otherwise he would lift the government's ceasefire in order to further secure the civilians and secure the peace."

By 5 pm of July 30, there was still no word from the NDF.

"But the President still patiently waited," said Dureza.

'Disturbing messages'

While the President was waiting for a response, Dureza noted "disturbing messages" from the ranks of the NPA.

"Its Southern Mindanao Regional Command claimed the government's unilateral ceasefire was 'non-existent' as it also blamed the AFP as 'sabotaging' the ceasefire. Its leadership also belittled the efforts of the President, saying that he could not dictate on the revolutionaries," he said.

By 7 pm on July 30, Duterte declared the ceasefire over.

Dureza noted that an hour after Duterte's announcement, the NDF "publicly stated in the media that it was already ready to issue its own corresponding ceasefire declaration."

He noted that this happened after they were "evidently informed of the President's announced position."

Still Dureza said the NDF's "belated but still strategic and awaited decision" to announce its own unilateral ceasefire is a "welcome development."

"It affirms the value of the President's firm actions for peace. This is what we have been waiting for," he added.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/141485-dureza-timeline-npa-duterte-ceasefire

CPP: We'll issue ceasefire if gov't issues one too

From Rappler (Jul 31): CPP: We'll issue ceasefire if gov't issues one too

The Communist Party of the Philippines says it's willing to issue a 'unilateral ceasefire' on August 20 – if the Duterte government issues one too   



AUGUST 20 TRUCE? The CPP says it's willing to issue a 'unilateral ceasefire' if the government is willing to do the same. Rappler file photo  

A ceasefire between government forces and communist rebels could be in place by the end of the month, if the Duterte administration responds favorably to a new statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

"To further support peace negotiations, the CPP is willing to issue a unilateral ceasefire declaration separately but simultaneously with the Duterte government on August 20. The time-frame can be determined through negotiations," the CPP's Central Committee said in a statement on Sunday, July 31.

The statement comes a day after Duterte took back a "unilateral ceasefire" against communist rebels barely a week after it was announced during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA).

"As earlier planned, the negotiating panels of the NDFP and GRP can thereafter exchange these declarations in order to discuss points for cooperation and coordination and determine ways of preventing armed skirmishes, misunderstandings, and miscommunications during the course of the peace talks," added the CPP, referring to the planned talks between the two sides beginning August 20 in Oslo, Norway.

On July 25, while addressing Congress in his first SONA, Duterte announced the ceasefire "to immediately stop violence on the ground, restore peace in the communities, and provide enabling environment conducive to the resumption of the peace talks."

Police and military units on the ground were ordered to stop all offensive operations against the communist rebels.

But things went awry when NPA fighters supposedly attacked government militia in Davao del Norte.

Duterte gave the communist groups until July 28 to explain the clash. The next day, he called on the NDF to issue is own unilateral ceasefire and gave a deadline: July 30, 5 pm. By July 30 in the evening, Duterte revoked the truce, and military and police units returned to status quo.

Government attack?

The CPP, however, contested the government's narration of events.

"In its report, the NPA unit pointed to how they were provoked to carry out the ambush as part of its active defense in the face of an imminent armed encounter with the operating armed troops and auxilliary forces of the 72nd IB of the AFP," it said.

The NPA unit merely "carried out counter-maneuvers" in response to movements by the AFP and government militia.

"NPA Red fighters immediately disengaged after disabling the enemy unit from carrying out further offensive action," the CPP said of the operation, which claimed the life of at least one government militia.

The CPP also noted that a truce with the government was "non-existent" because a "mutually signed ceasefire agreement" had yet to be inked.

Still, the CPP said it "has long expressed willingness to engage in a ceasefire for as long as there are peace negotiations." It noted that since June, it has been preparing a "draft for a unilateral ceasefire" ahead of peace talks with the Duterte administration.

"It was a different situation, however, when GRP President Duterte unilaterally declared a ceasefire even before it could fulfill its promises to release NDFP consultants and political prisoners," said the CPP, referring to one of the key points it wants to discuss during negotiations.

The CPP also insisted that despite pronouncements from the President, the military showed no signs of "letting up in their search-and-destroy operations and frenzied offensives that terrorize civilian communities."

http://www.rappler.com/nation/141493-cpp-npa-ceasefire-duterte-august

CPP: 'Zero sincerity' in AFP chief Visaya's support for peace talks

From Rappler (Jul 31): CPP: 'Zero sincerity' in AFP chief Visaya's support for peace talks

The Communist Party of the Philippines also calls on President Rodrigo Duterte to 'exercise a little more prudence and display more measured temperament'   



'ZERO SINCERITY?' AFP Chief of Staff General Ricardo Visaya. File photo by AFP Public Affairs Office

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) hit the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Sunday, July 31, the day after President Rodrigo Duterte took back a "unilateral ceasefire" over a clash between communist fighters and a government militia group earlier this week.

"Over the course of 5 days that the Duterte ceasefire declaration was in effect, there was zero compliance on the part of the AFP. Its public expression of support for the ceasefire declaration was not reflected on the ground. Not a single AFP command ordered its troops withdrawn back to their barracks," the CPP's Central Committee said in a statement on Sunday.

Duterte had earlier announced a "unilateral ceasefire" with the CPP's armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA).

Both the AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP) subsequently issued orders for their units to stop offensive operations against the communist rebels.

But the CPP said on Sunday that the AFP, particularly its "Palparan-trained" Chief of Staff General Ricardo Visaya, has "zero sincerity in his avowed support for peace talks and for the ceasefire declaration."

"In fact, in his 'suspension of offensive military operations,' he ordered AFP combat troops to continue with so-called 'civil-military' operations under Oplan Bayanihan, a euphemism for combat, psywar, surveillance, and intelligence operations targeting civilian communities," added the CPP.

The CPP was referring to now detained Major General Jovito Palparan, who was Visaya's superior when the former was 7th Infantry Division chief in charge of Army units in Central Luzon. Palparan has been tagged "berdugo (butcher)" by human rights activists.

Visaya has also had his fair share of controversy: he was the Army battalion commander during bloody clashes with Hacienda Luisita farmers in 2004. Visaya and former president Benigno Aquino III, then supposedly the manager of the Cojuangco estate, faced murder complaints but were later cleared before the Ombudsman.

Combat operations continued?

Days after Duterte's announcement of a ceasefire, communist rebels and government militia clashed in Davao del Norte, leaving one government fighter dead. But the CPP contests this narration, saying military units and paramilitary forces "were engaged in a combat operation."

"Combat units of the AFP have remained active in civilian communities throughout the country, from Isabela to Sorsogon, Northern Samar to Surigao del Norte, to Compostela and even in Duterte's home province of Davao del Norte where AFP combat troops continue to wage armed offensives. The NPA will soon issue a report on the matter," said the CPP.

Duterte called on the CPP-NPA-NDF to explain the clash and later gave them an ultimatum before finally taking back the ceasefire order.

The CPP said it was "quite capricious" for Duterte to issue "ultimatums of a few hours or several days for the CPP to act in accordance with his whims."

"It was quite disconcerting that the GRP President [Duterte] would impose such an inflexible ultimatum on the CPP. Despite his anti-crime bravado, it would seem he has shown the drug lords and protectors of criminal syndicates more flexibility and accommodation," the group added, taking a stab at the administration's campaign against crime, illegal drugs, and corruption.

The CPP also called on Duterte to "exercise a little more prudence and display more measured temperament as a way of appreciating the situation from a broader historical perspective in order to avoid such impulsive acts as imposing ultimatums by the hour on a conflict that has spanned nearly 50 years."

The government and the communist rebels are set to begin the first round of peace negotiations in Oslo on August 20.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/141500-cpp-zero-sincerity-afp-chief-visaya-support-peace-talks

COMMENTARY | Government reminded of peace talks status: It's (very) complicated

Posted to InterAksyon (Jul 31): COMMENTARY | Government reminded of peace talks status: It's (very) complicated



(Following is a statement released by Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes Jr. in relation to the Saturday lifting of the unilateral ceasefire declared by President Rodrigo Duterte and the “complicated” process of negotiating peace between the government and the communist groups.)

The peace talks are more complicated than some folks think. It is unrealistic to be giving ultimatums, whether in the matter of declaring ceasefires or in the duration and conclusion of the actual talks themselves. It's unrealistic and sheer wishful-thinking to demand that formal talks be concluded in a matter of six months without truly addressing the roots of the armed conflict. The problems at the root of the armed conflict are serious, deep, decades-long and far-reaching.

It is the nature of the negotiations that one side cannot order the other side, or impose ultimatums on the other party. Had the other side (National Democratic Front of the Philippines, NDFP) imposed deadlines on the release of political prisoners for example, things would also be in a bind. Yet the other side showed flexibility and agreed to postpone the talks to allow government to effect the release of political prisoners. To date, no political prisoner has been released by the GPH in line with the peace talks.

A unilateral government ceasefire declaration, no matter how good the intention of the President, will not amount to much if the mode of implementation is questionable or if the Armed Forces of the Philippines brazenly defies it in the first place. The AFP suspension of military operations (SOMO) made sure that AFP units would remain in communities conducting operations, thereby violating the spirit of the government's own ceasefire declaration. After the SONA Lakbayan, we received reports from Bicol that farmers from Catanduanes who joined the rally were subjected to harassment and intimidation by the AFP upon the former's return to the province. The harassment took place even after the ceasefire declaration of the President in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Let last night's experience be a sobering reminder for government that the road to peace is a difficult one, where deadlines and ultimatums cannot just be imposed and where discussions of the substantial agenda are the only sure means to achieve a lasting end to hostilities. Let us support the resumption of formal talks on August 20. Neither party has decided to give up, and that is always a good sign.

The people should weigh in now more than ever because it is also our interest that formal peace talks resume, previous agreements upheld and new agreements on socio-economic reforms and political reforms are forged.

http://interaksyon.com/article/130950/commentary--government-reminded-of-peace-talks-status-its-very-complicated

CPP to Duterte: Let's both declare separate unilateral ceasefires on Aug. 20

From InterAksyon (Jul 31): CPP to Duterte: Let's both declare separate unilateral ceasefires on Aug. 20

The Communist Party of the Philippines suggested Sunday to President Rodrigo Duterte that they declare separate unilateral ceasefires on August 20, when formal peace negotiations are scheduled to resume.

The suggestion came a day after Duterte withdrew the unilateral ceasefire he declared during his first State of the Nation Address on July 25, after the rebels failed to meet a 5 p.m. deadline he set on July 30 for them to reciprocate his gesture.

The President set a deadline after a government militiaman was killed and four others wounded by the New People’s Army in Davao del Norte Wednesday. The military claimed the militiamen were pulling back to their patrol when attacked, but the rebels said they were responding to an Army offensive.

The CPP said it was supposed to declare its own ceasefire 8 p.m. Saturday but Duterte took back his declaration around an hour before that. The CPP said it had been “refining” the draft it had been working on since June precisely to reciprocate the President’s declatration.

In its statement on Sunday, the CPP said it was “too bad” Duterte took back his ceasefire, which the rebels had welcomed “as a measure to promote” the negotiations but said it hoped this would not affect the schedule for the talks to resume in Oslo, Norway or keep him from reissuing another declaration on August 20 or for the government “to make good its promise to release all peace consultants” of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and other political prisoners.

The CPP said the timeframe of the mutual ceasefires as well as “points for cooperation and coordination” to prevent “armed skirmishes, misunderstandings and miscommunications during the course of the peace talks” could be discussed once the declarations are exchanged.

More prudence, flexibility

At the same time, the CPP said it was “quite capricious” and “disconcerting” of Duterte to set a deadline for the rebels “to act in accordance with his whims,” even as it took a dig at him, noting that “despite his anti-crime bravado, it would seem he has shown the drug lords and protectors of criminal syndicates more flexibility and accommodation.”

“It is advisable for (Duterte) to exercise a little more prudence and display more measured temperament as a way of appreciating the situation from a broader historical perspective in order to avoid such impulsive acts as imposing ultimatums by the hour on a conflict that has spanned nearly fifty years,” the CPP said.

It also stressed that it would “not allow itself to be browbeaten to order the NPA to go on a ceasefire while operating troops of the AFP showed no plans of letting up in their search-and-destroy operations and frenzied offensives that terrorize civilian communities.

It pointed out that, aside from the Davao del Norte incident, “combat units of the AFP have remained active in civilian communities throughout the country, from Isabela to Sorsogon, Northern Samar to Surigao del Norte, to Compostela and even in Duterte's home province of Davao del Norte where AFP combat troops continue to wage armed offensives.

The CPP said: “To say the least, continuing offensives of the AFP prevented the CPP from declaring an interim ceasefire sooner.”

http://interaksyon.com/article/130958/cpp-to-duterte-lets-both-declare-separate-unilateral-ceasefires-on-aug--20

Activists say no to US use of Lumbia airport

From MindaNews (Jul 30): Activists say no to US use of Lumbia airport

Three American activists had themselves tied to the gates of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) base in Lumbia Airport Friday afternoon, July 29, 2016, to protest the use of the base by the Americans under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the United States.

The Americans — human rights lawyer Arturo Viscara, social worker Luis Patterson, and Kelsen Caldwell, leader of the Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites in Seattle, Washington— were joined by some 60 local militants when they staged a rally in Lumbia, this city.

NO ENTRY. American activists have themselves tied to the gates of the Philippine Air Force base in Lumbia airport in Cagayan de Oro Friday afternoon, July 29, 2016, to protest the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and the US. The former commercial airport in Lumbia, converted in an airbase three years ago, is one of the military bases identified under EDCA to house US personnel and equipment. MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO

 

“The US military will just turn this beautiful place into a hotspot of glitzy bars. We will petition the US Congress to stop the funding for EDCA ,” Caldwell said.

The militants filed a petition before Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno and the City Council expressing their support for the city government’s plan to ask the national government to convert Lumbia airport into “a community of socialized houses and commercial centers.”

Under EDCA, the military base in Lumbia Airport and three other bases in the country were identified as possible sites to house US personnel on a rotation basis, and to stockpile equipment.

Before its turnover to the PAF, Lumbia was the domestic passenger terminal for Northern Mindanao before it was transferred to Laguindingan Airport three years ago.

Weldon Barros, secretary general of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Northern Mindanao said they asked why Lumbia is selected when it is more than 1,358 kilometers away from the West Philippine Sea, the potential flash point between Philippines and China.

“If the US really wants to help us, why doesn’t it establish a base at the West Philippines Sea or nearby instead? “ Barros asked.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2016/07/activists-say-no-to-us-use-of-lumbia-airport/

PHL govt may still impose ceasefire with Maoist-led rebels: Dureza

From InterAksyon (Jul 31): PHL govt may still impose ceasefire with Maoist-led rebels: Dureza



News5 screen capture of Secretary Jesus Dureza: The Philippine government may still re-impose a ceasefire with Maoist-led guerrillas, a senior administration official said on Sunday, a day after it was withdrawn by President Rodrigo Duterte.

The Philippine government may still re-impose a ceasefire with Maoist-led guerrillas, a senior administration official said on Sunday, a day after it was withdrawn by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte lifted the unilateral truce with the communist New People's Army on Saturday evening, six days after it was declared as a goodwill gesture ahead of formal peace negotiations in Oslo next month.

The move came after rebels did not respond to a deadline to reciprocate the government's truce.

"We may work out a negotiated truce with the Communists," Jesus Dureza, presidential peace adviser, told Reuters. "It was in our agenda when the formal peace talks resume in Oslo. The peace talks will go on as scheduled."

The peace talks, brokered by Norway, will resume on Aug. 20, four years after bogging down due to rebels' demand for the release of 500 political prisoners. The government has now promised to free them for health and humanitarian reasons.

Dureza said he welcomed a statement from rebel leader Jose Maria Sison, who was interviewed on local television hours after Duterte withdrew the ceasefire, saying the communists had also intended to impose a truce but it was overtaken by events.

"This is what we have been waiting for," Dureza said in an official statement. "The leadership of the CPP/NPA/NDF announced through the media its belated but still strategic and awaited decision to also declare its own unilateral ceasefire."

Duterte also was angered by reports that Maoist-led rebels had killed a militiaman and wounded four others in an ambush on Wednesday when they were returning to an army base in Davao del Norte to comply with government's unilateral truce.

Renato Reyes, secretary-general of Bayan (Nation), a left-wing political group, criticized the government for imposing "unrealistic" ultimatums, saying the "peace talks are more complicated than some folks think".

"The road to peace is a difficult one, where deadlines and ultimatums cannot just be imposed and where discussions of the substantial agenda are the only sure means to achieve a lasting end to hostilities," he said.

Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla said army units have resumed offensive action against the rebels.

"The rebels have missed a golden opportunity to manifest their commitment to the attainment of much sought peace throughout the land," he added.

http://interaksyon.com/article/130956/phl-govt-may-still-impose-ceasefire-with-maoist-led-rebels-dureza

Dureza: August 20 GPH-NDF talks in Oslo still on

From MindaNews (Jul 31): Dureza: August 20 GPH-NDF talks in Oslo still on

The first round of formal peace talks between government (GPH) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) will proceed as scheduled on August 20 to 27 even as President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday lifted his five-day unilateral ceasefire, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said.

“Let’s wait and see. But so far, as of the moment, there is no supervening factor that will affect the upcoming talks in Oslo on August 20,” Dureza told MindaNews an hour after Duterte lifted the ceasefire on Saturday.

President Rodrigo Duterte speaks with Secretary Jesus Dureza of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process after the presentation of the Peace Roadmap at the State Dining Room of the Malacañan Palace on Monday evening, July 18, 2016. ACE MORANDANTE/PPD

 

For Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate, the lifting of the government’s unilateral ceasefire is “unfortunate” and he hopes the talks will push through on August 20.

He called on both government (GPH) and the NDF “to thresh things out on the Davao del Norte incident and the ceasefire  issues in the scheduled talks. More than ever, let us pursue earnestly the road to a just and lasting peace that our country and people have long waited for.”

Pastor Dann Pantoja of the Peacebuilders’ Community, looks at the lifting of the ceasefire as “a missed opportunity” for both parties “to start anew in their peace talks based on good faith and mutual trust.’

He said it can also be a setback to the peace process.

Pantoja noted that the ceasefire was “an expression of an ‘all-out-good-faith’ and could have been reciprocated with an equal expression of good faith by the NDFP. But the NDFP seemed to have chosen the technical preconditions.”

Jeremy Simons, a peace and reconciliation advocate, said there is a limit to Duterte’s political capital with both the left and the military “to move the peace process forward on the ground where long time insurgency and counter insurgency dynamics prevail, especially lacking independent monitoring like a Bantay Ceasefire mechanism.”

“Also, there is a general misunderstanding of how fractured the leadership of ground level NPA commanders is, especially in Lumad communities where local tribal dynamics prevail,” Simons added.

“This is a challenge that all peace processes have to face. This is not insurmountable,” Kaloy Manlupig of Balay Mindanaw said, adding “successful peace processes have shown us that the search for common ground is not that easy, but not impossible to achieve.”

“There is hope,” he said.

“In peace processes, it is not about brinkmanship. The one who blinks is considered a dove,” Manlupig said.

“Please give us time”

NDF Consultant Jose Ma. Sison, founding chair of the Communist Party of the Phlippines (CPP) told ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) in a telephone interview that there was an announcement earlier that the revolutionary movement would announce a ceasefire at 8 p.m. “Itong 8 p.m. sa Pilipinas, maglalabas ng ceasefire order” (at 8 p.m. in the Philippines, they will come out with a ceasefire order).

Duterte’s deadline was at 5 p.m.

“Masyado namang volatile ang Presidente na bagong halal,” Sison told ANC adding that adding Duterte showed a “lack of prudence in something as sensitive and delicate as peace negotiations between two armed fighting sides.”

Before Duterte’s 5 p.m. deadline lapsed, GPH peace panel chair Silvestre Bello III, told MindaNews that NDF spokesperson Fidel Agcaoili sent him a message to “please give us time to finish our investigation of the incident as reported by concerned NPA command.”

“The CPP will reciprocate the President’s ceasefire declaration,” Agcaoili said.
Agcaoili did not say in his message to Bello that they will reciprocate by 8 p.m. on Saturday.

The investigations, however, have apparently been finished, as statements issued by Aris Francisco, spokesperson of the Comval North Davao South Agusan Subregional Command of the NPA on July 29 and Rigoberto Sanchez, spokesperson of the NPA-Southern Mindanao Regional Operations Command (NPA-SMROC) on July 30 which found the AFP violated Duterte’s ceasefire.

Duterte on July 28 gave the NDF until midnight to explain why the ambush in Kapalong, Davao del Norte happened and on July 29 gave it until 5 p.m. on July 30 to reciprocate the ceasefire or he will lift his July 25 order declaring a unilateral ceasefire.

NPA says AFP violated

Francisco’s statement, titled “Two-faced AFP violated own ceasefire, is ambushed in Davao del Norte,” owned up the July 27 ambush.

“The ambush was in adherence to the directive by the NPA National Operations Command for Red fighters to maintain on alert status and on active defense mode in response to” Duterte’s ceasefire declaration.

He said the AFP “deceived” Duterte, its commander-in-chief, by saying that the NPA violated the unilateral ceasefire when it waylaid the Peace and Development Outreach Program (PDOP) troops who were returning to their detachment in Sitio Patil, Barangay Gupitan.

“Nothing can be so farther from the truth,” Francisco said, claiming the AFP and the paramilitary

Alamara “ignored the ceasefire declaration of their Commander In Chief and again took off for combat operation from their detachment in Brgy. Patil on July 26” which he said was “in direct violation” to Duterte’s order.

“Spurious unilateral ceasefire”

Sanchez, on the other hand, e-mailed a statement, titled “GRP ceasefire non-existent in Southern Mindanao” to the CPP Information Bureau and media outlets at 5:04 p.m. on July 30, or four minutes after Duterte’s deadline lapsed.

“While the NPA-SMROC is ready, willing and able to reciprocate the unilateral ceasefire in accordance to the parameters, guidelines and rules to be set by the national leadership of the NPA, CPP, and NDFP, it cannot be harangued to reciprocate a unilateral ceasefire order that is overtly mocked by the AFP hierarchy and its ground troops and paramilitary forces,” Sanchez said.

He cited the “active defense mode” they adopted to welcome Duterte’s ceasefire but maintained “it cannot surrender its military initiative and diminish the authority of the People’s Democratic Government by placing in jeopardy the lives of the Red Army and the civilian masses in the face of relentless attacks by the fascist enemies of the people.”

“The NPA-SMROC urges the current GPH Commander-In-Chief to subject its own troops to a scrutiny of its own operations, deployment, and conduct nationwide to enable the aforesaid unilateral ceasefire order to become effective. Otherwise, it cannot burden the NPA to reciprocate what is turning out to be a spurious unilateral ceasefire,” Sanchez added.

“Completely false”

Reacting to Francisco’s July 29 statement, the 10^th Infantry Division, in a statement e-mailed to outlets at 2:45 p.m. on July 30 called the NPA’s allegations “malicious and unfounded.”

On the NPA’s claim that the AFP twisted the facts by leaving out the information that the troops were engaged in combat operations and not in “civilian” activities, Capt. Rhyan Batchar, Chief of the Division Public Affairs Office, said “nowhere in our press statement or Facebook post did we claim that our troops are in ‘civilian’ activities.”

He said their report stated hat the CAAs “who were already several days out of their camp on security patrol when the ceasefire was declared, were on their way back to their patrol base in compliance to the President’s declaration of ceasefire when ambushed by elements of the NPA.”

Batchar said the NPA’s allegation that the CAAs took off for combat operation from their detachment in Barangay Patil on July 26 “is completely false as the ambush site is two to three days walk from the CAA patrol base in Sitio Patil, Barangay Gupitan, Kapalong, Davao del Norte and the ambush happened at about 6:45 in the morning of July 27.”

He said the CAAs were “on their way back to their patrol base while crossing a river in Sitio Kamunoan, Barangay Gupitan” when ambushed by around 30 NPAs under Guerilla Front 34. The NPAs hit the CAAs with IED (improvised explosive device) and gunfire which resulted to almost an hour of firefight.”

http://www.mindanews.com/peace-process/2016/07/dureza-august-20-gph-ndf-talks-in-oslo-still-on/

LOOK: 40 Warships, Submarines during RIMPAC 2016

From Update.Ph (Jul 31): LOOK: 40 Warships, Submarines during RIMPAC 2016

US Navy Combat Camera photo

The United States Navy has released a photo of forty ships and submarines representing 13 international partner nations steaming in close formation July 28, 2016 during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016.

Twenty-six nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC 2016 which started June 30 and will end August 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.

Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, People’s Republic of China, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United States forces are RIMPAC 2016 participants.

RIMPAC, as the world’s largest international maritime exercise, provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans.

http://www.update.ph/2016/07/look-40-warships-submarines-during-rimpac-2016/8088