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Sison tells Duterte he will return if peace talks advance
However, the NDFP chief political consultant also mentioned how his return will not only be for the resumption of peace talks as it could also be dangerous (Photo: Jose Maria Sison/Facebook)
After the President’s invitation, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines’ (NDFP’s) Chief Political Consultant said that he will return to the Philippines if the peace talks of the communist rebels and the administration advance.
“In response, I declare that I will certainly return home when a significant advance in the peace negotiations has been achieved within the framework of The Hague Joint Declaration and when my comrades and lawyers are satisfied with legal and security precautions,” Professor Jose Maria “Joma” Sison said in a statement on April 23, Monday.
Expressing confidence that the NDFP negotiating panels, consultants, and drafting teams can produce the necessary documents to resume the peace negotiations by next week, Sison also thanked President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s invitation.
“I thank President Duterte for his expressed wish for my soonest homecoming and for his assurance of hospitality and guarantees for my safety. I have long wished that we could meet again and cooperate closely in enabling the peace process to advance from one item to another in the substantive agenda,” he said.
However, the NDPF chief political consultant also mentioned how his return will not only be for the resumption of peace talks as it could also be dangerous.
“While we encourage the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) and NDFP negotiating panels to prepare for the resumption of the peace negotiations, we must consider that if I return to the Philippines prematurely, I expose not only myself but also the entire peace process to extremely high risks of violent sabotage and termination by spoilers who are out to terminate the peace process once and for all,” Sison explained.
He also listed three points that the GRP and the NDFP should prioritize on to resume the peace negotiations.
1. Making a memorandum of agreement to respect existing agreements prior to Proclamation 360 (which terminated the peace process) and to remove the obstacles and hindrances to the participation of a significant number of NDFP negotiators, consultants and experts in the peace negotiations.
2. Drafting the mutually satisfactory agreements on ceasefire and amnesty of the political prisoners as well as the parts of the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER) on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development and National Industrialization and Economic Development.
3. Signing and approving the agreements well within the 60-day frame that President Duterte has set by way of resuming the peace negotiations.
On April 21, Saturday evening, Duterte made his proposal to Sison in a speech during the 24th National Federation of Motorcycle Clubs of the Philippines (NFMCP) Annual Convention in Legazpi City.
“I created a small window – 60 days. My proposal to Sison, I will not go there. We’re fighting for the Philippines, so you come here,” the President said and even offered to pay for Sison’s fare, billeting, and food.
“Take advantage of that 60 days. If it succeeds, then I would like to thank God first and the Filipino people and the military and the police for their understanding,” Duterte added.
Sison is exiled in the Netherlands since 1987.
