Local revolutionary formations reject localized peace talks — CPP

“Revolutionary forces across the country at various levels belie claims by Duterte officials that the rejection of the sham localized talks came only from peace negotiators of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) based in the Netherlands, and not from forces on the ground,” the CPP said. (Photo By Communist Party of the Philippines, Public Domain)

The government’s proposal to conduct localized peace talks with communist rebels was also rejected by local revolutionary groups, according to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on Wednesday, July 18.

In its press release, the CPP said several its regional committees as well as field commands of its armed wing, New People’s Army (NPA) have issued statements, saying that they firmly reject and condemn the administration’s localized peace negotiations.

“Revolutionary forces across the country at various levels belie claims by Duterte officials that the rejection of the sham localized talks came only from peace negotiators of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) based in the Netherlands, and not from forces on the ground,” the CPP said.

“These statements are virtual slaps on the face of (President Rodrigo) Duterte and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. Local revolutionary forces echo the earlier statement issued by the Communist Party of the Philippines denouncing Duterte’s local peace talks which smokescreen its total war against the people and widespread military abuses under Mindanao martial law and Oplan Kapayapaan,” it added.

In Northern Luzon, the NPA-Venerando Villacillo Command (NPA-VCC) in Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino provinces said it turned down the offer because they believed that peace negotiations would not address the root of the armed conflict.

“Only the 5th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, armed state forces, intelligence units, local elite and foreign imperialist capitalists would benefit from localized peace talks,” NPA-VCC stressed.

On the other hand, Simon Naogsan, spokesperson of the Cordillera People’s Democratic Front (CPDF) declared that among Cordillerans, “national oppression is perpetrated by the reactionary state ruled by big landlords, comprador bourgeoisie and US (United States) imperialism.”

Naogsan added that CPDF cannot expect the local government to respond to these problems

The NPA-Celso Minguez Command (NPA-CMC) in Sorsogon, Bicol, for its part, described the localized peace talks as a “deceptive offer.”

NPA-CMC spokesperson Samuel Guerrero said the Dutere administration is pushing for its proposal to “hide the fact that it does not really plan to finalize and sign the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER)” that addresses the people’s demands for genuine land reform and national industrialization.

Meanwhile in the Visayas, NDFP-Negros Island spokesperson Frank Fernandez claimed that Duterte was “playing blind to the everyday struggles of Filipinos,” while he peddles his peace negotiations.

The NDFP-Negros Island, he said, would remain firm with its decision to spurn the talks as it was only designed to “smokescreen the brutal and ruthless all-out war that has beset the country and divert attention from Duterte’s unwillingness to pursue agrarian reform, national industrialization and national sovereignty.”

NDFP-Panay spokesperson Concha Araneta declared that no communists in their area would be ever “enticed and fooled” by the government.

Moreover, Rubi del Mundo, NDFP-Southern Mindanao mouthpiece, said Duterte’s offer is “nothing but a hollow attempt to draw a veil over the ravages of Martial Law in Mindanao and the escalating bloodbath of Oplan Kapayapaan affecting millions of civilians in the country.”

According to the CPP, these rejections came after the Palace defended its move to issue an executive order (EO) for localized peace talks. CPP explained that this is “to pretend to be for peace” after it terminated formal negotiations between the government and the NDFP.

The NDFP, the CPP’s political arm, earlier claimed that these negotiations were aimed to “isolate” CPP’s founding chairman, Jose Maria “Joma” Sison, from revolutionaries as he plays a crucial role in the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines)-NDFP peace talks.

[READ: Communist rebels remain firm in rejecting localized peace talks]

It also described the proposal as Duterte’s “classic divide-and-rule” tactic, believing that the idea of it is to ‘hoodwink’ local leaders of the CPP and NPA to agree to local ceasefire arrangements and then persuade them to surrender.