PRESIDENT Duterte said on Thursday that he will grant the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison an assurance that he may return to the country without being arrested once peace talks between the government and communist rebels resume, according to Presidential Spokeman Harry L. Roque Jr.
Roque stated that the President informed the Cabinet in their meeting on Wednesday night that he has authorized the resumption of peace talks subject to three conditions.
“We are awaiting their response to the government position that we are willing to resume peace talks, but subject to those conditions,” Roque said.
The government’s conditions for CPP-New People’s Army (NPA) to include honoring a genuine cease-fire with no actual shooting, desisting from collecting revolutionary taxes during the ongoing cease-fire and stop seeking a coalition government.
“So, if the CPP-NPA would agree to these conditions, then peace talks could resume; and if peace talks would resume, the President said he’s even able and willing to grant Joma Sison an assurance that he can come home without being arrested for the purpose of participating in the peace talks,” Roque said.
“Now, former Congressman Nani Braganza was deployed [on Wednesday] to meet with the bargaining panel of the CPP-NPA to relay this information to them,” he added.
Meanwhile, at Camp Aguinaldo, defense and military officials have issued a chorus of support to President Duterte’s decision to resume the peace negotiations “for the last time.”
Bernadette D. Nicolas and Rene Acosta