National Democratic Front of the Philippines peace panel chairperson Fidel Agcaoili (davaotoday.com file photo)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — The National Democratic Front of the Philippines said the 17 NDFP consultants who participated in the peace negotiations in Oslo are protected from rearrest under the Joint Agreeement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees
The NDFP also said they are awaiting the formal notice of termination of the peace negotiations from the government peace panel.
“The NDFP hereby states that it is waiting for the formal notice from the GRP Negotiating Panel on its termination of the peace negotiations as mandated in the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) which defines the mode of termination,” NDFP peace panel chairperon fidel Agcaoili said in a statement Sunday.
Agcaoili added that those who took part in the third round of formal talks in Rome, Italy from Jan. 19 to 25 have returned to the country as of Jan. 31.
“These consultants have been put under the effective jurisdiction of GRP courts because they were released only on bail and only for a six-month period. They have been required to secure court permission every time they went abroad to participate in the last three rounds of talks,” said Agcaoili.
He added that the bail renewal of the NDFP consultants are due this month as stated in the Joint Statement signed by both Parties on Jan. 25.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday reiterated his order for the state intelligence forces to monitor the NDFP consultants who participated in the peace talks. He said they should return to prison.
JASIG is an agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the NDFP which was signed by their respective negotiating panels on February 24, 1995.
According to the Philippine Peace Center, the agreement “provides safety and immunity guarantees that protect the rights of negotiators, consultants, staffers, security and other personnel who participate in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations, in order to facilitate the peace negotiations, create a favorable atmo¬sphere conducive to free discussion and free movement during the negotiations, and avert any incident that may jeopardize the peace negotiations.”
“Without the JASIG, negotiations would not be possible. Without the JASIG, persons involved in the negotiations would always feel or actually be under a cloud of threat and would be unable to perform their functions freely. The negotiations would always be at risk of being disrupted and totally jeopardized,” it added.
Those who are covered or protected by JASIG are the “duly accredited persons” who were designated by either Party to take part of the peace negotiations.
Under the JASIG, all duly accredited persons are guaranteed immunity from surveillance, harassment, search, arrest, detention, prosecution and interrogation or any other similar punitive actions due to any involvement or participation in the peace negotiations.
Meanwhile, Agcaoili added that the Royal Norwegian Government, who acts as third party facilitator to the peace process is the one providing for the travel expenses and accommodation of the NDFP delegation in formal and informal peace talks since the beginning of the negotiations.
He added that the NDFP “stands firm in its commitment to struggle for a just and lasting peace in the country in accordance with the national and democratic aspirations of the Filipino people.”(davaotoday.com)
