DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza said the president still desires to bring just and lasting peace in the country weeks after the unilateral interim ceasefire of both the government and Communists were ended early this month.
Dureza released a statement Tuesday after Duterte met with him and government chief negotiator Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and left-leaning Cabinet Secretaries namely Liza Maza, lead convenor of the National Anti Poverty Commission; Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano and Social Welfare and Development Secretary Judy Taguiwalo on Monday night.
Dureza said their meeting lasted until late night where the officials discussed “directions and possible next steps in our peace engagements with the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army/National Democratic Front (CPP/NPA/NDF), the Bangsamoro, the Cordillerans, and the other stakeholders.”
“The President reiterated his desire and passion of bringing about just, lasting, and inclusive peace in the land,” Dureza said.
He said Duterrte gave specific instructions on how to deal with the situation following the cancellation of the peace talks and the unilateral ceasefire declaration with the Communists.
“He lamented that the almost 50-year old insurgency and conflict still continue to this day and vowed to work for a strategic shift during his incumbency,” Dureza said.
Duterte reciprocated the announcement of the CPP and NPA on their termination of ceasefire on February 1 after two days, lifting effectively the government’s ceasefire on February 3.
Duterte scored the NPA for allegedly attacking government troops in Bukidnon province who were unarmed and killing them with over 70 gunshots. The NPA denied the accusations, saying the soldiers were armed. Duterte also branded as terrorist the CPP, NPA and NDF and declared an all out war against the NPA.
For the CPP and the NPA, it was the government who failed to follow to its ceasefire declaration saying government troops are encroaching their territories and committing human rights violations.
The Communists also included in the reasons on the termination of their unilateral ceasefire the failure to release the political prisoners as promised by Duterte.
Recently, the CPP expressed its willingness to proceed with the peace talks manifesting its eagerness to proceed with the crafting of a bilateral ceasefire agreement.
Progressive groups urged the government to reciprocate the CPP-NPA’s latest pronouncements.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said: “The GRP is also called on to effect the release of all political prisoners as a matter of justice and as a move that can pave the way for a bilateral ceasefire.”
The group also reiterated the people’s demand that any ceasefire agreement must mean “the pullout of AFP operating troops in civilian communities and an end to the killings and arbitrary arrests of activists.”
It said “it is in the best interest of the Filipino people that peace talks proceed, and that important agreements on socioeconomic, political and constitutional reforms are forged.”
“Only then can a lasting solution to the armed conflict be achieved,” Bayan said.
Meanwhile, Dureza said Duterte also “viewed with positive note the forthcoming launching on February 24 of the renewed effort to implement the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.”
“He will preside over the big event on Friday in Davao City. He also stressed the need for convergence and the coming together of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Moro National Liberation Front, and other different factions of the Bangsamoro in a single road map for peace,” said Dureza.
He added that “the President expressed support for the common and continuing aspiration for an autonomous region for the Cordillera and called on the people there to unite as one in making a final try at entrenching it as mandated by the constitution.”
“The President instructed that all these different tracks must gather inputs from the different stakeholders to make the reform agenda inclusive, which must eventually lead to the final goal of installing a federal system throughout the country,” he said. (davaotoday.com)
