CPP: Duterte’s ‘local peace talks’ will fail

MANILA, Philippines – The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) reiterated its opposition to “local peace negotiations” initiated by the military and local officials with individual members or subgroups.

President Rodrigo Duterte called on communist rebels to lay down their arms, abandon the armed struggle, and support his administration. He offered them homes and livelihood so they could “live normal lives.”

“Duterte’s local peace talks will surely fail in its aim of dividing the revolutionary forces waging a nationwide people’s war. The Duterte regime is wasting time and the people’s money in setting-up these useless local peace committees which will go nowhere and achieve nothing,” the CPP said in a statement issued on Thursday, November 2.

“These are mere rehashes of worn-out psywar surrender programs such as the “balik-baril program” and the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) riding on the popular clamor for peace talks,” the CPP added.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said a number of New People’s Army (NPA) combatants, the armed wing of CPP, have taken the offer. (READ: Lorenzana to NPAs: ‘Return to the fold of law’)

The enticements come as government negotiators work to restart negotiations with the National Democratic Front (NDF), the political wing of the CPP, that is negotiating for the entire rebel organization. The CPP is responsible for Asia’s longest-running communist insurgency.

“The entire NPA is united under the central leadership of the CPP. The Party and all units of the NPA support the Negotiating Panel of the NDFP in its representation of all revolutionary forces in negotiations with the GRP with the aim of forging agreements to settle the outstanding socio-economic and political questions that compel the people to wage armed struggle,” the CPP said.

The previous Aquino administration also pushed for localized peace talks after talks with NDF bogged down. It was also rejected by the CPP.

It was recently revived by presidential daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

CPP statement

Read the complete statement of the CPP below.

The revolutionary forces under the leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and allied with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) reject local peace negotiations being pushed by local bureaucrats and military officials and supported by GRP president himself.

Mayor Sara Duterte of Davao City recently created a Davao City Peace Committee supposedly to negotiate with local forces of the New People’s Army (NPA). Similar efforts by the 8th ID in Eastern Visayas have been reported. Yesterday, GRP President Duterte expressed support for such efforts and called on NPA Red fighters to surrender with promises of housing and jobs.

Duterte’s local peace talks will surely fail in its aim of dividing the revolutionary forces waging a nationwide people’s war. The Duterte regime is wasting time and the people’s money in setting-up these useless local peace committees which will go nowhere and achieve nothing. These are mere rehashes of worn-out psywar surrender programs such as the “balik-baril program” and the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) riding on the popular clamor for peace talks.

The entire NPA is united under the central leadership of the CPP. The Party and all units of the NPA support the Negotiating Panel of the NDFP in its representation of all revolutionary forces in negotiations with the GRP with the aim of forging agreements to settle the outstanding socio-economic and political questions that compel the people to wage armed struggle.

By pushing for local peace talks and enticing the surrender of NPA fighters with silly incentives, Duterte reveals himself to have a very shallow appreciation of the profound social problems which are at the root of the raging civil war in the Philippines.

While waging nationwide armed struggle to confront Duterte’s “full-scale” all-out war and resist its fascist attacks against the people, the Party and all revolutionary forces reiterate its call for the resumption of the 5th round of the NDFP-GRP peace negotiations in order to pursue discussions on the release of all political prisoners and the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER). – Rappler.com