PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has instructed the government peace panel not to resume the peace negotiations with the communists if the rebel group does not stop staging hostile activities in Mindanao.
According to a statement released by Malacañang Wednesday, July 19, the President made the instruction when he met with officials and members of the government peace panel at the Palace Tuesday night.
Malacañang said Duterte held a meeting with the state peace negotiators to discuss the possible signing of the bilateral ceasefire agreement with communist rebels on the scheduled fifth round of talks in August.
Duterte reportedly directed the government peace panel not to push through the peace dialogue with the National Democratic Front (NDF) unless the communists "agree to stop their attacks against government troops in Mindanao."
The President said the communist rebels should refrain from fighting the government troops in Mindanao, which is placed under a 60-day martial rule amid terror threats of Islamic State-inspired terrorists.
The Chief Executive was quoted as saying: “The Reds really need to stop engaging the military in Mindanao, if they want to continue the peace negotiations. The government has always dealt with the communist rebels in good faith.”
Duterte earlier said there would be no peace negotiations unless the communist group stops from collecting revolutionary taxes.
The fifth round of talks between the government peace panel and the NDF consultants was initially set from May 27 to June 1 but was cancelled due to "serious challenges" faced by both parties.
Labor Secretary and chief government peace negotiator Silvestre Bello III, later on, announced that the talks would resume in August in a bid to achieve “enduring and lasting peace” in the country.
Bello is set to conduct back-channel talks with the NDF in late July to tackle the resumption of formal negotiation between the two groups.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said the resumption of formal talks would depend on the group’s commitment to follow certain guidelines for possible ceasefire deal with the government.
Dureza said the guidelines include suspending operation against the state forces and stopping all their extortion on the ground.
The government panel is also slated to discuss with the communist group the possible inclusion of socioeconomic provisions in the interim peace agreement. (VoxPop Philippines)
