Bayan Muna solon asks Duterte: Don't cancel talks with Reds

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate on Saturday called on President Rodrigo Duterte not to cancel the peace negotiations between the government and the communist rebels.

"We strongly urge President Duterte to instruct the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) panel not to cancel the talks and to return to the negotiating table. This is not the time to abandon the many significant gains of the talks that were reached in less than a year of negotiations," Zarate said in a statement.

"These troubling developments do not augur well in our people's quest of solving the root causes of the armed conflict in our country. It will only embolden the militarists in and out of the government to continue a system that impoverished our country and people, as well as spawned widespread violations of human rights," he added.

He also mentioned the supposed "continued tactical offensives" by the New People's Army, noting that this should be a reason for peace talks to continue.

"In the absence yet of the mechanisms for the already agreed joint interim ceasefire, the NPAs tactical offensives in the midst of the military's continuing counter-insurgency operations are bound to happen," Zarate said.

"Because of these continued operations of both parties, it is imperative for the parties to continue even more with the talks and finalize the details of the joint interim ceasefire and the remaining items of the substantive agenda on social-economic, political and constitutional reforms," he pointed out.

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, for his part, urged the Duterte administration to "cleanse its bureaucracy of communists."

"Without clear conclusion at hand, the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines) are expected to pursue its ultimate objective of overthrowing the existing democratic government," he said.

Alejano also pointed out the attacks of the communist rebels amid the peace negotiations.

"The peace talks was also put to question when CPP founder Joma Sison admitted that the NDF does not have control over the NPA which implies that whatever agreements that GRP and NDF will arrive at may not be honored by the NPA," he said.

Meanwhile, Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao said panel to panel discussions will still push through to determine if the 5th round of peace talks will continue or not.

"What is important is for both parties to take into higher consideration the greater importance of pushing thru with agreeing with CASER (Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms) and not limit to setting precondition such as signing first a bilateral ceasefire while putting the CASER as secondary," he said. —Anna Felicia Bajo/ALG, GMA News