Karapatan says Proclamation 360 fits Duterte's ‘obsession to be Marcos 2.0’

Militant rights group Karapatan on Saturday slammed President Rodrigo Duterte's proclamation declaring the termination of peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP).

"Duterte’s termination of the peace negotiations further exposes his fascist mold and his insincerity to pursue just and lasting peace in the Philippines," Karapatan said in a statement.

On Thursday night, Duterte signed Proclamation No. 360, terminating the peace negotiations with the communist rebels.

The rights group describe this move by the President as fitting "his mad obsession to be a version 2.0 of dictator Ferdinand Marcos."

Karapatan alleged that the termination of peace talks with communist rebels was among Duterte's schemes to strengthen his hold to power through a nationwide martial law declaration or his bogus revolutionary government design.

The proclamation was signed by Duterte months after he said he no longer wants to talk peace with communist rebels in his speeches in February and July.

Proclamation No. 360 was signed a day after the OPAPP announced that the Philippine government was ending its peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDFP.

"His stubborn refusal to abide by the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), through his non-release of political prisoners and intensifying repressive measures against the people, manifests itself as once again, he ranted and raved like a madman instead of discussing these major significant issues in the aborted fifth round of formal peace talks," Karapatan said.

"This development, along with his terrorist-tagging of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army and the verbal orders to state forces to undertake a crackdown on progressive organizations perfectly fits into Duterte’s mix of repressive campaigns against the people – his war against drugs, counter-insurgency and all-out war, martial law in Mindanao, and attacks against his perceived political enemies," it added.

On Wednesday, Duterte said he would tag all the legal fronts of the NPA as criminals and have them arrested for conspiracy.

Duterte reiterated that he would soon declare NPA as a terror group. —Ted Cordero/ALG, GMA News