Joma Sison on localized peace talks: It will not work

Communist Party of the Philippines founding chair Jose Maria Sison on Thursday deemed localized peace negotiations as ineffective.

"This is an old trick that was proven to be ineffective. Localized peace talks are stage plays. It will not work," Sison said at a press conference via Skype.

"You have false peace negotiations when you have localized peace talks," he added.

On Wednesday, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said local government units may pursue localized peace negotiations with rebels provided that "they do not concede any aspect of governance and pursuant to guidelines to be agreed upon by the Cabinet cluster on security."

Roque then reiterated some conditions of President Rodrigo Duterte in resuming peace talks, saying that the President prefers to hold the peace negotiations in the Philippines and that the communists should stop collecting revolutionary tax.

He also said the rebels must not demand for a coalition government.

National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili clarified that communists have never demanded for a coalition government, contrary to the remarks of some top officials of the Duterte administration.

The formal resumption of peace talks was scheduled to proceed on June 28 in Norway, but it did not push through as Duterte said he wants more public consultations before returning to the negotiating table.

A stand-down agreement was signed on June 8 and was supposed to take effect on June 21, a week before the opening of formal talks. — RSJ, GMA News