Reds’ top negotiators cancel trip to PHL

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) on Monday confirmed the cancellation of the Philippine visit of its chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili and senior adviser Luis Jalandoni.

“We can now confirm that the scheduled trip to the Phil[lippines] has been cancelled,” the organization told GMA News Online in an email.

On Sunday, Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza said that an “informal meeting” between Palace officials and Red leaders may take place in Manila next week.

"President Duterte has tasked me and Secretary Salvador Panelo to meet with them in an informal chat," Dureza said in a statement.

However, reports said Jalandoni will not push through with the trip after Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said last week that the NDF officials will be arrested upon their return to the Philippines.

Año said Jalandoni and Agcaoili are facing arrest warrants for some cases.

But presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Año "was only saying" that the NDF officials can be arrested on the basis of the cancellation of the peace talks.

Panelo assured Jalandoni and Agcaoili that they will not be arrested once they set foot in the country.

"Certainly, because how can we be talking if they will be coming in just to be arrested. As I said, Secretary Año was only saying that on the basis of the cancellation of the peace talks. So if there is any informal talks then that would not apply," Panelo said in an interview with ANC television.

He also said the government is not canceling the informal talks.

"There is no cancellation of any informal talk, what we have is one of them saying that he is afraid of being arrested. And we’re saying that you cannot be arrested if you would want to have a talk," Panelo, also Duterte's chief legal counsel, said.

"The instruction [from Duterte] is to meet with them and see if there is any compelling reason for the President to continue with the peace talks. That was the marching order. We'll have to sit down and discuss, if we can agree on terms and conditions prior to the talks."

Aside from the possible meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte, Agcaoili and Jalandoni were also supposed to visit the Philippines this month as members of the joint monitoring committee under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

They were also scheduled to meet Norwegian Ambassador to the Philippines Bjørn Jahnsen this month.

Told not to proceed

Agcaoili said he had been told not to proceed with the trip. He didn't say who gave the advice.

"Not yet. I was given an advise not to proceed, for now, because the appointment with the President was reportedly cancelled," Agcaoili said in a message to reporters, without saying who gave him the advise.

As for NDFP panel member Coni Ledesma and her husband NDFP senior adviser Luis Jalandoni, Agcaoili said the couple  cancelled their trip because Jalandoni had standing cases in court.

Agcaoili said there was a lack of clear, categorical, reliable and consistent assurance that Jalandoni would not be arrested.

NDFP legal counsel Edre Olalia said Agcaoili had no pending cases in court and was more confident of making the visit.

"He will come if there is clear, categorical, consistent and reliable assurance that his rights and privileges, immunity under JASIG, are fully respected and they will not circumvent it," Olalia said.

Olalia said Agcaoili was supposed to discuss ways how to revive the peace negotiations if the visit pushed through.

"Certaintly, thats the logical expectation," Olalia said. — with Virgil Lopez/NB/RSJ, GMA News