Bello: Permanent truce with CPP-NPA still possible

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III is not giving up on signing a joint permanent ceasefire agreement with the National Democratic Front (NDF) despite drawbacks on some contentious points.

“Hindi pa nagkakaroon ng consensus kaya medyo hindi natin siguro ma-attain ‘yung December 10. But we are still, we are not giving up na by December 10 magkakaroon pa rin tayo ng signing of the joint bilateral permanent ceasefire. ‘Yun ang huwag ninyong kalimutan, permanent ceasefire which will eventually lead to the cessation of hostilities,” Bello said in a press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday.

Bello is the government's chief peace negotiator with the communist movement.

He explained that the government and the NDF have yet to agree on some terms and conditions including definition of hostile acts, identification of battle zones, and members of the team that will monitor the ceasefire’s implementation and compliance.

“I’ll give you an example: The issue of what is considered as hostile act. Kung titignan mo lang eh, madali ‘di ba. Madaling pag-usapan ‘yan pero mahirap din. You know why? There are ramifications eh. Like for example, is collection of revolutionary tax considered a hostile act? ‘Yan, medyo madugo ‘yan,” he said.

If the joint ceasefire agreement won’t push through on December 10, he said that he had a gentleman’s agreement with NDF chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni to extend their respective unilateral ceasefire declarations.

"For the sake of [the] public, ang mga taumbayan, maganda siguro na meron tayong announcement na extending para magkaroon ng peace of mind ang ating mga kababayan during the Christmas season. That's very possible," he said. —ALG, GMA News