5th round of talks between gov't, Reds 'on hold'

The government on Saturday temporarily withdrew from the 5th round of peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines citing the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) recent order for the New People's Army (NPA) to intensify offensives amid President Rodrigo Duterte's declaration of martial law in Mindanao.

In a statement, presidential peace adviser Secretary Jesus Dureza cited attacks by the New People's Army (NPA) and the recent order of the Communist Party Philippines (CPP) to its ground forces to intensify its offensive amid President Rodrigo Duterte's declaration of martial law in Mindanao.

"The most serious development of late and which puts in great jeopardy as to whether or not we can still keep the court of peace in this peace table is the blatant publicly announced decision of the Communist Party of the Philippines , the political organ of our counterparts across the table who are here, ordering their forces on the ground to accelerate and intensify attacks against the government in the face of the declaration of martial law in Mindanao..." Dureza said in the statement read during the opening of the fifth round of talks in The Netherlands.

He said that because of the latest order of the CPP and attacks by the NPA, the government's peace panel "will not proceed to participate in the scheduled 5th round of peace negotiations until such time as there are clear indications that an enabling environment conducive to achieving just and sustainable peace in the land through peace negotiations across this table shall prevail."

Waiting for response

In a press conference, Labor Secretary and government chief negotiator Silvestre Bello III clarified that they did not suspend or cancelled the fifth round of talks. He said they are waiting for the response of the NDFP panel on the recent actions of the CPP.

"Wala namang suspension, naghihintayan... kasi may proseso eh," Bello said.

"We ask them to address their issue, and they asked us for 10 minutes after they received the written statement of our presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza for 10 minutes for them to respond. That is why we are taken aback and instead of coming back to us after 10 minutes they went to a conference," Bello said.

At a separate press conference, NDFP negotiating panel senior adviser Luis Jalandoni announced that the government cancelled the 5th round of peace talks.

He said the government panel's supposed move to cancel the 5th round of talks "gives the indication that they don't want to go into negotiations to discuss about certain issues.

"This cancellation of the fifth round gives the indication that they don't want to go into negotiations to discuss about CARHRIHL (Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law) agreement, human rights... international humanitarian law. What about this violations happening on the ground? They have to do something to take responsibility for it and they have to take responsibility for stopping these or CASER (Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms)," Jalandoni said.

"These are all left hanging and undecided because they are already breaking off the fifth round of talks," Jalandoni added.

Bello, meanwhile, said the government panel was waiting for the recommendation of CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison to the central committee regarding the "intensified offensives" order against government troops.

"Nag-uusap pa sila doon, there are still no official statement from the central committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines. So i-hold lang muna natin," Bello added.

Sison defends CPP order

Meanwhile, Sison defended the order of the CPP for the NPA to intensify its offensives in his opening statement during the 5th round of talks in The Netherlands.

"The cause of intensified fighting between the armed forces of the GRP and NDFP is the GRP all out-war policy and threat of martial law. It is wrong for anyone to blame the NPA and claim that it has gone out of command and control of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NDFP," Sison said.

He said the communist rebels "maintains high fighting morale" under the leadership of the CPP.

"If the objective of the intrigue is to justify the GRP all-out war policy and extract a bilateral or joint ceasefire agreement ahead of any substantive comprehensive agreement on basic reforms, the GRP is practically terminating the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations," he added.

Sison also took note that the only conceivable instance where the NDFP can agree with the martial law declaration is the "alliance to combat the armed collaboration between US imperialism and local reactionary forces."

In his opening statement, NDFP chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili also cited fears of the communist group against Duterte's martial law declaration in Mindanao.

"The recent martial declaration in Mindanao will surely lead to a burgeoning in the number of political prisoners and human rights violations," Agcaoili said.

Duterte placed the entire Mindanao under martial law last Tuesday following the Maute terror group's attack in Marawi City, which has left more than a dozen people killed and thousands displaced.

Meanwhile, Jalandoni said that the government's view against the CPP's order was very "one-sided."

"That's what they claim, to stop the intensification of the NPA on the ground without mentioning all the concrete violations that they are doing against the people which is the basis of the NDF to continue defending the defense of the people," Jalandoni explained.

"It is one-sided and very inaccurate," he added.

Jalandoni also took note that Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has supposedly "included" the communist rebels in the declaration of martial law, saying that the martial law also seemed to be after the Reds.

"Lorenzana, noon pa noong February 4 all-out war against the New People's Army, ngayon martial law declaration ni President Duterte eh Lorenzana, 'there is still rebel maliban doon sa Maute group meron pang... sa Region XI mga NPA na nangongotong. So, Lorenzana included the NPA in the martial law declaration," Jalandoni said.

He said the NDFP panel is currently looking for ways on how to advance the peace talks.

"Right now we are discussing how to respond to this statement of Jess Dureza. The reasons given do not mention the reality on the ground, the intense violations of the people's rights. So we have to answer and say these problems... we're still ready to look and discuss with you. We'll try to find a way to advance the peace talks," he said.

The 5th round of peace talks was previously set in Noordwijk in the Netherlands from May 27 to June 1. —with report from Raffy Tima and Trisha Macas/ALG, GMA News