Gov’t agreed to start of ceasefire on June 21, talks on June 28 —Sison

The Philippine government may have turned its back on recently signed agreements with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines as regards a ceasefire that would have started on June 21 and the resumption of peace talks on June 28.

According to Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman and NDF chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison, the respective chairpersons of the GRP and the NDFP negotiating panels—Secretary Silvestre Bello and Fidel V. Agcaoili—signed the agreements pertaining to the said events on June 9.

The signing, according to Sison's post on Facebook, was witnessed by the Norwegian special envoy Ambassador Idun Tevdt.

"It is both disappointing and frustrating that the Duterte regime has unilaterally cancelled the scheduled start of the stand-down ceasefire on June 21 and the resumption of formal talks in the peace negotiations in Oslo a week later on June 28," Sison said.

"It is starkly clear that the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) under Duterte is not interested in serious peace negotiations with the NDFP (National Democratic Front of the Philippines)," he added.

Sison said the revolutionary forces have no choice but to "singlemindedly wage people’s war to achieve the national and social liberation of the Filipino people" as the government was clearly not serious in attaining peace with the Reds.

It was announced earlier by Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza that the resumption of peace talks between the two parties will not push through on June 28 as President Rodrigo Duterte wants to have more public consultations regarding the matter.

Dureza emphasized that the government would have to make the final call. —NB/BM, GMA News