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Peace talks should be within Constitution to prevent ‘exploitation’ — OPAPP
Future peace negotiations with communist rebels must be within the framework of the 1987 Philippine Constitution to prevent its exploitation, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said Friday.
In a statement, OPAPP spokesperson Wilben Mayor said the government and communist parties must develop a new framework within the scope of the Constitution.
“The communists have been using the peace negotiations as a weapon against the Filipino people. And we will not allow this to continue. There should be a mechanism in place to prevent them from exploiting the peace talks,” Mayor said.
“The government’s stand is very clear that any talks should be within the ambit of the constitution and the rule of law because this is where we derive our mandate in the first place,” he added.
According to Mayor, the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People's Army, and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines are “pushing for their own brand of peace talks,” which he claims are anchored on the adoption of the Comprehensive Agreement on Social Economic Reforms (CASER) as a precondition.
“In the first place, CASER is flawed. The document is filled with unconstitutional provisions. What the insurgents are trying to do is to sell the idea to the public that the government does not want to engage in peace talks with them,” Mayor said.
“But their real intention is only to hold the peace negotiations hostage by shoving CASER down the government and the Filipino people’s throats. The document is part of their grand scheme to seize power from the government,” he added.
In response to claims that the government is not inclined to resume peace negotiations, Mayor maintained the government has always been supportive of peace talks.
Though open to resuming peace negotiations, Sison said holding the talks in the Philippines was an unacceptable precondition. — RSJ, GMA News
