PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the police and the military to be more “friendly” with the communist rebels to give the peace talks a chance to succeed.
In a late night speech in Davao City on Wednesday, Duterte said: “I’m joining the Communist Party of the Philippines in its desire to seek peace for this nation.
“In the same manner, I am ordering the Armed Forces of the Philippines, including the Philippine National Police, that as of today, we have a ceasefire. So we avoid hostile actions against each other, we do not go into any antagonistic behavior in front of whoever.”
“I am encouraging people in government: the military and the police to be friendly with the forces of the revolutionary government of the Communist Party of the Philippines,” he added.
On Wednesday, the government and the communist rebels resumed formal peace negotiations in Oslo, Norway.
They have acknowledged three of five substantive issues for the peace talks to proceed, including a formal commitment to accelerate the process of forging a political settlement during Duterte’s administration.
Those affirmed include the reconstituted list of communist rebels that gives them protection on the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig); activation of the Reciprocal Working Committee (RWC) on the Socio Economic Reforms (Caser), Political and Constitutional Reforms (PCR) and End of Hostilities-Disposition of Forces (EOH-DoF); and the affirmation of all peace negotiations from the time of President Corazon Aquino up to the present.
The government declared an indefinite ceasefire with the communist insurgent movement on Saturday, a day after the Communist Party of the Philippines and its New People’s Army declared a seven-day truce on Friday.
NDF Chief Legal Counsel Edre Olalia said both panels hoped for a “convergence” in their positions with the two remaining substantive issues in the peace talks.
“The past two days of formal peace negotiations [were] practically a breeze. We go back to the negotiating table and take up the more challenging issues of amnesty and ceasefire that may define where and how we are going after this round of talks. Hopes remain high there will be a convergence of positions eventually,” Olalia said in a statement from Oslo.
Duterte said his decision to declare truce had the concurrence of the military.
He hoped the truce would accelerate “a peaceful resolution of the communist rebellion against the Republic of the Philippines.”
The President added: “It’s very important so that everybody will be apprised of my decision, which is mainly based on a consensus and with the concurrence of all the commanding generals of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”
At the same time, the President said the government is ready to free other political prisoners should the peace talks succeed.
“I am ready – if the successful talks are there for me to see and to hear. In the meantime, if they want to join the government, they are already there,” he said, adding he is ready to “give them more.”
“The problem is, it takes so much money to run a war for nothing. Look, after 45 years, I was still a student then and would even join rallies. But now, we have hit a kind of an agreement there to talk. See? We can talk. Another 45 years of what? Deadly fighting?” he asked.