DAVAO CITY—The National Democratic Front wants the communist New People’s Army and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to be integrated at the end of the peace negotiations, an official said Thursday.
Porferio Tuna Jr., an NDF consultant, said at the end of peace talks they hoped that the NPA would serve as guards in the hinterlands and be integrated with the AFP.
“We are looking that at the end of the peace negotiations, the NPA will remain armed, they could guard the different industries in the hinterlands and integrate with the AFP,” Tuna said.
He made his statement even as the Philippine government and the NDF’s peace negotiators agreed in principle to revitalize the Joint Monitoring Committee for the implementation of the comprehensive agreement on respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.
Hernani Braganza, former Agrarian Reform secretary and a member of the government peace panel, said the panel members met Tuesday and Wednesday at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Taguig City in a meeting facilitated by Special Envoy to the Peace Process Elizabeth Slattum.
“This is another breakthrough in the peace process,” Braganza said.
“The peace panels, through their committees and sub-committees, are holding talks in the Philippines, not only in Oslo, to [speed up] the peace negotiations.” PNA
Tuna said at the end part of the peace talks, in which the two parties would have discussed the end of hostilities and the disposition of their armed forces, the integration of their two armed groups could be concluded.
He said that before the two parties resolved the end of hostilities and the disposition of their forces, socio-economic and constitutional reforms should be addressed first.
He said the ongoing unilateral ceasefire was just the beginning because the two parties must still agree on the reforms to be instituted.
“The last part of the talks would be the end of hostilities and disposition of forces,” Tuna said.
“Our view is that the NPAs will remain to be the guards of the hinterlands to protect the programs of the government especially on agriculture.”