“The second round of the peace negotiation between the Philippine government (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) went very well. There were some debates and disagreements on issues but that is understandable. At the end of the day, the unity on major points far outweighed the few debates,” said Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, president of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) who is member of the government’s peace panel.
In a statement sent yesterday from Asker, Norway, Pamintuan said “the peace panels from both sides agreed to come up with a Joint Communiqué or Statement on the results of the second round of the negotiation as well as the schedule and venue of the third round of talks.”
This, even as the fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) lauded the peace negotiations, noting that “ the two parties agreed on the common frameworks and outlines of the last three substantive agendas, namely, the Comprehensive Agreement on Socioeconomic Reforms (CASER), political and constitutional reforms, and the cessation of hostilities/disposition of forces.”
“This will not only end the prolonged civil war in the country but on top of it, will address its roots, which are poverty and injustice. Socio-economic reforms proposed by the NDFP will detach our stunted economy from all foreign dictates that fuels industrial and agrarian backwardness resulting to widespread poverty among our working and rural people,” Pamalakaya said in a statement.
But Pamalakaya warned Pres. Duterte’s administration “to be cautious on the possible sabotage from the United States and its local doormats appointed in the government.”
“Pres. Duterte should be vigilant on the possible peace derangement from Uncle Sam’s apologists who want to retain the status quo of the neo-colonial rule. There are also these hard line militarists who want to address the root causes of armed confl ict in a fascist way,” the group said.
“For our part, we are in full support on the administration’s initiatives towards a genuine development to attain the lasting peace that is based on the democratic rights and interests of the Filipino people,” Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya chairperson said.
Meanwhile, Pamintuan noted that in the second round of Oslo talks, the Reciprocal Working Committees (RWC) for CASER from both parties met for the first time after years in hiatus and that “there were some discussions on how to proceed but the RWCSER members continued with the meetings and came up with major agreements.”
“The Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) also had its session and agreed on major issues. The JMC will continue working and exchanging notes during the next several weeks even while the panels from both sides are not in session,” he added.
“Aside from the RWC-SER and the JMC, the Sub-Committee on Ceasefire and the RWC on Political and Constitutional Reforms also held successful meetings,” he also said.
“The GRP peace panel is very much committed to the acceleration of the peace negotiation. I believe that the NDFP is equally committed,” Pamintuan also said.
