YEARENDER: Elusive peace, stalled GPH-NDFP talks

Agcaoili’s statement is corroborated by recent WikiLeaks reports exposing how the GRP/GPH coordinated with the Dutch government to have NDFP chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison arrested. This was narrated in a September 4, 2007 memorandum sent by former US ambassador Kirstie Kenny to the State Department wherein the US official reported a visit made by then foreign affairs secretary Alberto Romulo to her residence for a private breakfast.

Jalandoni said Padilla’s excuse is flimsy, adding that the latter initially agreed that the NDFP will just have to reconstruct the DI of JASIG-protected persons.

Jalandoni pointed out that when the GPH released four of the 17 detained NDFP consultants, it had not opened the safety depository box.

“This issue is easily resolvable and cannot be cited by the GPH Negotiating Panel as a cause of delay in the peace negotiations,” Jalandoni said. “The refusal of the GPH to comply with its obligation is the immediate major obstacle to the continuation of the peace negotiations.”

On Sept. 6, the Royal Norwegian Government (RNG) facilitated talks between members of both panels in Manila. The RNG, which acts a third party facilitator in the GPH-NDFP peace talks, recommended the compliance of GPH to its commitment to release detained NDFP consultants to be able to proceed with the talks. Both parties agreed to resume negotiations in October.

By October 10, however, the GPH has not released even one of the 13 remaining detained JASIG-protected individuals.

Agcaoili said in a statement that the GPH once again failed to comply with its commitment to release JASIG-protected individuals and has effectively delayed the peace talks.

In a statement released on the International Human Rights Day, the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) called on the government to comply with CARHRIHL, specifically Article 6 of said agreement, which requires both parties to “…abide by its doctrine laid down in People vs. Hernandez (99 Phil. 515, July 18, 1956), as further elaborated in People vs. Geronimo (100 Phil. 90 October 13, 1956), and shall forthwith review the cases of all prisoners or detainees who have been charged detained, or convicted contrary to this doctrine, and shall immediately release them.”

“A number of these political prisoners include the detained consultants of the NDFP so this can also pave the way for the immediate resumption of the formal peace talks. This will be an act of justice and magnanimity and is fully in line with the spirit of Christmas,” the PEPP said.

As of this writing, the Aquino administration has not released any of the remaining detained NDFP consultants.

Jalandoni said a more serious threat to the GPH-NDFP peace negotiations is the undermining of past agreements by the GPH.

Since peace talks began in 1987, there have been twelve bilateral agreements signed by both parties. Foremost is The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992, the so-called framework agreement that laid down the substantive agenda items of the talks.

Deles branded The Hague Joint Declaration as “a document of perpetual division between the parties.”

Jalandoni said further that agreements on the rest of the substantive agenda of the peace negotiations, namely, social and economic reforms, political and constitutional reforms, and end of hostilities and disposition of forces, have no chance of being attained if The Hague Joint Declaration, the Jasig and CARHRIHL are undermined and attacked by the GPH.

“Such undermining is the strongest evidence that the Aquino regime, Secretary Deles and GPH Panel Chair Padilla have no desire or intention to engage in serious peace negotiations to address the roots of the armed conflict. They merely want rumors of peace talks as part of the counterinsurgency plan, cosmetically called Oplan Bayanihan, following the US Government Counterinsurgency Guide,” Jalandoni said.

Meanwhile, Jazmines remains at Camp Crame prison with two other NDFP consultants Eduardo Serrano and Eduardo Sarmiento. Ten other NDFP personnel languish in other detention facilities.

Even behind bars, Jazmines said he tries to fulfill his tasks as a member of the NDFP reciprocal working committee for socio-economic reforms. He reviews and comments on NDFP drafts, albeit the censorship of these documents by jail authorities.

For him, the agenda item on socio-economic reforms is the “meat of peace negotiations” and much-needed in this time of deep economic crisis.

In the meantime, the aspirations of the Filipino people for a just and lasting peace remains as elusive as ever.