MANILA, Philippines – PARA maging matagumpay ang planong pagpapatuloy ng usapang pangkapayapaan sa pagitan ng national government at National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) , hindi dapat na ipinapataw o inihihirit ng magkabilang partido ang preconditions.
Naniniwala si NDFP negotiating panel member Asterio Palima na mahalaga sa magkabilang panig na maitatag muna ang tiwala at ugnayan bago humirit ng anumang demand para tuldukan ang five-decade long civil war na isinakatuparan ng Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP) laban sa national government.
“The GRP has changed its course from that time six years ago when the negotiation was abruptly discontinued by the NDFP. That’s a major development. As we’ve said before, the NDF is always open to talks, to negotiations at any time for as long as the basis for the talks would be premised on solving the roots of armed conflict,” ayon kay Palima sa isang panayam.
Pinalakas naman ni Palima ang naunang pahayag ni Office of the Presidential Peace Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. na ang preconditions na inilatag sa mga nakalipas na usapang pangkapayapaan ang naging dahilan para mapigilan ang magkabilang partido na sumulong sa matagumpay na yugto ng negosasyon.
“There are many conditions that we cannot move on to the succeeding stages of negotiation. We need to create a new framework that would define the parameters of the negotiation. If we will lay down the preconditions already or if we will use the previous agreements, the peace talks will really not move forward,” ayon kay Galvez.
Kapuwa naman sumang-ayon ang GRP at NDFP na bumalangkas ng bagong framework para sa peace agreement na magtatakda ng parametro para sa exploratory talks sa hinaharap, patungo naman sa pagtatatag ng pinal na peace agreement.
“But this is easier said than done,” ayon kay Palima sabay sabing “among the things that hampered the previous peace negotiation, which was terminated by the Duterte administration in 2017, was the arrest of NDFP political consultants.”
Kasunod ng gumuhong peace negotiation anim na taon na ang nakalilipas, ipinag-utos ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte ang mass arrest ng lahat ng political consultants na napagkalooban ng conditional liberty upang makapagpartisipa ang mga ito sa peace talks.
“If you look at major pitfalls, it is the arrest of even our political consultants which are crucial to the negotiations. The few of us in the panel cannot really come forward with the other panel on a significant or viable agreement without the expertise or assistance of the experts,” ani Palima.
“Without the political consultants, we wouldn’t go forward in any deeper discussions on economic reforms,” dagdag na pahayag nito.
Sa kasalukuyan, may 800 political prisoners ang nananatiling mahina na sa loob ng bilangguan.
Inamin ni Palima na ang pagkakaloob ng amnestiya ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr., sa mga rebeldeng komunista noong nakaraang Nobyembre 23 ay nagbigay ng “good tone” para sa pagpapatuloy ng peace talks.
“It helps in the confidence-building especially if it is really meant to look at the situation of political prisoners,” aniya pa rin.
Gayunman, binigyang diin ng NDFP peace panel member na hindi naman “primary factor” ang amnestiya para sa peace talks sabay sabing maraming political prisoners ang nakalulong dahil sa “trumped up” charges o inimbentong pagsasakdal.
“We don’t really need a formal amnesty in this situation. If you look at the ages of these political prisoners, many of them are jailed on forced evidence and trumped up charges. Even if the GRP uses its own laws and framework, many of these political prisoners would be released using the already existing legal processes of the other party,” paliwanag nito.
Tinukoy din ni Palima ang kahalagahan ng Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) ng GRP at NDFP.
Ang JASIG, isang kadunuan na nilagdaan ng GRP at NDFP noong 1995, ay nag-gagarantiya sa immunity para sa lahat ng indibiduwal na kaugnay sa peace talks.
“We have the Joint Agreement on [Safety] and Immunity Guarantees that is really meant to ensure that these negotiations go smoothly without any side killing for their lives, killing for their safety. We think that JASIG is important really, an indispensable part of the negotiations,” ang tinuran ni Palima. Kris Jose
