Military asks Duterte for 3-month postponement of peace talks

SECURITY CONCERNS --- President Rodrigo Duterte presides over the Joint Armed Forces of the Philippines-Philippine National Police (AFP-PNP) Command Conference. (Malacañang photo)

MANILA --- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) asked President Rodrigo Duterte to postpone  the formal resumption of peace talks  with the communists by three months during the joint military and police command conference last June 13.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said this is to give the military time to assess the implications of any cease-fire on its operations.

"They request this postponement so that the AFP can look into the ramifications of the stand-down and the succeeding cease-fire in its security operations," Lorenzana told Rappler last June 15.

       

Initially, the military had wanted a longer postponement – six months.

"The AFP initially was thinking of six months," said the defense chief.

The three-month period agreed upon would also be used to thresh out "the parameters and criteria to be followed during the stand-down," he added.

"The AFP is expected to submit its recommendations within the three-month period," said Lorenzana.

Road to peace

On Thursday (June 14), Chief Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza announced that Duterte ordered the postponement of peace talks, scheduled to take place on June 28.

Dureza had said this was to give time for the public to be "consulted" on the draft agreements put forward by the National Democratic Front (NDFP) – the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) – and the government negotiating panel.

Duterte, however, in his speech last June 14, said talks in July may still be possible.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque had said that the military and police expressed support for Duterte's peace initiative but that they wanted that the New People's Army, the armed wing of the CPP, could use the resumption of peace talks to regroup.

CPP founder Jose Maria Sison had slammed Duterte's "disappointing" and "frustrating" decision to push back the talks.

He said the two negotiating panels had discussed a cease-fire declaration on June 21, or a week before the initial June 28 talks in Oslo, Norway.

Sison urged the panels to publicize agreements signed on June 9 and 10.

"It is starkly clear that the GRP (government of the Republic of the Philippines) under Duterte is not interested in serious peace negotiations with the NDFP," said Sison.

Because of Duterte's decision, Sison, his former professor, said the NPA "have no choice but to singlemindedly wage people's war."

Despite the postponement of talks, Malacañang has said Duterte remains committed to pursuing the peace process with communists. (Pia Ranada, Rappler.com/MINDANAO EXPOSE’)