How Duterte Sabotaged the Philippines Peace Process
After several months of hard work in unilateral and bilateral meetings, the Philippines government and National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) negotiating panels were ready to do a little polishing of common drafts November 22 and 23 in Utrecht, The Netherlands, for finalization in the slated fifth round of formal talks in Oslo November 25 to 27.
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The common drafts were those pertaining to:
1. The general amnesty and release of all political prisoners in compliance with the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL)
2. The coordinated unilateral ceasefires (CUC) as the advance from a stand-down type of ceasefire from the fifth to the sixth round of formal talks in January 2018
3. Part I Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ARRD) and Part II National Industrialization and Economic Development (NIED) of the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER)
The government and NDFP negotiating panels were confident that they would be able to initial the CASER; the agreements on the general amnesty and release of all political prisoners, and the coordinated unilateral ceasefires at the closing session of the fifth round of formal talks, then formally sign all of these at the closing ceremony of the sixth round in January 2018.
It was also expected that the negotiations on the Comprehensive Agreement on Political and Constitutional Reforms (CAPCR) would begin in the sixth round and be completed any time between March and May of 2018 in time for possible revisions of the 1987 Constitution of GRP.
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Unfortunately, Duterte – the principal of the government’s negotiating panel – started on November 18 to rant every day against the CPP, NPA and the NDFP in connection with recent incidents in the armed conflict. He also ranted against the entire peace process until Nov. 23, when he made his Proclamation No. 360 terminating the peace negotiations.
He violated the mutual agreement that talks would be discreet until there was good news to announce at the end of the fifth or sixth round of formal talks. In the course of his rants, Duterte unwittingly exposed his scarce, shallow and defective knowledge of the peace process:
1. He cited alleged recent incidents in the armed conflict which he used as false basis for slandering the revolutionary forces and threatening termination of the peace negotiations, along with the outlawing of the revolutionary forces and legal democratic forces as terrorists. In the absence of a ceasefire between the GRP and NDFP, he through his Negotiating Panel should have submitted his complaints to the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) under CARHRIHL.
The NDFP has always submitted to the JMC its complaints of human rights and international humanitarian law violations committed by the AFP and PNP under the ceaseless all-out war policy, Oplan Kapayapaan and martial law in Mindanao. These violations are far worse in scale and severity than those alleged by Duterte against the NPA, yet the NDFP never threatened to terminate the peace negotiations.
2. Duterte spouted lies such as the NDFP ignored the government proposal for a stand-down agreement prior to the adoption and implementation of the coordinated unilateral ceasefire. Showing gross ignorance of the peace process, he even referred to The Netherlands as the facilitator rather than the Royal Norwegian Government.
There are signs Duterte is mentally unfit to handle the complexities of the affairs of his state and the peace process between the government and NDFP. Officials in his Cabinet and the reactionary armed forces should consider whether he is mentally fit for office or needs to be replaced in accordance with their 1987 Constitution.
Among his lucid statements in the course of his rants are those pertaining to his voluntary admission as a fascist in the service of the United States (Amboy), his overwhelming desire for killing and war, and his advice to the NDFP to negotiate with his successor in due time.
Professor Jose Maria Sison is chief political consultant with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
National Democratic Front of the Philippines
International Information Office
https://www.ndfp.org/tagging-the-revolutionaries-and-progressives-as-te…
Tagging the revolutionaries and progressives as terrorists is a ploy to widen the road for imperialist aggression, repression and exploitation and create conditions for the nationwide imposition of martial law
26 November 2017
Press statement, 26 November 2017
After pronouncing the CPP-NPA-NDFP as terrorist organizations, GRP president Rodrigo Duterte subsequently fulfils the US imperialist’s objective to ruin the GPH-NDFP peace negotiations. In doing so, Duterte guarantees the escalation of US military intervention and stiffening of the US extensive domination over the Philippines.
Duterte obstinately detest the revolutionary struggle that he accuses as an act of terrorism. But he is imprudent and quiet on the transgressions of his US imperialist masters who are the real and most powerful terrorist. The US incessantly carries out wars of aggression and exploits billions of people of the third world and other parts of the globe.
Incriminating the democratic mass movement, militant organizations, and social activists to terrorism is a key policy of the US war on terror and anti-terrorists laws that Duterte has to abide. Demonizing and attacking the revolutionary and progressive organizations and individuals is a ploy to widen the road for imperialist aggression, repression and exploitation. Besides, Duterte’s tactical objective in making this is to create a systematic condition for the nationwide imposition of martial law.
With martial law, the reactionary ruling class will be more flagrant in employing the military and police forces to suppress the struggles of the Filipino people for land, fair wages and better living conditions.
Since the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, the AFP and PNP has launched vicious all-out attacks against the people and their revolutionary forces.
In Far South Mindanao, huge multinationals Dole and Sumifru employ the AFP and PNP to ensure their unrelenting land grab. Military operations are also intensified in Lumad and peasant communities opposing large-scale mining. The bourgeois comprador−landlords such as Consunji, Cojuangco-Ang, Tan and Alcantara-Dominguez also employ military and paramilitary forces to secure their properties and big businesses. Particularly in Sultan Kudarat, Consunji hires the Marine, Army and CAA forces to execute activists and residents who are against his environment destructive businesses and land monopoly.
Victims of extrajudicial killings perpetrated by state agents continue to increase in number. More and more civilian masses experience grave threat, and thousands of individuals were displaced by AFP bombardments in Sultan Kudarat and other parts of the region.
Imposing martial law would further isolate the Duterte regime from the people that would eventually lead to its downfall. History has proven that in the face of Marcos’s martial law, the necessity of waging revolutionary armed struggle becomes stronger because it is the most effective way of resisting the fascist military rule and in defending the people’s democratic rights. The victories of the revolutionary armed struggle will inspire the people to wage greater struggles.
The Filipino people will hold the US-Duterte regime directly responsible for all the abuses perpetrated by the military and police under his militarist rule. They will carry out intensified protests and mass actions across the country to overthrow this rotten fascist regime.
Ka Efren Aksasato
Spokesperson, NDF-FSMR