Reds to declare unilateral ceasefire

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

DAVAO CITY – The Communist Party of the Philippines is set to declare a unilateral ceasefire as a gesture of appreciation for the resumption of talks and the release of political detainees which was supported by President Duterte.

“To further boost peace negotiations, the CPP is set to issue over the next few days a unilateral declaration of ceasefire to the New People’s Army and the people’s militias,” the CPP said in a statement issued on Thursday.

The ceasefire, however, will only be initially implemented on the duration of the negotiations in Oslo from August 22-27, explained Fidel Agcaoili, spokesman of the NDF Peace Panel.

“It is a gesture of goodwill and appreciation,” Agcaoili said.

The appreciation of the CPP is for the release of at least nine detained NDF consultants.

“Revolutionary forces across the country celebrate the successive release from unjust detention of the first batch of peace consultants of the NDFP since yesterday (Wednesday),” the CPP said adding that it is expecting the release of the entire 22 detained consultants.

Despite the previous word war, the CPP proved that the special friendship between two parties remain with them publicly expressing their gratitude to Mr. Duterte.

“The CPP deeply appreciates efforts of the GRP President Duterte to comply with the obligations of the GRP under outstanding agreements with the NDFP in order to bolster the NDFP-GRP peace negotiations. The release of all NDFP peace consultants is a reaffirmation of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) and other NDFP-GRP agreements,” the CPP said.

“The release of all NDFP peace consultants will boost several-fold the confidence of the revolutionary forces in GRP President Duterte’s determination to work with the NDFP in peace negotiations,” it added.

The CPP said that it was encouraging President Duterte to continue with this, especially for the release of at least 550 political prisoners in the country.

“It can proclaim a policy of ending the dirty legal tactic of slapping trumped up criminal charges against activists which subject them to unjust and prolonged detention,” the CPP said.

These good acts of Mr. Duterte towards the peace process will not go unrewarded, the CPP remarked.

“In appreciation, the CPP reiterates its full support for the NDFP-GRP peace negotiations as a venue to discuss the roots of the armed conflict and forge agreements to resolve the urgent as well as strategic problems of the people in the socio-economic, political and cultural fields,” the CPP said.

RELATED VIDEO