Lawmaker claims DND, DILG officials working to sabotage peace talks
Some government officials have worked to sabotage the peace negotiations between the government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), a party-list lawmaker claimed.
“War hawks from the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) have already initially succeeded in delaying the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations,” Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate said in a statement on Sunday.
“Due to their deceptive maneuvers and attacks, these peace spoilers from the DND and DILG were able to push it to the brink of collapse, making them the top peace predators in the Duterte administration,” he added.
On Friday, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison said that they are withdrawing from the peace talks after another cancellation of a scheduled meeting.
According to Sison, President Rodrigo Duterte’s approach towards the peace talks was only to pacify CPP’s armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA).
READ: Sison: Reds ending talks with Duterte
Zarate said the unnamed officials meddled with the peace talks amid an existing agreement to stand-down hostile operations, as the formal peace talks resume.
“These saboteurs monkey-wrenched the peace negotiations even if there is already a joint stand-down agreement that the NDFP signed with the government on June 8, as proof that the peace panels are serious in resuming the stalled talks,” he said.
“Now the saboteurs are increasing their all out attacks against the peace negotiators of the NDFP by vilifying them as spoiled brats and throwing tantrums, among others,” he added.
The lawmaker also claimed that the unnamed officials would say they are supportive of the peace process, but they would do everything to dismantle it.
“These peace predators say they support the peace talks but in reality they are doing all they can to derail it. They quibble on side issues but do not address the basic issues that could judiciously end the almost five-decade old armed conflict,” Zarate said.
“President Duterte should not listen to these saboteurs, reject their hawkish overtures and immediately resume the peace talks,” he added. /ee
