After ceasefire, NDFP hopes political prisoners will be freed soon

Luis Jalandoni, peace negotiator of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). (AFP PHOTO / NOEL CELIS)

LUCENA CITY, Quezon — The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) was elated by President Duterte’s announcement of a unilateral ceasefire in military operations against the communist armed wing New People’s Army and expressed hope the Chief Executive would release political prisoners soon.
A statement issued by the NDFP on Monday afternoon said Luis Jalandoni, the NDFP peace panel chair, had written Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, the government peace panel chair, to welcome the President’s announcement in his State of the nation Address (SONA) that he was ordering a unilateral ceasefire with the New People’s Army.

“Jalandoni assumed that the ceasefire declaration of the [government] is necessarily connected with the release of all current political prisoners under the amnesty proclamation to be issued by President Duterte and concurred in by a majority of Congress,” the NDFP statement said.

This, the NDFP said, was agreed upon by representatives of the Philippine government and NDFP panel who met in Oslo, Norway in June.

Jalandoni said he has been looking forward to the resumption of the formal talks in Oslo from Aug. 20 to 27.  SFM

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