WITH NO time to waste, the newly freed communist leaders who are consultants in the peace talks arrived in Oslo, Norway, and went right to work as the negotiations with Philippine government representatives start today.
In a Facebook chat, lawyer Edre Olalia, National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) legal consultant who is in Utrecht, the Netherlands, said the consultants started arriving in Oslo on Sunday.
On the same day, Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison said the CPP would declare another ceasefire to reciprocate President Duterte’s reimposition of his ceasefire order.
“Upon the recommendation of the NDFP, the CPP shall issue its own unilateral ceasefire declaration after the current seven-day goodwill ceasefire declaration runs out,” Sison told the Inquirer in a separate Facebook chat.
“Subsequently, the [government] and NDFP panels shall strive to reconcile the unilateral ceasefire orders of the [government] and NDFP in a single bilateral document,” he said.
On Friday night, Sison declared a seven-day unilateral ceasefire that took effect at midnight Saturday and will last until midnight of Aug. 27.
Mr. Duterte on Saturday reimposed the unilateral ceasefire that he declared last month.
Relaxed, ready
Olalia said Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, Renante Gamara, Alan Jazmines and Adelberto Silva composed the first group of newly freed consultants who arrived in Oslo.
Olalia described the mood of the CPP and NDFP leaders based in Utrecht as “relaxed but ready to engage in serious, substantial and satisfactory negotiations.”
Olalia said he arrived in Utrecht on Aug. 18 with Dr. Carol Araullo, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) chair, and Rey Casambre, executive director of the Philippine Peace Center.
NDFP peace consultants Satur Ocampo, Rafael Baylosis, Vicente Ladlad, Randall Echanis and NDFP legal consultant Rachel Pastores arrived in Utrecht on Aug. 20.
Olalia said they were expecting “hectic, intense work and marathon meetings” at the resumption of the formal peace negotiations.
“We’re all positive and hopeful,” said Coni Ledesma, wife of NDFP peace panel chair Luis Jalandoni.
But she admitted that “while we are all optimistic on the peace talks, we are also realistic.”