Lorenzana: CPP leadership must prove it has control of its forces

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana INQUIRER.net file photo

As President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his willingness to resume peace negotiations with communist rebels, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Wednesday the leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) must prove it has control of its forces on the ground.

“Si President hindi naman sinasara ang pintuan sa peace talks, pero magpakita naman ng kaunting sinceridad itong mga nakikipagusap, yun ang sabi nya. Saka si Secretary [Jesus] Dureza rin sa OPAPP [Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process] e sabi nya wala pa yung tinatawag na enabling environment,” he told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo.

(The President is not closing doors on peace talks, but they should show some sincerity, he said. Also Secretary Dureza of OPAPP, he said the so-called enabling is not yet being observed.)

He said last week’s three separate incidents when communist rebels burned heavy equipment in Davao City, which cost millions of pesos, was “disabling.”

“Ang tawag ko dun disabling environment hindi na enabling, parang sinasabotahe nila yung kung meron mang balak makipag-usap yung gobyerno sinasabotahe nila dun sa baba….So ang question ko is do they have any control over their fighters on the ground, that is the question that I was asking even before,” he said.

(We call that disabling environment not enabling, like they are sabotaging what has been left of the intention of the government to talk peace… )

The defense chief was earlier against the resumption of peace negotiations but said he would support the President if this would “bring development to the hinterlands.”

Aside from the bilateral ceasefire, Lorenzana said the communists should stop their tax collection (extortion), a stop on kidnappings and attacks to government forces to show their sincerity in the peace talks.

“They have to prove na kaya nilang rendahan yung mga tao nila sa baba, kasi kung magkaroon tayo ng ceasefire, both o bilateral, kelangang assured tayo na kayang-kaya nilang kontrolin yung mga tao nila sa baba,” he said.

President Duterte on Tuesday expressed interest to resume peace negotiations with communist rebels, almost five months after he terminated the talks after the supposed attacks of communist rebels to government forces and civilians. He later declared the CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization. /jpv

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