PRO-6 open to local peace talks with Reds

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BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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ILOILO City – The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) is open to having a localized peace negotiation with the New People’s Army (NPA).

“Bukas naman kami makipagpulong sa kanila basta while the peace talks are ongoing walang offensive operation silang na gagawin,” said Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, regional police director.

The PRO-6 and several police stations claimed to have received copies of an open letter purportedly from the Coronation Chiva “Waling-Waling” Command of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Panay Island inviting the police to a dialogue.

Part of the supposed NPA letter to the police read: “Ginarekognisa namon ang inyo papel sa pagluntad sang katawhay kag kalinog batok sa sindikato, sa kinawatay, druga kag iban pa nga kriminalidad diin may komon kita nga katuyuan (We recognize your role in effecting peace and order operations against criminal syndicates, robberies, drug trafficking and other forms of criminality. In these we have a similar goal.”

“Bukas kami sa sin-o man nga matarong nga indibidwal sa PNP para sa mainabyanon nga pag estoryahanay (We welcome any honorable individual from the police for friendly talks),” the purported NPA letter added.

According to Binag, the Philippine National Police welcomes rebels who would like to surrender. He said the government has a reintegration program for them.

Early this month, President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated his call for the rebels to surrender and go back to the mainstream society. He promised them livelihood, financial assistance and housing.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), however, rejected localized peace talks.

A statement from its information bureau stated: “The revolutionary forces under the leadership of the CPP and allied with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) reject local peace negotiations being pushed by local bureaucrats and military officials and supported by (the Government of the Republic of the Philippines) president himself.?

The CPP accused the government of trying to divide the revolutionary forces and described the move as “mere rehashes of worn-out psywar surrender programs such as the balik-baril program and the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) riding on the popular clamor for peace talks.”

“The entire NPA is united under the central leadership of the CPP. The Party and all units of the NPA support the Negotiating Panel of the NDFP in its representation of all revolutionary forces in negotiations with the GRP with the aim of forging agreements to settle the outstanding socio-economic and political questions that compel the people to wage armed struggle,” according to the CPP.

By pushing for local peace talks and enticing the surrender of NPA fighters with “silly incentives”, Duterte revealed himself to have a very shallow appreciation of the “profound social problems which are at the root of the raging civil war in the Philippines,” it added.

But while waging a nationwide armed struggle, the CPP reiterated its call for the resumption of the fifth round of peace negotiations to pursue discussions on the release of political prisoners and the comprehensive agreement on socioeconomic reforms./PN
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