Palace to NDF: No preconditions for peace talks

A day after the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) pushed for the release of political prisoners and for safety guarantees as prerequisites for entering into peace talks with the government, Malacañang on Saturday reminded the National Democratic Front (NDF) that there should be no preconditions in their peace talks. Deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said both sides already agreed as early as December last year that there will be no preconditions for the peace talks. “Sa atin, as far as from the government standpoint, as agreed upon by the side of the NDF, walang preconditions para sa peace talks (From the government's standpoint, as agreed upon by the NDF, there will be no preconditions for the peace talks)," she said on government-run dzRB radio. Valte also noted that, in the case of recently captured New People’s Army (NPA) officer Tirso Alcantara, he never claimed nor showed proof that he was covered by safety guarantees. “Sa case ni Tirso Alcantara, nang hinuli siya di siya nag-claim o nag-offer ng proof na covered siya ng JASIG (In Alcantara’s case, he never claimed to be with the peace panel nor did he ever offer proof of being covered by the JASIG when he was arrested)," Valte noted. On Friday, the CPP urged the NDF to include in next week’s preliminary talks the release of political prisoners —including Alcantara— and alleged violations of safety and immunity guarantees. The CPP claimed that Alcantara is a peace consultant of the NDF and is thus covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG). “In line with the objective of giving the formal resumption of peace negotiations a boost, the CPP sees the urgent need to get the GRP’s commitment to comply with the JASIG, put an end to the continued detention of political prisoners and work to provide justice to all the victims of state violations of human rights," the CPP said in a statement posted on its website. Also, the CPP pushed the release of some 400 political prisoners and the long-delayed indemnification of victims of human rights abuses. It likewise called for the investigation of alleged human rights abuses under the Arroyo administration, and the indemnification of the victims of the Marcos dictatorship. The CPP also said that the government must reprimand and instruct the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP) and its other security agencies to stop violating the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CAHRIHL). “Otherwise, there will be no sense for the NDFP to talk peace with the GRP’s negotiating panel while its military and police forces continue to violate with impunity whatever agreements have been reached and signed," it said. — TJD, GMANews.TV