PEACE TALKS TO COST A LEG AND AN ARM

The cat is finally out of the bag. The National Democratic Front which fronts as the negotiator for the Communist Party of the Philippines in an on again-off again peace talk with the government is a narcissistic organization. First, they demanded the reinstatement of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) which the government subsequently acquiesced to and granted on July 17. In response to this, the armed unit of the CPP, the New People’s Army, attacked an Isuzu Canter truck in Toboso, Negros Occidental promptly killing three young civilians and wounding several others. Second, they demanded the unconditional release from jail of twelve incarcerated so-called NDF consultants who were all facing criminal charges and which the government satisfied by granting freedom to first Elizabeth Principe on July 21 and later to Randall Echaniz. And now, they are demanding an investigation on the alleged disappearance of 13 rebel consultants as a confidence-building measure from the government.

Ordinary observers would even agree that recent developments into the hanging peace talks are all to the CPP’s advantage, what with its leadership doing all the demanding and the government doing all the giving all in the name of this so-called confidence building measures. Despite granting the CPP’s wishes, it was recently discovered that there have been no letup in NPA-initiated atrocities in various parts of the country since the JASIG was lifted. Just recently, a 40-strong NPA group burned two trucks owned and used by DOLE-Stanfilco in hauling bananas in Sitio Surigaonon in Barangay Camanlangan in Tagum City while another group composed of 50 rebels attacked a CAFGU camp in Barangay Cancaiyas in Catbalogan City, mortally wounding a civilian in the process.

Aside from these attacks, the NPAs have also consistently killed civilians for no apparent reason. Their most recent victim include a President of the Barangay Defense System, Dominasio Abrera, of Barangay Cumadcad in Castilla, Sorsogon who was killed on August 29, 2009.

The peace talks should not be all for the taking of the CPP. They, too, should give something in return. They too should show some level of sincerity and effort in calling for the resumption of peace negotiations with the government. They have already demanded and were given a lot and now it should be the government’s turn to ask.