GRP does not comply with agreements it has signed

Luis T. Jalandoni
Chairperson
Negotiating Panel
National Democratic Front of the Philippines
February 04, 2005

GRP Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo disregards the history of the "terrorist" listing of the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People�s Army and Prof. Jose Maria Sison. Since October/November 2001, the GRP has connived with the US in using such "terrorist" listing to blackmail the NDFP negotiators and consultants abroad and pressure the NDFP to capitulate through the so-called "Final Peace Accord" unilaterally formulated by the GRP.

Now, the GRP is once again trying to secure the capitulation and pacification of the NDFP under the guise of a ceasefire. Such a ceasefire puts aside addressing the roots of the armed conflict and the entire framework of peace negotiations stipulated by The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992.

The GRP-NDFP ceasefire which started on December 10, 1986 and ended with the Mendiola Massacre on January 22, 1987 resulted in setting aside the negotiations on the substantive agenda. It opened up the revolutionary forces to attacks by the GRP�s military, police and paramilitary forces.

It is becoming increasingly clear that there is no point in negotiating with the GRP which does not know how to comply with agreements it has signed. It has grossly violated the guiding principle of national sovereignty enshrined in The Hague Joint Declaration. It has violated this principle by openly endorsing and applauding the "terrorist" listing by the US, the EU and other foreign governments, which is an infringement on the sovereign right and capacity of the Filipino people to handle the Philippine situation, events and circumstances.

The GRP also violates the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) of 1995 which stipulates that negotiators, consultants and staffers of those involved in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations are not to be subjected to punitive actions. The "terrorist" listing of Prof. Jose Maria Sison, NDFP Chief Political Consultant, is a clear violation of the JASIG.

The GRP likewise violates the basic democratic rights of Prof. Sison and the Hernandez political offense doctrine as provided for in the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

Moreover, the GRP has utterly failed to comply with its obligations in accordance with the Oslo Joint Statements of February 14 and April 3, 2004.

GRP Foreign Secretary Romulo is turning matters upside down. Those whose rights are violated by the baseless and malicious "terrorist" listing are misrepresented as the "culprits" who must renounce "terrorism" and "violence". The arrogant statements of US Ambassador Ricciardone only confirm the insidious role of the US in the GRP scheme

The GRP-NDFP peace negotiations are practically being scuttled by the US and the Macapagal-Arroyo regime. Through the militarists like Generals Eduardo Ermita and Angelo Reyes and rabid anti-Communists like Norberto Gonzales and Teresita Deles, they aim only for capitulation and pacification of the revolutionary movement. They have no intention of continuing peace negotiations to address the root causes of the armed conflict and negotiate economic, social and political reforms.

Hence, the people and the revolutionary forces are raising their vigilance.

Luis G. Jalandoni

Chairperson, NDFP Negotiating Panel

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