GRP Must Release Political Prisoners Instead Of Making Baseless And Misleading Pronouncements

Luis T. Jalandoni
Chairperson
Negotiating Panel
National Democratic Front of the Philippines
April 07, 2004

The GRP should focus on the agreements both parties committed themselves to in the Second Oslo Joint Statement. It should implement the expeditious release of the political prisoners, starting immediately with the release of Zenaida Llesis and two other nursing mothers.

Since February 14, 2004 upon the signing of the First Oslo Joint Statement, the NDFP has strongly proposed the release of 54 political prisoners, yet none of them has been released so far. Included among them were Manolito Matricio and the other Mamburao farmers and Donato Continente.

It is essential for the continuation of the formal talks that the GRP comply with its obligation to release political prisoners in accordance with the CARHRIHL and the Oslo Joint Statements.

GRP Panel Chair Silvestre Bello's pronouncements about finishing a comprehensive peace agreement in six months and completing the agreement on social and economic reforms at the next round of talks at the end of April are misleading. At no time in the GRP-NDFP talks in Oslo last 30 March to 3 April was there any such discussion, much less agreement.

The time schedule of the two Reciprocal Working Committees on social and economic reforms aim for coming up with a tentative comprehensive agreement on SER, on a best effort basis, only in September 2004. Finishing the topics of land reform and national industrialization is targetted for at the earliest June 2004.

Such misleading statements from the GRP side, without any basis in the negotiations and agreement signed by both Parties, can only impair the credibility of the GRP.

Furthermore, it must be pointed out that it was the GMA government that wasted more than two years and six months by unilaterally declaring an indefinite recess and suspension of the formal talks from June 2001 to February 2004. #

Reference:

Ruth de Leon
NDFP Negotiating Panel Secretariat
Tel. + 31-30-2310431

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