Palace dismisses Reds’ support for Loren

Malacañang belittled yesterday the support reportedly expressed by communist rebels for vice presidential candidate Sen. Loren Legarda of the opposition Koalisyon ng Nagkaisang Pilipino (KNP).

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles shrugged off the New People’s Army (NPA) alleged endorsement of Legarda’s candidacy. "That’s just posturing," Deles said, citing recent positive developments in the government’s peace initiatives with the communist rebels.

She said a joint declaration is expected to be signed to resume the negotiations for a final peace agreement between the government panel led by former Justice Secretary Silvestre Bello III and the Utrecht-based leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), NPA and National Democratic Front (NDF).

She said Bello has just returned from Oslo, Norway, where he conducted exploratory talks with CPP chairman Jose Ma. Sison and Luis Jalandoni. The government of Norway is the third-party facilitator of the Philippine government’s peace efforts with the CPP-NPA-NDF.

Without going into details, Deles expressed optimism that the government’s attempts to re-start the formal peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF are gaining ground, even as local communist leaders say otherwise. "In the case of the NDF, I’m glad that we are moving forward, but it’s very hard to give details of the negtiations because, sometimes, when you give details prematurely, the talks collapse... suffice it to say we’re working on it and progress is being made," Deles said. But NPA Melito Glor Command spokesman Gregorio Rosal said the CPP-NPA will never negotiate with the Arroyo administration and will instead work to topple it.

Rosal clarified that the NPA has not endorsed any presidential candidate. Rather, Rosal said, the CPP-NPA has merely extended invitations to three presidential candidates — Poe, Jesus is Lord (JIL) movement leader Eddie Villanueva and former Sen. Raul Roco — to present their platforms of government for the rebels to use as a basis of whether or not they will resume peace talks with the government.

Meanwhile, Legarda’s camp said in a statement that she is "a candidate for unity and reconciliation, as she herself succeeded in mending fences" with supporters of ousted President Joseph Estrada, who initially opposed her.

Benjamin Espiritu of the VP Loren Movement said "there are many rifts and differences in the country that have to be resolved and settled and Legarda might just be the right person to play an instrumental role in such healing process." Estrada and his supporters earlier disapproved of Poe’s decision to have Legarda as his running mate under the banner of the KNP.

They cited Legarda’s pivotal role in Estrada’s impeachment trial in 2001 and her emotional outburst when she cried after the vote not to open the envelope supposedly containing key evidence against the former president.

"If Legarda herself is able to settle her differences with a group opposing her, she could very well help resolve other conflicts in our society, including those involving communist insurgents and Muslim secessionists," Espiritu said.

Legarda first gained the trust and confidence of the NPA rebels when she successfully negotiated the release of Army Maj. Noel Buan in 2001. Buan had been held captive by the NPA for several months in the province of Mindoro - ironically, Mindoro is the home province of Sen. Noli de Castro, the vice-presidential candidate of the administration coalition. De Castro and Legarda both worked for the ABS-CBN broadcasting network.

Before negotiating the release of Buan, Legarda also played a crucial role in the speedy release of five military and police personnel held captive by the NPA in 1999.

In 2002, Legarda was also instrumental in the release of broadcaster Arlyn de la Cruz, who was held captive by rebel groups in Jolo, Sulu.