Peace talks doomed to fail, says security exec

MANILA, Philippines - While the Duterte administration is upbeat over the outcome of the ongoing peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), a senior security official said it is bound to fail.

The official said the leadership of the CPP and the New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (NPA-NDF) would yield nothing and would seek only a complete takeover of the government.

“In every negotiation, there’s got to be a point where both parties should agree on particulars including salient points, like total government control of power sharing, in the case of the CPP-NPA-NDF,” the security official said.

However, the matter of government takeover or even power sharing is very unlikely because not only the Filipino people will oppose this, but majority of the members of the uniformed services.

He said President Duterte, with his socialist stand, might bend over to the CPP-NPA-NDF demands but it is unlikely that he will just hand over or allow the communist leaders to share power with his administration.

The official mentioned Duterte’s appointing left leaning people to various government posts, including key officials within his inner circles in Malacañang.

“That alone (appointments) can be viewed as a concession on the part of President Duterte to the CPP-NPA-NDF his administration’s sincere desire to end the decades-old insurgency problem peacefully,” he said.

However, the communist leadership wanted more, the official said.

The official said the communists are also demanding the release of all so-called political prisoners and the withdrawal of troops in conflict-stricken areas. – With Sheila Crisostomo, Rhodina Villanueva