CPP pushes for socio-economic reforms, release of political prisoners

MANILA, Philippines — The Communist Party of the Philippines said it is open to returning to peace talks with the government, but said work on an agreement on socio-economic reforms and an amnesty for political prisoners must move forward.

"The Filipino people await a Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-economic Reforms that would address the aspirations of the people to seek an end to their oppressive and exploitative conditions," it said in a statement on the Philippine Revolution Web Central website.

Among the proposals in the draft CASER are agrarian reform and land distribution as well as the development of the agricultural sector for food self-sufficiency. It also proposes the nationalization of utilities and of the mining industry.

"A presidential amnesty proclamation to release all political prisoners must immediately be issued in line with agreements during the first round of talks in 2016," it also said. The government's alleged failure to fulfill the release more political prisoners was among the reasons that the New People's Army cited in announcing an end to a ceasefire in February 2017. 

READ: A year of fighting and talking

On Thursday, President Rodrigo Duterte said he wants the peace talks to move forward within 60 days, saying he is willing to ensure negotiators' safety as well as have the government shoulder their expenses for talks in the Philippines — talks with rebel groups are typically held abroad and are facilitated by a third party. 

"Good or break tayo," the president said, adding he would shoot CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison if negotiations fail. 

"I told Sison: 'I will give you your freedom during the truce period. And if we fail, then I will be happy to send you off to the airport. But do not ever, ever come again, because the next time, I will personally shoot you'," Duterte said.

Sison, chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines that represents the rebels in peace talks, has been living in the Netherlands since Corazon Aquino was president.

The government has set conditions for the resumption of peace talks, which include declaring an absolute ceasefire, putting an end to a supposed clamor for a coalition government and stopping the collection of so-called revolutionary taxes.

The communist party said, however, that "there should be no preconditions in the resumption of peace talks as stipulated in The Hague Joint Declaration", which both sides signed in 1992.

It also said that Duterte's recent decision to return to the peace table after scrapping negotiations last November will just be a public relations move "without a substantive effort to implement previous agreements and seriously negotiate the CASER without precondition."

It alleged that "increasingly brutal military operations" under a government counter-insurgency campaign have continued despite calls for peace talks, and that corruption, higher taxes "and other neoliberal policies under the Duterte regime are worsening".

The Palace said earlier this week that military operations against the rebels will continue until an agreement is reached to return to negotiations.

A government petition to declare more than 300 suspected communists "will be withdrawn if there is a final peace agreement signed but while the peace talk is ongoing, it is still in play." The DOJ can, however, put the petition "on hold" pending results of the negotiations.

"Without letup in its war of suppression, the Duterte regime leaves the NPA with little choice but to wage nationwide armed struggle to defend the people against state terror and fascist violence," the party said.