Joma on Duterte meet: Anywhere in Asia except Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison is open to a one-on-one meeting with President Duterte, but not in the Philippines, as the President wanted.

Sison said in a radio interview on dzRH that he has no problem talking with the President, but he was uncomfortable and distrusts “peace spoilers.”

Duterte earlier said he is willing to resume the long-stalled peace negotiation with the CPP-National Democratic Front (NDF) and tasked Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to work on bringing the government and the CPP-NDF back to the negotiating table.

Sison pointed out he doesn’t trust individuals or groups who move to destroy the peace process and that he would only talk to the President alone, without distracting entities.

The communist leader added that he was amenable to talks if done outside the Philippines.

Sison, in self exile in the Netherlands since 1987, had rejected proposals to hold the peace talks in the Philippines, saying it would place negotiations under the control of the government.

Duterte, on the other hand, insisted that his talk with Sison would only take place in the country.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo reiterated the call for Sison to return to Manila to show sincerity about the peace negotiations, guaranteeing that he would not be arrested by authorities. 

“We dare Mr. Sison to come to the Philippines for a one-on-one meeting with the President to forge a lasting peace agreement,” Panelo said.

“(Duterte) guarantees that he will not be arrested upon his arrival and after the meeting he can freely leave for Netherlands when he so desires,” he added.

Panelo made the statement after Bello had issued the orders for the Suspension of Offensive Military Operations and Suspension of Offensive Police Operations.

Communist rebels, meanwhile, must prove their sincerity in pushing for peace by ending attacks on civilians and government forces especially with the ceasefire in place, Sen. Christopher Go said.  

In a report by ABS-CBN, Sison said that there was no problem continuing the holiday ceasefire with government forces as the administration has reciprocated the rebel ceasefire declaration.           

Malacañang earlier dared Sison to cancel the ceasefire, saying the communists violated their own declared unilateral ceasefire. On Monday, separate attacks were staged by the New People’s Army in Camarines Sur and Iloilo, leaving one soldier dead and eight other security forces wounded.           

The government peace panel and the NDF earlier agreed to a nationwide unilateral and reciprocal ceasefire from Dec. 23 to Jan. 7 following a statement from Duterte for a possible reopening of peace negotiations.

Juanito Magbanua, spokesman for the Apolinario Gatmaitan Command, said they are now on “defensive mode,” stressing that they will strictly follow the 15-day holiday truce, as ordered by the CPP Central Committee.

But he said they would conduct active operations to defend themselves, in case of an attack by unfriendly forces.

Capt. Cenon Pancito III, spokesman for the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, yesterday stressed it was the NPA that violated the ceasefire, citing an ambush in Iloilo where communist rebels used an improvised explosive device – a clear violation of provisions of international human rights. 

The Department of the Interior and Local Government, the PNP and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), meanwhile, appealed to the media to spread the government’s actions against communist rebellion as they admitted that they have been losing the propaganda war “to more intelligent, wiser New People’s Army rebels’ propagandists.”  – With Jaime Laude, John Unson, Paolo Romero, Gilbert Bayoran, Ben Serrano, Jose Rodel Clapano, Christina Mendez