NDF to raise gov't violations at Oslo talks

MANILA, Philippines - The National Democratic Front (NDF) yesterday vowed to raise alleged violations of immunity guarantees and human rights by the government during the resumption of formal negotiations in Oslo next month.

NDF spokesman Fidel Agcaoili said the government should acknowledge its violations of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantee (JASIG) and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) before talks could proceed.

“If there is no compliance with JASIG, the GPH (government of the Philippines) cannot be trusted that it will comply with any other agreement,” he said in a statement.

Under the JASIG, communists who are working as peace consultants of the NDF are immune from arrest.

Agcaoili, however, alleged that the government had arrested and imprisoned some of their comrades even if they are protected by the JASIG.

He added that the government violated the CARHRIHL when it imprisoned about 350 political offenders and evaded the giving of compensation to 9,500 victims of human rights violations under the Marcos regime.

“The GPH is more interested in attacking and jumbling all previous agreements made in order to scuttle the peace negotiations,” Agcaoili said.

He said the NDF panel would present the history of violations of these agreements from the term of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo until the present administration. 

“The GPH should not be allowed to gloss over these gross violations and run away with the torture, enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings of JASIG-protected individuals,” Agcaoili said.

The government and the NDF peace panels have agreed to resume their formal talks in the last week of October in Oslo, Norway.