No hope for peace under Duterte

For the past six months, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the New People’s Army observed cessation of hostilities under a unilateral interim ceasefire agreement. There was no major military engagement while the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the National Democratic of the Philippines (NDFP) entered into the crucial stage of the peace negotiations in Rome, Italy. Both peace panels have just tackled the most controversial issue on the comprehensive agreement on socio-economic reform (CASER) which is the root cause of rebellion in the country.

Both the government and the NDFP have declared an interim ceasefire agreement as confidence-building measure to ensure the smooth facilitation of the peace process. The first phase of the negotiation was held in Oslo, Norway wherein the Duterte regime recognized the terms under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CAHRIHL) and the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG). The second stage of the peace negotiations in Rome maybe jeopardized with the declaration of termination of the ceasefire agreement. 

Jorge Madlos or Ka Oris, spokesperson of the NPA, has declared the termination of the unilateral interim ceasefire agreement on February 1 citing as reasons the failure of the Duterte government to release all political prisoners as promised and the continued military operations in areas controlled or influenced by the revolutionary forces. He accused the military of treacherously taking advantage of the unilateral declaration of interim ceasefire to encroach on the territory of the people’s democratic government. He said that in about 164 municipalities and 43 provinces, the AFP have occupied at least 500 barangays which are within the authority of the revolutionary government.

Before the expiration of the ceasefire declaration on February 10, Ka Oris urged all commands and units of the NPA, including the people’s militia and self-defense corps, to take the initiative and carry out more vigorously active defense in order to defend the people and the revolutionary forces. In the past few days, the NPA has conducted tactical offensives in the Caraga Region and Compostela Valley which the government complained of gross violation of the ceasefire agreement.

However, most of the NPA’s military actions have targeted the so-called “peace and development teams” of the AFP which have occupied villages usually making used of barangay halls, day care centers and public schools as their barracks. They also occupy homes of farmers virtually making the residents as human shields against NPA attacks. These soldiers are the subject of numerous complaints for grave violation of human rights, intimidation, threat and other abuses against the civilian population.

President Duterte has already conceded that a just and lasting peace with the communist rebels during his term has become more elusive as time goes by. “I tried my best but it wasn’t good enough. There will be no peace in this land vis-à-vis with the Communist Party. Ipagpatuloy natin ang giyera,” he said in a press statement. He then ordered his soldiers to go back to barracks, clean their weapons and prepare for war.

Like the past administrations behind him, Duterte is beholden to the class interest of the ruling elite which controls the military, the police and other state instrumentalities of suppression against the broad masses of the people. It is at the height of political naiveté to expect a difference from the same dog of a different collar. Thus, the vast majority of the people have no illusion that a just and lasting peace will be achieved during Duterte’s term.