BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — The ongoing talks on peace agreement between the government and the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa-Pilipinas, Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMP-RPA-ABB) shall be concluded by next year.
This was the statement of Teresita Quintos-Deles, head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), during her visit in the city earlier this week when she also met with mayors of Negros Occidental and state security officials to discuss the progress of the peace talks with the rebels.
Deles said OPAPP has been working for the conclusion of the peace agreement that the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) and the RPMP-RPA-ABB signed in 2000 at Don Salvador Benedicto town in Negros Occidental.
President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the fasttracking of government's commitments to the 2000 peace pact to ensure its final resolution, said Deles, even if the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) issued a statement doubting its closure by next year or at any time within the term of Aquino.
The talks got stalled when the CPP accused the GRP of alleged refusal to comply with its commitment in January, February and September to release the 17 detained consultants of the rebel group, as covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees. As a result, the CPP unilaterally cancelled the November-scheduled talks with the government, said Deles.
Deles however said, "As far as the government is concerned, we keep the door open (for the peace talks). The aim of the Aquino administration is to bring an end to internal conflicts with six groups in the country."
These six groups are: Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Communist Party of the Philippine-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Cordillera People's Liberation Army (CPLA) and two groups of the RPMP-RPA-ABB.
The Negros Occidental Association of Chief Executives and the League of Municipalities of Negros Occidental, both chaired by E.B. Magalona town Mayor David Albert Lacson, have issued a joint resolution strongly supporting and endorsing the peace initiatives of the GRP and the RPMP-RPA-ABB for peace and restoration of "stability and normalcy to the country."
One of the main issues to be resolved for the closure of the talks is on the "final disposition of firearms," Deles said. "No public display of guns, especially long arms, is allowed. It is not an entitlement under the peace agreement," she said.
Deles said about 100 members of the RPMP-RPA-ABB during the Arroyo administration were granted permits to carry guns, except short firearms for purely defensive purposes.
She told the media that members of the communist groups who publicly display firearms will be arrested and charged in court. The GRP "want the dis-servicing of arms, and we don't want any public display of firearms," she said.
Since last month seven alleged RPA-ABB members have been apprehended by the police for illegal possession of firearms in Silay City, San Carlos City and Manapla, all in Negros Occidental.
The rebels are not fighting the government now but the guns are still there, it causes problems in the community, Deles said. "The closure process will stop the existence of an armed band for whatever purpose," she said.
The RPMP-RPA-ABB, for its part, has been asking the government for livelihood assistance for the integration of their combatants into the mainstream and development projects for their identified communities.
The government in turn has addressed this through the PAMANA or Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Peaceful and Resilient Communities) program, Deles said. "We can't win the peace just on the negotiating table, we have to wage it on the ground and that is PAMANA," she said.
In preparation for livelihood options and the final disposition of forces, OPAPP had conducted socio-economic profiling of RPMP-RPA-ABB members, and recently completed the task on 358 of the members in Negros Occidental, 50 in Negros Oriental, and 87 in Panay Island.
Deles said the P31-million fund allocated this year for development projects under the PAMANA was not turned over to the RPMP-RPA-ABB directly, but will be released to the projects in 60 of 101 communities identified by the group itself.
Matching of livelihood options and identification of projects is now underway, Deles said. "It is all very transparent, all money downloaded in real time is posted on our (OPAPP) website," she said.
In the 2000 peace agreement, the RPMP-RPA-ABB and the government agreed to allocate P500 million for development programs, over P300 million of which was implemented from 2007 to 2010, Deles said.
To ensure implementation of identified programs, OPAPP will sign MOAs with NGOs, which will act as watchdogs to ensure that the funds are properly spent, Deles added. (FREEMAN)