PESANTE NEWS

August 5, 2010

NDF Response to military propaganda for surrender before peace talks

August 5, 2010



Los Angeles--- THE PESANTE NEWS based in Los Angeles learned today that the National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas today ( August 5 in the Philippines or PST) said that the 8th Infantry Division, by calling for the surrender of the revolutionary forces, highlighted the unjustness of the ceasefire-and-surrender line of the Aquino administration.

"Through its program in a radio station last August 1, the 8th ID essentially dismissed the peace talks as irrelevant and called on the revolutionary forces to surrender first," said NDF-EV spokesperson Fr. Santiago Salas.

"This is blatant disregard for discussing the basic reforms necessary to solving landlessness, joblessness and other causes of the people's poverty and suffering. On the part of the Aquino government, this would be displaying extreme laziness, belligerence and disregard for the common good."

Fr. Salas also warned that the continuation of Oplan Bantay Laya's dirty war in lieu of peace talks may be pursued by the Aquino government. "In the same radio program, the 8th ID's special psywar agent Norberto "Huling" Gacuma openly expressed that the military will continue the killings of progressive activists and other innocent civilians.

Gacuma even said that the former 8th ID chief Gen. Jovito Palparan is better than the present one because he carried out widespread extrajudicial killings and struck fear in the hearts of the people. This goes to show that the military will be targeting not only the NPA, but even civilians such as progressive activists, the media, and other government critics and suspected supporters of the revolutionary movement."

However, the NDF-EV spokesperson challenged the Aquino regime to still choose to resume peace negotiations. "The Aquino regime merely has to follow the agreed upon agenda and previous major agreements. There is a pressing need to discuss social and economic reforms, which should be on the agenda if the peace talks resume. It would be more beneficial to the people rather than counterproductive attempts to demean the peace process."

Fr. Salas also said that if the Aquino regime wanted an immediate ceasefire, the NDFP had already proposed in 2005 the Concise Agreement to End Civil War and Achieve Just Peace Immediately.

"The NDFP proposal asserts a truce and just peace can be immediately realized on the basis of mutual agreement on principles and policies upholding national independence and democracy and common efforts to resolve the basic political, socio-economic and other problems of the Filipino people.

The NDFP proposal also explicitly rejects any sham peace agreement which requires the revolutionary forces to surrender in exchange for empty promises or to engage in a ceasefire agreement for obscuring and freezing the people's demands for major reforms. Thus the revolutionary movement will never lay down its arms without a just and lasting peace."#

Reference:

Roy Santos

NDF-EV Media Liaison Officer

Cellphone No. +639196199369

E-mail: ndfevis@gmail.com