By Jose Rodel Clapano
MANILA, Philippines – There is no clear indication that the decades-old armed conflict in Mindanao will end despite the sincerity of President Duterte to reach a solution to the secessionist problem in Mindanao with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), as well as the National Democratic Front-Communist Party of the Philippines (NDF-CPP) and its armed wing New People’s Army (NPA).
Like in previous administrations, the government peace negotiators appeared to be having difficulty reaching a peace agreement with the communist groups.
Officials of the NDF-CPP led by CPP founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison have been issuing “double-meaning” statements pertaining to the party’s seriousness in ending its more than 40-year-old armed conflict.
Fighting between government troops and the rebels marked the first six months of the Duterte administration.
Duterte announced the immediate implementation of a unilateral ceasefire with the NPA-NDF-CPP during his first State of the Nation Address in July.
Instead of reciprocating Duterte’s goodwill, the NPA ambushed government troops, killing a member of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit and wounding four others in Sitio Patil in Barangay Gupitan, Davao del Norte.
Aside from the declaration of a unilateral ceasefire, Duterte also released from detention Benito and Wilma Tiamzon and granted presidential pardon to four political prisoners.
The Tiamzons were able to participate in the peace talks in Oslo, Norway as members of the NDF peace panel following their release.
Sison said the forging of an agreement between the government and the NDF remained possible.
The President, however, has rejected the request of the NDF to release more than 130 political prisoners as part of the confidence-building measures in the peace negotiations between the communists and the government.
Duterte said he would order the release of the political prisoners serving time for criminal offenses only if the NDF representatives would present documents signed by both the negotiating panels of the government and the CPP.
Read the full story at The Philippine Star