“The release of political prisoners is an obligation of the BS Aquino government to the peace talks and not a precondition of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines," Karapatan Secretary General, Cristina Palabay said. "All these years, the statements of the Presidential adviser for the peace process Teresita ‘Ging’ Deles have been an impediment, rather than an impetus, to the long-stalled peace talks,” Palabay said.
“The release of political prisoners is an obligation of the BS Aquino government to the peace talks and not a precondition of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines," Karapatan Secretary General, Cristina Palabay said. "All these years, the statements of the Presidential adviser for the peace process Teresita ‘Ging’ Deles have been an impediment, rather than an impetus, to the long-stalled peace talks,” Palabay said.
"May we remind the GPH peace panel that when talks between the NDFP and the Aquino administration started in 2011, the GPH committed to release “most, if not all” political prisoners. But years had passed and the GPH has not moved to honor this commitment and has instead went on a spree in arresting activists and peace consultants, violating the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL),” Palabay said.
There are now 17 detained peace consultants of the NDFP and 438 more political prisoners, all facing multiple trumped-up criminal charges.
“The detention of those involved in the peace negotiations is a stumbling block which the GPH has put up; to release the political prisoners is the right thing to do for it to correct its violations and to fulfil its obligations to the peace talks,” she added.
Signed on February 24, 1995, the JASIG is an agreement between the GPH and the NDFP giving immunity to duly accredited persons from surveillance, harassment, search, arrest, detention, prosecution and interrogation or any similar punitive actions due to any involvement or participation in the peace negotiations. The JASIG is made in order to facilitate the peace negotiations, create a favourable atmospheres conducive to free discussion and free movement during the negotiations, and avert any incident that may jeopardize the peace negotiations.
Palabay reminded the BS Aquino’s peace adviser that the peace process is not just about CPP/NPA/NDFP laying down their arms but to eradicate the bases of the raging civil war," Palabay commented on Deles’ “premature talk about political prisoners”.
“The roadmap of the GPH-NDFP talks has been defined by both parties when the Hague Declaration was signed in September 1991. You just have to stick to the agreements, Ms. Deles,” said Palabay as she also urged both parties to tackle the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio Economic Reforms (CASER). The other remaining substantive agenda are the Political and Constitutional Reforms and the End of Hostilities and Disposition of Forces.
The CASER is expected to spell out measures on poverty eradication, development thrusts and other action points to address the root causes of the armed rebellion such as landlessness, gender equality, adequate social services, and sovereignty. These are same issues that the political prisoners, the detained NDFP consultants were working on in the national and grassroots levels but prevented by arrest and continued detention," Palabay said. ###