By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Despite the prospect of holding peace talks to end the longest Maoist insurgency in this part of Asia that has claimed thousands of lives and damaged properties, the National Security Council (NSC) on Wednesday assailed the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) after it came out with a statement for its 55th anniversary which indicates that it will still carry on their “protracted armed struggle” against the government.

NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya took note of the CPP statement amid ongoing exploratory peace negotiations between the Marcos Jr. administration and the Maoist rebels.

“The Party outlines tasks to strengthen the NPA and the revolutionary armed struggle, and carry forward the revolutionary mass movement, and the people’s struggles against the US-Marcos regime,” the CPP said in its statement marking its 55th foundation anniversary.

To recall, the CPP was founded by Jose Maria Sison on December 26, 1968, which coincided with the birthday of Mao Zedong of China.

Sison died in the Netherlands where he sought refuge in 1987 after being freed from detention when the Cory Aquino administration took over.

The local communists have copied the doctrines of Mao Zedong like what they call “protracted people’s war by encircling the cities from the countryside.”

They also envisioned to topple down the government primarily through “armed struggle” and establishing what they called a “revolutionary coalition government” under the “direction of CPP.”

NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya lamented that instead of calling to abandon armed struggle in its anniversary statement, the CPP doubled down on its commitment to pushing it.

“To make matters worse, the CPP in the same Anniversary Statement called the forthcoming ‘exploratory talks’ resulting from the Oslo Communique as ‘an additional battlefield to advance the national democratic cause’,” Malaya noted.

He pointed out: “The use of the word ‘battlefield’ is telling. This only means that the CPP has not abandoned its original position.”

Meanwhile, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) also said on Wednesday that there are no more active guerilla fronts in the NPA (New People’s Army) which he said are “on their last leg.”

NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. claimed that there are only 14 “weakened” guerilla fronts left in the communist armed group.

“Ensuring their total dismantling will be our prerequisite for us to initiate our next steps in ensuring peace,” Torres declared.

The NTF-ELCAC also claimed that six more guerilla fronts have been dismantled recently.

(El Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Saying that the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA is collectively a “spent force”, former Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has rejected ceasefire with the Maoist rebels this Christmas.

On Friday (Dec 22), Lacson said in a statement that the government should not lose steam by giving the Maoists an opportunity to recoup their losses.

“The CPP/NPA is almost a spent force – thanks to the efforts of former President Rodrigo Duterte and the security forces during his term as president,” Lacson noted.

Earlier, Vice President Sara Duterte thumbed down any form of peace talks with the CPP-NPA.

She once again described the recent agreement between the Marcos Jr. administration and communist groups as an “agreement with the devil.”

For his part, Lacson — who once served as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief — said the government should instead pound hard on the communists whose agenda is to overthrow the state.

“We should not squander those gains by giving them – already designated as a terrorist group – another breathing space to regroup and reconsolidate their strength to fight and overthrow the duly constituted authority which is their ONLY agenda in the first place,” Lacson stressed.

However, he said the Maoist rebels should still be allowed to surrender “peacefully and unconditionally” if they decide to give up their armed struggle.

The CPP, founded by the late Jose Ma. Sison 55 years ago, has been waging their “protracted people’s war” copied from the revolutionary playbook of Mao Zedong in China.

(IAmigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — History is seemingly in the making with the resumption of peace negotiations between the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) which launched a Maoist-type “armed struggle” that began during the regime of the President’s late father and has persisted for nearly 55 years now.

Norway, reputed as one of the safest and most developed countries in Europe, has agreed to host the peace talks, six years after they were terminated by the Duterte administration which vowed but failed to crush the longest Maoist insurgency in this part of Southeast Asia.

“The parties agree to a principled and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict,” read a joint statement issued by both sides, signed in Oslo, Norway last Thursday, November 23.

“The parties acknowledge the deep-rooted socioeconomic and political grievances and agree to come up with a framework that sets the priorities for the peace negotiation.”

Presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. noted that both sides have agreed to “a principled and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict.”

He expressed hope that ”This joint communiqué highlights a significant milestone in the quest of the Filipino people to achieve peace, reconciliation, and unity.”

“We will start anew… really a fresh start,” Galvez said.

For her part, NDFP chief negotiator Julieta De Lima-Sison, widow of the late CPP founder Jose Ma. Sison said they will raise some “impediments” such as the release of peace consultants and political prisoners, as well as the terrorist designation of the NDFP.

She added that the “timeline is still being discussed. Maybe next year.”

On the other hand, Connie Ledesma, consultant and wife of former priest and NDFP Chairman Luis Jalandoni, disclosed that the NDFP will also push for the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

“What we can only answer and the most certain thing is we have signed a joint statement and we are eager to move faster,” Ledesma said.

(ai/mnm)