Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Volume IV, Number 5 February 29 - March 6, 2004 Quezon City, Philippines |
Talks
on Social and Economic Reforms will be Tougher – NDFP’s Jalandoni A
few days after the issuance of the Oslo Joint Statement by the Government of the
Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the
Philippines (NDFP), following the conclusion last Feb. 14 of the recent round of
formal talks between the two parties, Bulatlat.com’s Alexander Martin
Remollino (AMR) interviewed NDFP chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni (LJ) by e-mail
on succeeding developments. Jalandoni signed the statement for the NDFP panel
while former Justice Secretary Silvestre Bello III signed for the GRP panel. Following
are excerpts from the interview. AMR:
The Oslo joint statement says that the GRP and the NDFP have agreed to
undertake measures regarding the "terror" listing of the CPP-NPA and
Prof. Jose Maria Sison. What are the steps that are expected to be taken toward
their removal from the "terrorist" list? LJ:
It is
important to refer to the first paragraph on “Effective Measures Regarding the
‘Terrorist’ Listing” in the Oslo Joint Statement: “To resolve the
outstanding issue of the ‘terrorist’ listing of the CPP/NPA and the NDFP
Chief Political Consultant, effective measures shall be undertaken IN CONSONANCE
WITH THE HAGUE JOINT DECLARATION…” Therefore the GRP and the NDFP in
“jointly and separately” calling on the Government of the U.S., the Council
of the EU, must do so in consonance with The Hague Joint Declaration (which
stipulates the principle of national sovereignty).
In
the November 20-21 (2003) informal talks, the GRP Panel declared they would be
"flexible and creative" in undertaking the effective measures. This
could mean various ways of officially informing the U.S., the Council of the EU
and other concerned foreign states and governments (Canada and Australia), that
the aforementioned "terrorist" listing violates Philippine national
sovereignty and impedes the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations.
The NDFP shall make use of various ways and friendly parties,
organizations and individuals to send the message of the Oslo Joint Statement to
the concerned governments. We expect the Royal Norwegian Government to also
inform the international community, of course, including the concerned
governments. AMR:
What steps is the NDFP planning to take in view of
the Feb. 15 statement of Ging Deles, presidential adviser on the peace process,
that the government maintains that the inclusion of the CPP-NPA and Professor
Sison in the "terror" list is "independent of the GRP's
disposition regarding these matters"? LJ:
Through a press
statement dated 17 February 2004, the NDFP has warned the GRP that if the
measures to resolve the issue of the "terrorist" listing of the CPP/NPA
and Professor Sison prove to be ineffective, there will be no basis for
continuing the GRP-NDFP formal talks. We have also informed the Royal Norwegian
Government of this NDFP position. AMR:
The killings of Atty. Juvy Magsino and Leima Fortu of Bayan Muna and
Karapatan came just after the formation of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC).
Also an Anakpawis coordinator was killed in Mindoro. Are these to be brought to
the attention of the JMC soon? How do these affect the peace negotiations,
considering the recent gains in the area of human rights and international
humanitarian law (HR-IHL)? LJ:
The NDFP panel
got the report of the brutal killing of Vice Mayor Juvy Magsino and human rights
advocate Leima Fortu about 3 a.m. Feb. 14 Oslo time (10 a.m. Feb. 14 Manila
time.) Our panel immediately brought this up in the formal talks that were
ongoing then. The killing of Adrian Alegria, Anakpawis coordinator, followed
just five days later. Certainly,
these together with the killing of Eden Marcellana and Eddie Gumanoy, among
others, will be among the first cases that will be taken up in the meeting of
the Joint Monitoring Committee.
The
increasing widespread HR violations by the AFP (Armed Forces of the
Philippines), PNP (Philippine National Police) and CAFGU (Citizen Armed Forces
Geographical Unit) are a powerful indictment against the Arroyo regime; they
have an extremely negative effect on the peace negotiations. AMR:
The promotion of former 204th Infantry Brigade
commanding officer Col. Jovito Palparan, Jr. to brigadier general has recently
been confirmed by the Commission of Appointments notwithstanding his pending
case before the Commission on Human Rights. What do you think this implies about
the commitment of the Macapagal-Arroyo government to the HR-IHL agenda? LJ:
The promotion of
the notorious HR violator, Jovito Palparan, to general is a scandalous act of
the Arroyo regime that insults the memory of HR advocates Eden Marcellana and
Eddie Gumanoy and other victims of Palparan and his cohorts. AMR:
Is the NDFP planning to bring the issue of Palparan's
promotion to the attention of the JMC? LJ:
Yes,
certainly! AMR:
In an earlier e-mail interview also with Bulatlat.com,
you said that the permit-to-campaign (PTC) issue was hardly mentioned in the
recent round of talks. But President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo continues to issue
threats of military action in response to PTC fee collections. What is your
comment on this? LJ:
President
Arroyo has a twisted sense of understanding when she accuses the NDF/CPP/NPA of
“extortion” because of PTC fee collection. First,
it should be stressed that it is the candidates of various political parties who
approach the revolutionary movement. It is a voluntary act on their part. The
revolutionary movement responds by engaging them in a dialogue to arrive at a
common understanding regarding the rules and regulations for the safety of the
communities inside the areas of the revolutionary movement, the safety of the
candidates themselves (for example, no armed bodyguards may accompany them), the
platform or program they have that may be of benefit to the people, the programs
of the revolutionary movement in the area, such as health, land reform,
literacy, culture, etc. Then at the end, possible cooperation for mutual benefit
can be discussed, including possible contributions or donations of the
candidates for the people's programs.
This
is for the people and is properly accounted for. It is a voluntary act which
acknowledges the strength and influence of the revolutionary movement. This is
not extortion. What
is extortion is the stealing of the people's money, such as in the Jose Pidal
scandal and the Peace Bonds, for personal enrichment, while the people suffer
grinding poverty. AMR:
The indemnification of human rights victims under
the Marcos regime was also among the agenda for the recent round of talks. Is
there a proposed time frame for the indemnification? LJ:
While there is no
fixed time schedule set, the last sentence in the section of the agreement on
indemnification, indicates that it should be done as soon as possible: “...the
GRP shall indemnify martial law victims of human rights violations, giving
priority to the successful plaintiffs in the Human Rights Litigation against
Marcos who shall be indemnified WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY AND IN THE MOST
EXPEDITIOUS MANNER.”
No
doubt, the organizations of victims of HR violations, such as SELDA (Samahan ng
mga Ex-Detainee Laban sa Detensyon at para sa Amnestiya), and other HR
organizations and
their supporters should intensify the pressure on the GRP to abide by this
provision in the Oslo Joint Statement. The
NDFP will press for retaining in an escrow account the said amount solely for
the purpose of indemnifying victims of human rights violations during martial
law. This is to be done by the executive (no need to wait for Congress to pass a
law). The Oslo Joint Statement cites the precedents in the contingency legal
expenses and lawyers’ fees incurred by the PCGG (Presidential Commission on
Good Government) to indicate that the principal (the GRP president) can
undertake such action. AMR:
Regarding the release of political prisoners, is
there a proposed time frame within which the GRP shall review the cases of the
detainees in the Karapatan list? LJ:
The NDFP panel
stressed the urgency of releasing the 23 persons whose orders of release had
been signed since 2001, while the GRP Panel stressed their “judicial
procedures.”
The same urgency was stressed by the NDFP Panel for the Karapatan list of
women, children, sick and elderly persons, and the review of the more than 300
political prisoners. While
no time frame is set in the Oslo Joint Statement, it is clear from the letter
and spirit of the text, that the review and the releases should be done
“expeditiously.” So, the NDFP will be pressing for their expeditious release
and early review. We
are proposing that Karapatan and other human rights organizations and advocates
intensify the pressure on the GRP to comply with their obligation to release and
make the review soonest. AMR:
Social and economic reforms form the next phase in
the peace negotiations. Does the NDFP expect a more difficult battle in this
area than the fight for HR-IHL? LJ:
Yes, the NDFP
expect the negotiations on these topics, such as land reform and national
industrialization, which are at the very root of the 35-year-old civil war in
our country to be tougher than the negotiations on HR-IHL.
AMR:
Are there already plans for the venue of the next round
of formal talks? LJ: Should the measures for resolving the issue of “terrorist” listing be considered effective and there is substantial compliance by the GRP with its obligations, the next round of talks may be held toward the end of March 2004. The venue could be Beijing, if and when the People's Republic of China agrees, or Oslo again. Bulatlat.com We want to know what you think of this article.
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