Peace talks are important, but OVP is not part of them: spokesperson Robredo

MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Vice President (OVP) on Tuesday recognized the importance of returning to the peace negotiating table to find lasting resolutions to the communist insurgency that has raged for decades in the country.

But, he also made clear, that he is not and will not participate in “direct” peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

Vice President Leni Robredo’s spokesperson, Atty. Barry Gutiérrez explained that even if OVP believes that peace negotiations are the way to solve the insurgency problem, it must be addressed through formal channels, of which OVP is not a part.

“The Office of the Vice President is not involved, and does not intend to participate, in [the] direct peace negotiations with the NDF, ”Gutiérrez said in a statement.

“While the peace talks are crucial to resolving this decades-long conflict, they must be conducted through official and formal channels of which the OVP is not a part,” he added.

Rumors that Robredo was participating in peace negotiations with the communists spread on social media after online trolls posted false information that attempted to label the vice president or link her to the communist movement. Robredo has denounced the proliferation of such misinformation about her, urging Internet users to report them.

LEE: Robredo urges Internet users to report false information that links her to the Reds

This issue arose from a September NDFP statement, in which they said they would speak to other factions in the government, such as Robredo’s political party, the Liberal Party, and other possible constitutional successors, following the collapse of peace negotiations between them and the Duterte administration.

On Friday, Senator Bong Go was sought for his reaction to the NDFP plans. Go said such peace talks would be of no importance as the commander-in-chief of the Philippine army, which has been at war with the New People’s Army (NPA) for many years, is President Rodrigo Duterte.

The NPA is the guerrilla arm, while the NDFP is the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

“The question is what is the authority of the Office of the Vice President when it comes to peace talks, because let us remember that the President is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Go said. a close ally of Duterte.

(The question is what is the authority of the Office of the Vice President when it comes to peace talks, because we must remember that the President is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.)

“If they speak there, the Armed Forces will not follow them, they will not have war yet, what good are peace talks?

(If they spoke to them, but the Armed Forces did not follow, then the war would simply continue, so what good are such peace talks?)

But Gutiérrez urged Go to first identify if the “news” he reacted to is really true and accurate, and emphasized that OVP’s position on the issue has not changed.

“This has been the constant position of the OVP following the suspension of the GRP-NDF peace negotiations, and it has not changed, contrary to the hysterical claims in the fake news posts that are being aggressively spread on social media,” he said Gutierrez.

“Senator Bong Go would do well to ensure that next time, he first verifies that whatever ‘news’ he is reacting to is true and accurate, and not based on the ravings of some YouTube trolls,” he added.

Peace talks between the government and communist rebels appeared to be coming to an end under Duterte, as he has partnered with the left on several occasions. The president even offered various Cabinet positions to supporters of the left, but after a series of alleged ambushes by the NPA against government soldiers despite a joint ceasefire declaration, the peace talks turned into an intermittent matter.

Eventually, the government changed course and embarked on localized peace negotiations to rid the country of what it called “communist terrorist groups” that include members of progressive organizations, which the government said are “front” groups for the CCP.

To date, the peace talks between the Duterte administration and the Communists have no clear future.

KGA

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