Philippines gov’t, leftist rebels agree on ceasefire

By Hader Glang

ZAMBOANGA CITY, the Philippines

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has reciprocated a weeklong unilateral ceasefire declared by communist rebels ahead of the resumption of peace talks next week.

Before flying to Norway for negotiations, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza told a press briefing Saturday that Duterte’s government “will walk the extra mile for peace”.

The Manila Bulletin quoted the statement read by Dureza as saying that the ceasefire was effective 12 a.m. Sunday (1600GMT Saturday).

Earlier on Saturday, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement that Duterte had welcomed the Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) ceasefire declaration late Friday.

The CPP and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA), said in a statement that the ceasefire was declared "to celebrate and bolster” the resumption of formal negotiations between their political arm the National Democratic Front (NDF) and the government.

The declaration came hours after a regional court temporarily released a couple, Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, accused of being leaders of the CPP-NPA, bringing the number of those released to participate in negotiations to at least 19.

"We therefore feel optimistic that the mutual efforts of both sides would lead to fruitful negotiations that could pave the way for substantive discussions in the hope of putting an end to one of Asia’s longest-running insurgencies," Andanar was quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer as saying.

With the talks set to be held in the Norwegian capital Oslo Aug. 22-26, the rebels’ unilateral ceasefire is due to last from 12.01 a.m. Sunday to 11.59 p.m. Aug. 27 (1559).

During the talks, the CPP seeks to address a proposal for Duterte to grant a general amnesty for the release of all political prisoners.

More than 500 members of the communist groups, which have been waging a decades-old insurgency, are currently in detention.

Duterte had declared a unilateral government ceasefire during his first state of the union address July 25, only to call it off days later after an ambush by NPA members killed a government militiaman in southern Davao del Norte province.

Previous negotiations with the CPP-NDF collapsed in 2004 after the communists withdrew from the negotiating table on account of the renewed inclusion of CPP founder Jose Maria Sison and the NPA on the United States terrorist list.

In 2014, negotiations again failed because previous President Benigno Aquino III turned down the rebels' demand to release detained comrades -- accusing the rebels of insincerity in efforts to achieve a political settlement.

In his peace overtures, Duterte -- who won the May 9 election -- has said that he will release all political prisoners if party leaders return from exile and sit down for negotiations.

He has also offered the CPP posts in his new government to smooth the way.

The insurgency, waged since March 1969, has claimed more than 3,000 lives over the past eight years, according to the military.

The military estimates that the number of NPA members has dropped from a peak of 26,000 in the 1980s to less than 4,000.