On the question of resuming the formal peace talks

Prof. Jose Maria Sison
NDFP Chief Political Consultant

Despite Duterte´s scuttlling of the 5th round of formal talks in May 2017, the National Democratic Front of the Phiilippines (NDFP) has encouraged the NDFP Negotiating Panel, its Reciprocal Working Committee on Social and Economic Reforms (RWC-SER) and its Reciprocal Working Group on Political and Constitutional Reforms (RWG-PCR) to continue their drafting work with the assistance of many experts and consultants and on the basis of consultations with various classes, sectors, institutions and mass organizations.

Indeed, the NDFP Negotiating Panel, the RWC-SER and RWG-PCR have continued their drafting work with the same dedication and enthusiasm as before. They do not wish to throw away the work they have done and have further done towards completing the NDFP draft of the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER) and the Comprehensive Agreement on Political and Constitutional Reforms (CAPCR).

They have anticipated two possibilities: The Duterte regime itself might in due time find it wise and necessary to resume formal peace talks or it cannot last long in power and it is replaced by a new leadership of the GRP that is willing to resume the peace negotiations.
In either case, the NDFP Negotiating Panel, its RWC-SER and its RWG-PCR cannot be disappointed with having worked so hard to do serious research, public consultations and deliberations in order to produce the drafts that they consider worthy of negotiations in the service of the Filipino people.

There is a third possibiity: the Duterte or post-Duterte regime of the GRP is not interested in peace negotiations with the NDFP to address the roots of the armed conflict. Then the peopleś democratic revolution through protracted peopleś war simply proceeds until it overthrows the rotten ruling system. In the meantime, all revolutionary forces and the peopleś democratic government keep on growing.