MANILA, July 20 — Sen. Gringo Honasan on Thursday said that he agrees with Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s position that formal peace talks with communists should not resume unless they agree to stop their attacks against government troops in Mindanao.
“I agree with Pres. Rodrigo Duterte. We cannot talk and fight at the same time,” Honasan, former military man said on his official Twitter account.
Honasan, meanwhile, urged the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), through its negotiating arm, the National Democratic Front (NDF) to condemn these attacks.
“If you have no control over those who continue to attack government troops and installations, why don’t you condemn these attacks? If you have no control and do not condemn the attacks why are we talking? This is bad faith,” he added.
Honasan made this statement after Duterte met with officials and members of the government peace panel to discuss the possible signing of a bilateral ceasefire agreement with communist rebels.
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Jesus Dureza said the resumption of formal talks would depend on the rebel group’s commitment to follow certain guidelines for a possible ceasefire deal.
This includes suspending operations against the military and the police and stopping all their extortion activities on the ground, among others.
On Wednesday, the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, the armed wing of CPP, attacked Presidential Security Group (PSG) personnel in Arakan, Cotabato, injuring four of its members.
Malacanang strongly condemned the incident. (Azer N. Parrocha/PNA)
