MANILA, July 20 – Solicitor General Jose Calida said that he will seek the courts to cancel the bail bonds of the leaders and members of communist group National Democratic Front (NDF) and recommit them to their detention facilities.
Calida made the initiative after Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza declared backchannel talks with the communists fell due to recent attacks made by the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
According to OSG Spokesperson Atty. Erik Dy, the Solicitor General already instructed the handling solicitors to ask the courts to cancel the bail bonds of the NDF consultants, order their arrests, and recommit them to their detention facilities.
“The conditional release granted them by the courts are for the sole purpose of the formal peace negotiations. The conditions are based on the Supreme Court Resolution dated 2 August 2016, and not based on JASIG.” Dy said, pertaining to an SC Resolution involving NDF leaders Ocampo, Echanis and Ladlad.
“The conditions provide that should the formal peace negotiations cease or fail, their bond shall be deemed automatically cancelled,” Dy added.
For his part, lawyer Edre Olalia, legal counsel of NDFP panel, advised against the initiative being made by the OSG.
“Another unfortunate knee-jerk hardball reaction that does not solve but aggravates the situation,” Olalia said about the plans of the OSG.
Last February, President Duterte also cancelled the peace negotiations due to the killing of three unarmed soldiers in Bukidnon.
Calida also said he will ask the Supreme Court (SC) and the regional trial courts where the said NDF consultants are facing various charges to issue recommitment orders to bring them back to detention.
He pointed out then that the resolution issued by the SC in August last year imposed conditions for the provisional liberty of the NDF consultants which he explained were adopted by the concerned RTCs in allowing the release of the said personalities on bail for them to be able to participate in the peace talks.
But Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza downplayed the recent cancellation of the backchannel talks saying it is just a temporary hitch that could still be resolved by both parties.
“The situation on the ground necessary to provide the desired enabling environment for the conduct of peace negotiations are still present up to this time,” he said. (Christopher Lloyd T. Caliwan/PNA)