Despite fallout, Jalandoni wants peace talks to continue

MANILA -- (UPDATED) National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) senior adviser Luis Jalandoni urged peace talks to continue despite the recent pronouncement of President Rodrigo Duterte that the group will be considered terrorists.

Duterte on Sunday said he will now consider the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People's Army, and National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) terrorist groups, a label Jalandoni said is “erroneous.”

• READ: Duterte to consider CPP-NPA-NDF as terrorist group

“But former agreements and talks with President Duterte indicate that he wanted the peace negotiations to continue with the CPP-NPA-NDFP,” Jalandoni said in an interview on ANC’s “News Now.”

The President on Saturday suspended peace talks with the communists and urged its leaders involved in peace talks to come back to the country and surrender themselves.

In a statement, the NDFP said it will wait for the formal notice from the government panel on the termination of the peace talks.

"The NDFP hereby states that it is waiting for the formal notice from the GRP Negotiating Panel on its termination of the peace negotiations as mandated in the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) which defines the mode of termination," it said.

Jalandoni pressed for the continuance of talks, saying deals between the government and the communist rebels are still on.

“We think it is necessary and important that the peace talks will continue because the compelling reason is the peace talks will try to achieve genuine peace based on justice, land reform, free distribution of land as agreed upon last month in Rome, so all of these things are still on the table,” he said.

Jalandoni noted that a meeting is being set up with Presidential adviser on the Peace Process Slivestre Bello on February 22-25 for the discussion of a possible bilateral ceasefire.

Last Friday, Duterte announced the end of the government’s unilateral ceasefire after the NPA announced the withdrawal of its own ceasefire as well. The decision came following recent attacks by the NPA on government troops.

Asked for comment on the President’s call to freed NPA rebels involved in the talks to return to jail, Jalandoni said they are observing the agreements in connection to the peace talks.

“Actually, the consultants are observing the agreement with regards to their participation in the peace negotiations,” he said.

Jalandoni asserted that they will still press for the release of all 400 political prisoners despite the fallout between the two sides.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella also commented on the suspension of the peace talks, saying recent developments are "deeply disappointing."

"This is deeply disappointing as final and lasting peace has been one of his (Duterte) deepest aspirations for the nation," Abella said.