Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — If plans push through, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison will return to the country within the next three months — ahead of the resumption of formal peace talks between the government and communist movement.
Speaking to reporters via Skype from the Netherlands on Thursday, Sison said he will be staying in the country for a couple of weeks and expects to hold lengthy meetings with President-elect Rodrigo Duterte. It will be his first trip back home in nearly 30 years.
Downplaying concerns over his security during his visit in July or August, he said, “Meron akong mapagkakatiwalaan na papalibot sa akin at bandang panig naman ni Duterte ay maniniyak yun na walang upsets sa peace negotiations.”
[Translation: I will be surrounded by people I trust. On Duterte’s side, he will make sure that there will be no upsets in the peace negotiations.]
Sison has not returned home since 1987 when he left the country and remained abroad, living in the Dutch city of Utrecht, after the collapse of the first peace talks between the rebels and the government under the late President Cory Aquino.
Sison will remain as chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front (NDF), the communist party’s political wing, which represents the Communist Party, the New People’s Army (NPA) and their allies in the talks.
Luis Jalandoni will remain chair of the NDF peace panel. Sison’s wife, Juliet, will be among its members.
The resumption of the formal peace talks will focus on discussions on a comprehensive agreement on socio-economic reforms (CASER), Sison said.
This centerpiece agreement will seek “genuine” land reform, as well as a nationalist industrialization policy. The NDF said this addresses the root cause of their armed struggle, which has dragged on for close to five decades, making it one of the longest-running insurgencies in Asia.
“Hindi malaya ang mga magsasaka. Ang ilang impresa at manupaktora ay kontrolado ng mga dayuhan. Sila ang nakikinabang,” said Randall Echanis, a member of the NDF reciprocal working committee on socio-economic reforms.
[Translation: The farmers have not yet been liberated. Some manufacturing companies are controlled by foreigners. They are the ones benefiting.]
Before the talks can begin, emissaries of both panels will hold an informal meeting to iron out details of the talks. One of the top items on their agenda is the drafting an interim mutual ceasefire agreement.
“Siyempre tigil putukan [Of course there will be a ceasefire]. No offensive operations by both sides – keeping it, staying in place – and then may [there will be a] mechanism … in case of violations,” said NDFP member Fidel Agcaoili.
