Retitled: End of Hostilities/Disposition of Forces (EOH/DOF) for CPP-NPA

[adroth]

NPAs won’t give up arms as part of peace deal – Jalandoni
Published September 29, 2016 6:32pm

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/583234/news/nation/npas-won-t-give-up-arms-as-part-of-peace-deal-jalandoni

Communist guerrillas will not surrender their weapons even if a peace deal is reached with the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, the rebels' chief negotiator said on Thursday, a potential deal-breaker in the current talks.

The government and the rebels declared indefinite unilateral ceasefires in Oslo last month as part of an accord to accelerate efforts to end a conflict that has lasted almost five decades and killed at least 40,000 people.

The government expressed hopes that a peace agreement could be reached within a year of the Oslo talks, the first formal meeting for five years. The guerrillas stopped short of setting a deadline.

Luis Jalandoni, the Netherlands-based top negotiator for the National Democratic Front, the political arm of the communist movement, said the military wing, the New People's Army, would not agree to disarm.

"We don't think the New People's Army should be disarmed or the weapons surrendered and destroyed," he told reporters.

As of posting time, GMA News Online was getting a reaction from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.

An Army general, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the rebels' position could be a deal-breaker.

< Edited >

- See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/583234/news/nation/npas-won-t-give-up-arms-as-part-of-peace-deal-jalandoni#sthash.rsgeMePR.dpuf

[adroth]

. . . . End of Hostilities/Disposition of Forces (EOH/DOF).

. . .

Both parties also agreed that even before a negotiated political settlement is reached, Filipinos may immediately enjoy the benefits of "peace dividends" derived from CASER, ceasefire, PCR, EOH-DOF, and CARHRIHL (Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law).

"Even while the GRP and the NDF are on negotiation stage, reforms may already be implemented as a result of agreements on topics such as agrarian reform and national industrialization," Bello explained.

"We need not wait for the conclusion of a final peace agreement before Filipinos enjoy the fruits of concurrent peace negotiations," he added.

In their report to the panels, the RWC on CASER of both parties agreed to fulfill their commitment to "endeavor to complete work within a period of six months." An extension may be allowed provided it does not exceed more than nine months.

The RWG on PCR, for their part, agreed on a common outline that includes discussions on:

National Sovereignty and Self-determination

Economic Sovereignty and National Patrimony

Self-determination, National Minorities, Indigenous Peoples, and Bangsamoro

Social Justice

Form/System of Government

Electoral and Political Party Reforms

Constitutional Bodies

Accountability and Good Governance

Judicial Reform

Fiscal Policy and Management

Security Reform
. . .

The RWG on EOH-DOF, for its part, agreed to adopt the outlines submitted by both parties. The outline contains eight main parts:

Preamble

Declaration of Principles

Bases, Scope and Applicability

Definition of Terms

End of Hostilities

Disposition of Forces

Mechanisms to Implement the Comprehensive Agreement on EOH/DOF

Concluding Provisions

The RWG on EOH/DOF is chaired by Defense Assistant Secretary Teodora Torralba III, with government negotiators Antonio Arellano and Angela Librado-Trinidad both supervising the RWG. The NDF side is led by Wilma Tiamzon as chair and Benito Tiamzon as vice chair.

“With these frameworks and outlines, we are right on schedule. We expect a final peace agreement after one year so we can devote five more years of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term in implementing the reforms agreed upon by both parties,” Bello pointed out. (PNA)
SCS/OPAPP-PR/SSC

[adroth]

Who are representing the republic in negotiations to end hostilities and disarm the CPP-NPA?

The RWG on EOH/DOF is chaired by Defense Assistant Secretary Teodoro Torralba III, with government negotiators Antonio Arellano and Angela Librado-Trinidad both supervising the RWG. The NDF side is led by Wilma Tiamzon as chair and Benito Tiamzon as vice chair.

EOH/DOF chair, Teodoro Torralba, is DND Assistant Secretary for Plans and Programs, and is a former BGEN who was military adviser to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, and was head of the Court Martial for the Al-Barka incident.

Antonio Arellano -

Librado-Trinidad is a staunch leftist, having picked up her father's mantle as a fixture in the Davao City labor movement and served on the City Council . . . and she's negotiating for the government. This is interesting.