Informal talks with Reds cancelled : Dureza

July 19, 2017

The Philippine government peace panel would no longer hold back channel talks with the communist National Democratic Front following the attack on Friday by the New People's Army against the Presidential Security Group (PSG) in North Cotabato, top peace official said. Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza, in his Facebook post, said the back channel talks originally set "within the next few days" in Europe were cancelled. The cancellation was "due to recent development involving attacks done by the NPAs," he said. "The situation on the ground necessary to provide the desired enabling environment for the conduct of peace negotiations (is) still not present up to this time," he said. Five PSG personnel were injured in a firefight with some 100  persons believed to be leftist rebels who were disguised as soldiers manning a checkpoint in Arakan, Cotabato Wednesday morning, police said. Major Ezra Balagtey, spokesperson of the Eastern Mindanao Command, said one member of  the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit identified as Ben Pandia "was liquidated" prior to the encounter and a 60-year-old man was abducted. In the informal talks, the government peace panel was supposed to push for the signing of a ceasefire and to ask the rebels to stop extortion activities. President Rodrigo Duterte has said formal peace talks with the NDF would only resume if the communist rebels would agree to a truce and to halt their extortion activities. (Celerina Monte, Robina Asido/DMS)