Gov’t failure to honor agreement to free NDFP consultants may stall talks

0Gov’t failure to honor agreement to free NDFP consultants may stall talks

“They’re [GPH] so enthusiastic about the schedule but they are the ones putting stumbling blocks.” – NDFP
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Formal talks between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) are in danger of being stalled as the GPH has not fulfilled its commitment to release detained NDFP consultants.

In an interview with Bulatlat, Fidel Agcaoili, NDFP peace panel member and chair of the NDFP Human Rights Committee, scored the GPH for not releasing most, if not all, of the 17 detained NDFP consultants and other persons protected under the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig).

In the Joint Communique signed by both parties on January 18, 2011, the GPH, through its negotiating panel, committed itself “to work for the expeditious release of detained NDFP consultants and other Jasig-protected persons in compliance with the Jasig and in the spirit of goodwill.”

Signed in February 1995, Jasig guarantees the safety and immunity of negotiators, consultants and all personnel who participate in the peace negotiations.

“Since January, only Angie Ipong was released and then no more,” Agcaoili said. Ipong was released on Feb. 17 after six years of detention. All the charges filed against her were dismissed for lack of evidence.

“They’re [GPH] so enthusiastic about the schedule but they are the ones putting stumbling blocks,” Agcaoli said, referring to the timetable agreed upon by the two panels during the resumption of peace talks in February. “The schedule of formal talks in June remains uncertain,” Agcaoili said..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/06/02/governments-failure-to-honor-agreement-to-release-ndfp-consultants-may-stall-talks/