BAGUIO CITY — In response to the National Security Council’s (NSC) criticism, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) accused President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s  security and military officers of misrepresenting the Oslo Joint Statement.

In a statement released on Thursday, the CPP alleged that the government statements are aimed at undermining the peace negotiations and hinder discussions on addressing the root causes why communists have taken up arms.

CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena pointed out statements issued by the NSC, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as “misrepresenting the Oslo Joint Statement signed between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) as an agreement for the surrender of the New People’s Army.”

Mr. Valbuena said this misreading is being done intentionally and clarified that the Oslo Joint Statement is not an agreement for the NPA’s surrender, but rather a step toward resolving roots of the armed conflict.

He further stressed on the need for comprehensive negotiations based on the Hague Declaration of 1992, covering human rights, social and economic reforms, political and constitutional reform, and the disposition of forces.

The CPP insisted that peace talks serve as an unarmed battlefield to advance the people’s national democratic cause, addressing issues such as landlessness, poverty, political repression, and tyranny.

Despite the NSC blaming the CPP for intensifying attacks during its 55th anniversary last Jan. 26, the CPP reaffirmed its commitment to negotiations while maintaining the armed struggle as a means to address what it claimed to be the Filipino people’s aspirations. — Artemio A. Dumlao

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