Rebel group says they remain open to peace talks

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The New People’s Army (NPA) Mt. Cansermon Command, which operates in central Negros, renewed calls to oust President Rodrigo Duterte during the group’s recent 49th anniversary celebration.

In a statement by Mt. Cansermon Command spokesperson Ka Dionesio Magbuelas, he lauded the NPA’s anniversary, praising members’ bravery in standing up against what they called “oppression” perpetrated by the Duterte administration and their American allies.

Magbuelas said their group is presently in a “favorable” situation in its armed struggle against the government, despite the president’s plan to eliminate their group by 2019.

The group also presented several of their accomplishments, claiming they put to death six “counter-revolutionaries” and assets of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), along with seizing several firearms.

They also pointed to the recent incident in Himamaylan City’s Barangay Carabalan, again claiming the gun battle that ensued was a “misencounter.”

Magbuelas also said the NPA will not let down in its armed struggle, although he stated the NPA is still open to peace talks, even urging the House of Representatives to convince Duterte to go back to the negotiating table and approving the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER) and the Comprehensive Agreement on Political and Constitutional Reforms (CAPCR)./DGB, WDJ