QUEZON CITY, September 29, 2008—The question of implementation of land reform and the removal from the foreign terrorist organization (FTO) listing were the highlights of the September 3 Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) and National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) dialogue, in the former’s international office in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

In an e-mail sent to this writer by Luis G. Jalandoni, chairperson of the NDFP Negotiating Panel, he said that Cagayan De Oro Archbishop Antonio S. Ledesma, SJ was the one who raiseD the question of land reform.

“The PEPP, in particular Archbishop Ledesma, brought up the question of land reform. He asked the NDFP side what is its view on land reform and on the conflicting views regarding CARPER (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms) and GARB (Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill). The NDFP side said that its view on land reform is contained in its 12-point program and in the NDFP Draft Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER),” Jalandoni said

He said that the said program (CASER) was announced in 1973 and further elaborated in 1977.

Eleven years later, the NDFP Draft on CASER was presented to the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) Negotiating Panel in March 1998.

Aquino’s CARP is not good to farmers

He said that on the side of the NDFP they saw Corazon C. Aquino’s CARP has not been beneficial at all to the peasants.

“Prof. Jose Maria Sison pointed out the various anti-peasant schemes such as the stock distribution scheme (used against Hacienda Luisita peasants and farmworkers), the VOS [voluntary offer to sell], land conversion [to industrial or commercial estates],” Jalandoni explained in his letter.

Jalandoni said that the NDFP does not think that CARP, which is basically flawed and in practice anti-peasant, can be reformed. He expressed the opinion that GARB would be more for the benefit of the peasants.

However, Archbishop Ledesma said that quite a number of bishops are supporting CARPER (CARP Extension with Reforms) and landlords are benefiting from the non-extension of CARP, he furthered.

On the other hand, Archbishop Ledesma suggested a kind of monitoring committee on land reform.

“The NDFP side suggested communication and dialogue between PEPP and the NDFP Reciprocal Working Committee on Social and Economic Reforms (RWC-SER) chaired by Julieta de Lima, member of the NDFP Negotiating Panel. Email addresses were exchanged to facilitate communication,” said Jalandoni.

Killings on Bondoc Peninsula, Masbate

On the same meeting, Jalandoni disclosed, that the PEPP brought up the issue of alleged killings of peasants in Masbate and the Bondoc Peninsula.

“The NDFP side said that it is important to carry out investigation on what has happened, pointing out that the New People’s Army (NPA) in Masbate has issued a statement on the question,” he said.

Jalandoni was referring to the statement released by the Jose Rapsing Command of the NPA published in the Philippine Revolution Web Central (http://www.philippinerevolution.net) last June 5.

On revolutionary taxation

The question of revolutionary taxation was also brought up by one from the PEPP side. Prof. Sison stated that collecting taxes is a function of a government. The revolutionary government, he said, is collecting taxes to provide services to the people. It is part of its function to administer the [social, economic and cultural] programs of the revolutionary movement.

Jalandoni stated that the GRP must consider in the peace talks that the NDFP is working in 120 guerrilla areas or fronts, has seventeen revolutionary allied organizations, with land reform, health, literacy, cultural and other programs in more than 800 municipalities in 70 out of 81 provinces throughout the country.

On the terrorist tag

Jalondoni told Bulatlat that the PEPP listened carefully when Prof. Sison explained that the terrorist listing was misused by the GRP side to pressure the NDFP to sign a Final Peace Accord which was a document of capitulation, a violation of the Hague Joint Declaration which provides that no precondition may be imposed that negates the inherent character and purpose of peace negotiations.

“Furthermore, Prof. Sison explained that the NDFP was not demanding that the GRP ask the US to remove the CPP, NPA and Prof. Sison from the terrorist list. What the NDFP is asking is that the GRP make a joint declaration [with the NDFP] against the breach of national sovereignty and territorial integrity by foreign government which imposes their anti-terrorist policies and laws on matters that are strictly internal to the Philippines,” says Jalandoni.

The PEPP did not make a specific reaction to this question of the lifting of the terrorist tag on the CPP, NPA and Prof. Sison, he added.

No specific date yet for the second dialogue

While the NDFP considers the said meeting very important and should be considered just the beginning of a process, no date was set for a second meeting, though both sides agreed to keep in touch, Jalandoni said.

Bishop Deogracias Iniguez Jr. said: “Dialogue is good.”

He said that the NDFP invited the PEPP delegates to visit them again and that there was a consensus that the dialogue should continue.