Manila, Philippines – Vice President Sara Z. Duterte has voiced her opposition to granting amnesty to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), despite her support for peace initiatives in the country. Her statement was issued during the 5th founding anniversary of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Monday.
According to Philippines News Agency, while she supports efforts to maintain peace in the Philippines, she believes that granting amnesty to the CPP-NPA-NDF is not the appropriate path to peace. She emphasized the need to continue and strengthen the initiatives started by the NTF-ELCAC, stating that communities are now actively resisting and fighting back against these groups.
Duterte referred to the joint communique between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front as an “agreement with the devil,” expressing skepticism about the sincerity of the NDF in peace negotiations. She warned that such negotiations could be used by the NDF to betray the government and deceive the public.
The Philippine government and the NDF recently signed a joint statement in Oslo, Norway, on November 23, agreeing to a ‘principled and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict.’ However, Duterte believes that the government can negotiate for peace and pursue development without capitulating to what she describes as enemies.
She urged consideration for the communities that have long suffered under the presence of these groups, now working to resist them and assist the government. Duterte stressed the importance of honoring the memory of those who have died in attacks by the NPA-CPP-NDFP and sought justice for the victims’ families.
Duterte recalled her experiences as mayor of Davao City, witnessing the aftermath of an NPA attack and interacting with the family of a Philippine Army official killed in an encounter with the NPA. She expressed concern that the implementation of Proclamations 403 and 404, which grant amnesty to members of these groups for crimes committed in pursuit of political beliefs, would fail to serve justice to the families of the victims.