NPA accepts Duterte-Carpio’s offer to talk peace in Davao
DAVAO CITY – The New People’s Army (NPA) in Southern Mindanao is willing to meet with Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio who had earlier called out to the rebel group for a dialogue in a bid to end hostilities that has claimed casualties from the side of the government and the insurgents.
In a statement sent Sunday night, NPA regional operations command for southern Mindanao Rigoberto Sanchez said the rebel group was willing to meet with Duterte-Carpio at a mutually agreed time and date in the territories controlled by the insurgent group within Davao City.
"The NPA would gladly discuss any matter that she would like to take up with the revolutionary movement, the duties and responsibilities of the people’s democratic government, the role of the NPA, the on-going all-out war of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Government of the Philippines (GRP) – National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace negotiations," Sanchez said.
Duterte-Carpio extended the invitation for a dialogue with the Communists after several skirmishes earlier this month in Paquibato and Calinan Districts, which killed at least 12 and wounded around 20 AFP troops.
"The revolutionary forces recognize Sara Duterte’s willingness to talk to the NPA as a group and not to individuals amid the growing public clamor to resume the suspended GRPNDFP peace negotiations and achieve substantial gains in the peace process," Sanchez said.
However, Sanchez questioned Duterte-Carpio's sincerity to talk peace as she also said that she would "leave everything to the AFP" if the talks fail.
"Mayor Sara must know by now that the AFP is a corrupt, wily and mercenary organization that makes a mockery of the peace process and continuously sabotages her father’s and the NDFP’s efforts at peace every chance it gets," Sanchez said.
"Furthermore, we are optimistic that Mayor Sara would judiciously discern the realities of the civil war, not merely through the statistics of AFP casualties and its civilian victims but by seeing the imperative to address the roots of the armed conflict."
Mayor Sara earlier said that the offer would be limited only to her jurisdiction of Davao City and would welcome dialogues not from individual surrenderees but the NPA "as a group."