By Francis T. Wakefield
Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman and National Democratic Front chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison is ready to return to the Philippines once a significant advance in the peace negotiations has been achieved.
“I declare that I will certainly return home when a significant advance in the peace negotiations has been achieved within the framework of The Hague Joint Declaration and when my comrades and lawyers are satisfied with legal and security precautions,” the exiled Sison said following President Duterte’s call to resume the peace talks within 60-days.
“I am confident that the GRP and the NDFP negotiating panels, consultants, and drafting teams will be able to produce in the next few weeks the documents necessary for resuming the peace negotiations and making the peace process strong and stable,” he added.
Sison, who has been living in The Netherlands for more than 30 years, thanked Duterte for asking him to return to the country and assurances of hospitality and guarantees for his safety.
“I have long wished that we could meet again and cooperate closely in enabling the peace process to advance from one item to another in the substantive agenda,” Sison said.
“While we encourage the GRP and NDFP negotiating panels to prepare for the resumption of the peace negotiations, we must consider that if I return to the Philippines prematurely, I expose not only myself but also the entire peace process to extremely high risks of violent sabotage and termination by spoilers who are out to terminate the peace process once and for all,” he said.