WHERE HAVE ALL THE IDEOLOGIES GONE? (CPP to resume peace with the government)

What made the leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines to suddenly change their minds and seek out representatives of the government for another shot at the peace talks? Apparently, a source within the four-decade old insurgency sees Jose Maria Sison’s unexpected flip-flopping adventure with regard to negotiating peace as a clear manifestation that the government has finally succeeded in putting a dent in the CPP’s armed struggle. The information culled from the source suggests that JOMA and his close minions are already feeling the long arm of our justice system as majority of their close associates are now facing criminal charges either while evading arrests or are currently incarcerated in one of the country’s existing penitentiaries. According to him, there is now a general feeling of threat among their ranks as most of their hardcore leaders are now incommunicado from the movement.
On July 17, the government is set to officially declare the lifting of the suspension of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees or JASIG or a month before the preparatory and formal peace talks will take place between the GRP-NDFP panels. It was learned that the lifting of the JASIG suspension was one of the key pre-conditions set by Jose Maria Sison, Luis Jalandoni and Fidel Agcaoili during their back-channel talks with two of the GRP panel’s representatives, Nieves Confesor and Atty Segfrey Candelaria, who specifically went to The Netherlands last June 15, 2009 upon the CPP’s incessant invitation to start preliminary talks on peace.
The latest move of JOMA is now being looked upon by his subordinates scattered here in the country with utmost suspicion as he was previously quoted saying in 2005 that “the NDFP is prepared not to negotiate any more with the GRP under the Arroyo regime”. Some of their comrades are considering their leaders’ sudden shift to peace talks as either an attempt to sell their long-drawn armed struggle in exchange for electoral posts – as evidenced by the creation of the Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan or MAKABAYAN and their zealous effort to position themselves within the government – or that JOMA is secretly abandoning his comrades in arms as an alternative to graciously stepping down for Benito Tiamzon to assume the leadership.
Whatever Jose Maria Sison’s reasons may be, the government must view the sudden turn of events with much analysis and assess their position on the matter to assure that their camp will not face the losing end of the whole bargain, yet again. As a starter, the government must at all cost demand from the CPP leadership a directive ordering their members to temporarily cease all hostilities – against military and civilian targets – to prove their sincerity on the peace talks.