The Palace has slammed the Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) rejection of localized peace talks saying that efforts to end the decades-long armed struggle with communist rebels is aimed at those on the ground and not at their leaders.

Palace Spokesman Harry Roque said this in response to the statement issued by the CPP shooting down the localized peace talks already underway.

It was obvious that the Palace official was referring to CCP founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison who has been in exile in the Netherlands after the Marcos regime ended.

The CPP called such effort as a “sham, a waste of people’s money”, adding that it is doom to fail since it’s a worn-out psywar tactic to project victory to conceal the continuing failure of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in suppressing the steady growth of the CPP’s armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA).

EO on guidelines set
An Executive Order is set to be issued by President Rodrigo Duterte for such purpose and spell out the guidelines that was agreed upon during Wednesday’s special cluster meeting of the security, justice and peace committees in Malacañang.

Roque dismissed any possible impact of the CPP’s rejection of any participation in the localized peace negotiations.

“We will await responses of those who are risking their lives and limbs on what appears to be a hopeless cause,” he said.