Estrada meets with guerrilla leaders

Estrada meets with guerrilla leaders

BAGUIO, Philippines (AP): President Joseph Estrada met leaders of a breakaway Communist guerrilla group on Sunday as part of government efforts to start peace talks with local guerrillas.

The leaders of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB) expressed willingness to hold peace talks with the Manila government during the meeting in the northern mountain resort city of Baguio, an official said.

Estrada welcomed the rebels' offer, said Philippine National Police chief Panfilo Lacson, who was among those who arranged the meeting at the presidential mansion in Baguio, about 210 kilometers north of Manila.

The RPA-ABB broke off from the main Communist Party of the Philippines in the early 1990s over differences in ideology and ways to wage an armed struggle. It suffered recent setbacks due to a series of arrests of its top guerrillas, including Nilo de la Cruz and Arturo Tabara.

De la Cruz and Tabara, who have since been released by the military, were among four rebel leaders who met with Estrada.