Philippine peace talks threatened: NDF
Philippine peace talks threatened: NDF
MANILA (AFP): A front organization for communist insurgents
warned the Philippine government yesterday that moves to control
protests against the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) summit were jeopardizing peace talks.
In a statement faxed from the Netherlands, the National
Democratic Front (NDF) criticized what it called "repressive
measures" by the government of President Fidel Ramos.
It follows the arrest on Monday of 13 members of leftist
groups caught by police pasting anti-APEC posters here.
The NDF is regarded as a political front for the Communist
Party of the Philippines and its armed unit the New People's
Army, which is outlawed by Manila but still active.
"The escalation of repressive measures by the Ramos regime
jeopardizes the continuation of the... peace talks," NDF
chairman Luis Jalandoni said in the statement, referring to
ongoing talks in the Netherlands, where the NDF maintains its
international offices.
Manila and the communists are engaged in working out four
agreements aimed at forging a peace settlement to end the long-
running insurgency.
The four agreements are aimed at laying the groundwork for a
peace deal by addressing points of contention. These include
economic, political and electoral reforms, human rights issues
and how any peace agreement would be monitored and enforced.
The government in Manila has imposed massive security the APEC
meetings this month including the summit on Nov. 25 in the
northern port of Subic, which bring together national leaders
from around the Pacific.
Ramos has said, however, that law enforcers would observe
"maximum tolerance" towards protesters.
Leftist groups, widely believed to be allied to the communist
insurgents, have been threatening to mount numerous protests
against the APEC meetings.
The communist insurgency is scattered in remote areas of the
Philippines and is said to be declining with some 5,000 armed
fighters compared to 25,000 in the mid-1980s.
Meanwhile, a union official said yesterday ground crew of
Philippine Airlines (PAL) will go on strike during the APEC
summit, as talks with management are in deadlock.
"It (the strike) may be now or in the coming days but our
protest will definitely be during the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC)" forum meetings, said Alexander Barrientos,
president of the 8,500-member PAL Employees' Association.
A strike during the APEC meetings by PAL ground crew, which
handles ground services for other airlines, would paralyze
operations at Manila international airport, where hundreds of
APEC delegates have been arriving since Monday.
The strike call followed a PAL announcement on Sunday that it
anticipated an "illegal" strike at any moment by its pilots.
The ground crew union went on a three-day strike earlier this
month to press for pay raises, but pickets were lifted after the
government intervened and the union agreed to resume collective
bargaining with PAL management.
Barrientos said the talks had again broken down.
"We don't see any effort on the part of management to improve
the situation of the workers," Barrientos told reporters.
PAL officials declined to comment on the strike threat before
the board has decided on a plan of action.