Peace talks on 'brink of collapse' with government arrest of consultants, says NDFP

MANILA, Philippines — Law enforcement authorities' consecutive arrests of three peace consultants this month has triggered a fresh crisis in peace negotiations between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

In a statement on Monday, October 28, Julie de Lima, chairperson of the NDFP's negotiating panel, said authorities have detained Porferio Tuna, Simeon Naogsan and Wigberto Villarico in violation of a standing agreement protecting peace consultants from arrest. 

The government, through a statement from National Security Council spokesperson Jonathan Malaya over the weekend, declared the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantee (JASIG) void after the Duterte administration terminated the deal when it canceled peace talks in 2017. 

De Lima countered this by saying the 1995 agreement requires formal procedures for termination and cannot be removed through media statements alone.  

"Such agreements are the product of formal negotiations and mutual commitment, rooted in both national and international legal principles, and cannot be undone unilaterally or casually," De Lima said.

The JASIG refers to the agreement between then-President Fidel Ramos and the NDF signed in 1995 that shields all persons involved in peace talks from harassment, arrest and detention. 

Dispute over whether JASIG remains in effect dates back to 2017, when then-President Rodrigo Duterte announced its termination alongside the canceled peace talks. This move allowed authorities to re-arrest NDFP consultants who had been temporarily released for the negotiations.

However, the NDFP has always maintained that a unilateral termination cannot void the immunity guarantees, which they say require formal procedures and mutual agreement to terminate. 

"By repeatedly violating these protections, the GRP has disregarded its own commitments and continues to push the ongoing talks to the brink of collapse," De Lima said. 

"We wish to reiterate the NDFP’s policy of openness to resume peace negotiations, but how can we possibly engage in meaningful negotiations when our negotiators and consultants are subjected to arrests, killings, and torture?" she said.

Tuna, who