The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Negotiating Panel Chairperson Luis Jalandoni and Prof. Jose Maria Sison, NDFP Chief Political Consultant warmly welcomed Senator Francis Pangilinan, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food and the Committee on Social Justice and Rural Development at the NDF Information Office in Utrecht, the Netherlands, on 7 July 2011.
1.Sen. Pangilinan came on his account as a senate official of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) in order to promote the GPH-NDFP peace negotiations and encourage the holding of formal talks between the GPH and NDFP Negotiating Panels.
2. Pangilinan presented for the consideration of the NDFP his proposals for solving socio-economic and political problems and his reasons why there is hope for the Philippines. Jalandoni assured the senator that the NDFP leadership and the NDFP negotiating panel would seriously study his proposals.
3. Jalandoni and Pangilinan agreed that there is urgent need for the peace negotiations to move forward in the face of the serious problems of the Philippines and in response to the desire of the Filipino people to address such problems with comprehensive agreements on basic social, economic and political reforms.
4. They agreed on the need for the negotiating panels to engage in formal talks soon and for the Reciprocal Working Committees on Social and Economic Reforms and for the Working Groups on Political and Constitutional Reforms to carry out their work across the table.
5. Jalandoni pointed out the need for compliance with the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) and the release of the 17 political prisoners who are protected by the JASIG. Pangilinan pledged to help in seeking the release of said political prisoners.
6. Pangilinan and Jalandoni agreed on the desirability of a partnership or alliance between the GPH and the NDFP on the basis of a general declaration of common intent, justifying truce and letting the negotiations forge the comprehensive agreements in basic terms and in detail.
7. The NDFP Negotiating Panel Chairperson discussed that in accordance with the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), the political prisoners must be released in the most expeditious manner. They are in prison either because of their political belief or association or because they are victims of political repression and have been subjected to false charges of common crimes or political offense. Pangilinan committed to discuss this matter with the GRP Panel together with the issue of the possibility of President Aquino granting amnesty to political prisoners.
