Do CPP, NPA really want peace?

We are glad that the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has finally sealed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. It took the two sides a long while to get there; and to think that a number of incidents, at various points up to the last phase of the peace talks, almost derailed them from reaching their objective. But like all good things driven by noble intentions, there was no stopping the peace agreement. One thing is, the key figures of both sides committed themselves to a peace accord, and the Muslim people wanted to change their lives for the better.

What could be on the mind of the communist rebels now that they have been overtaken not only by events but also by our brother Muslims in the noble pursuit of peace? Even with no victory in sight, the New People’s Army chooses to stay on the battlefield instead of going to the negotiating table. And just because their leader, Jose Maria Sison, who is in exile in the Netherlands, would rather wait for the next administration before he talks peace. But how many administrations has he waited for and have passed? Do Sison and his communist comrades really want peace? Or is supplanting the democracy with communist rule all they want? That can never happen in the Philippines, a country of mixed cultures.

—A. QUESTA-ZUBIRI,

alicia_questazubiri

@yahoo.com.ph