communist Party of the Philippines
Press Release

CPP welcomes MKP openness to talks for alliance and peace

April 24, 2006

The Communist Party of the Philippines reponded favorably to the statement of Makabayang Kawal Pilipino (MKP) expressing its openness to talks with the CPP, the National Democratic Front and the New People's Army in the context of their common quest and struggle for peace and basic social reforms.

Communist Party spokesperson Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal expressed the CPP-NDF-NPA position in response to a statement made by 1Lt. Sonny Sarmiento revealing the MKP's openness "to negotiations [with the Left] as long as it is within the context of peace." Sarmiento gave
this statement in an interview by the Probe TV news magazine on
ABS-CBN last Friday. Rosal gave the statement on the occasion of the
National Democratic Front's 33rd anniversary celebration today.

Rosal said that the CPP-NDF-NPA regards  the MKP as a significant positive force within the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) for its espousal of patriotic and democratic ideas. He said the revolutionary forces look forward to the prospect of working together with the MKP and other allied groups and the various people's democratic movements to fight for basic socio-economic and political changes and for just and lasting peace in Philippine society.

"The immediate task to lay down the conditions for this," Rosal pointed out, "is to oust and replace the illegitimate, puppet, thieving, lying and brutal Arroyo government with a collective transition government that shall promote basic patriotic and democratic reforms in the economy, politics, government, culture and foreign relations and establish truce and alliance with the present revolutionary forces."

The CPP spokesperson called upon all patriotic, democratic and peace-loving officers and soldiers of the  AFP and PNP to take after
the MKP and allied military rebels, withdraw allegiance to Arroyo regime and shift their support to the growing people's movement to oust Arroyo and struggle for national freedom, democracy, peace and
progress.