Dear Editor,

Trust has long been a problem between the Philippine government and the Communist Party of the Philippines, and even after many years, there is still a lack of trust despite numerous attempts at peace negotiations.

It’s undeniable that the Philippine government, under both past and present administrations, has placed its trust in the CPP during the pursuit of peace talks, even though the outcomes haven’t been as successful as hoped.

For one, countless attacks by the CPP’s armed wing — the New People’s Army — have been logged, and for decades, countless lives were also sacrificed from both sides and in between, the masses are getting the brunt of the fighting, as they are almost always getting caught at the crossfire.

It was only during then-president Rodrigo Duterte’s administration that we saw the seemingly beginning of the end for the insurgents after he launched an all-out war against the Reds.

No peace negotiations were conducted during Duterte’s term, resulting in the gradual decimation of the rebel forces. In turn, the government has also managed to have those “disgruntled” rebels surrender to authorities and lead a new life.

And now that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has earlier stated that communist terrorist groups had lost their active fronts, we may see a day when all insurgents are neutralized or, at least, return to the folds of the law.

However, this may seem to be far-fetched as far as we’re concerned because just recently, the National Security Council revealed that the insurgents might find a way to regroup — and this time, using the exploratory talks that the National Democratic Front of the Philippines — the political wing of the CPP -— is pushing for with the government.

NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya recently said that there is always a possibility that the insurgents may regroup. Still, he remains optimistic that given the recent developments, which saw the deaths of the CPP-NPA leaders, the insurgents will have a hard time regaining their previous strength.

But the question remains: Should the government give in and explore peace negotiations with the rebels? Will there be an assurance that the insurgents will keep their word?

The answer to that is obvious — No.

The reason?

Last year, the public saw the government and the NDF agreeing to a “principled and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict.” Still, following that, the NPA has launched a “3rd Rectification Movement” seeking to intensify the “protracted people’s war” against the government.

Even Vice President Sara Duterte has cautioned the Marcos administration in its decision to resume peace talks with communist rebels, stressing that pushing through with the negotiations will be akin to having “an agreement with the devil.”

She even stressed that history has proven that the insurgents are not serious, have no sincerity in peace negotiations, and will use it to betray the government and fool the people.

So, who do we trust now?

It’s up to us to decide, with all the facts we have.

Mitos Zaragosa

mitzar2001@yahoo.com