Davao: Promises by the Philippines' popular new president to tackle poverty and corruption could boost upcoming peace talks with rebels and make irrelevant the country's communist insurgency, which turned 42 on Sunday, the government's negotiator said.
Guerrillas of the New People's Army celebrated the anniversary in their jungle camps with a vow to intensify attacks.
But behind the scenes, negotiators on both sides have already agreed to resume talks after six years - fruits of the political goodwill and optimism that followed the May election of reformist President Benigno Aquino III.
Aquino represents "the new dynamics" of the Philippines, chief government negotiator Alexander Padilla told The Associated Press this week.
Padilla said that Aquino, who enjoys support across the political spectrum as the son of revered democracy icons, would inject honesty, good faith and a strong advocacy for reforms and human rights into peace talks that have often been undermined by mistrust and weak public support.
"This could be the best opportunity for the other side to really come up with a political settlement," Padilla said of the talks, scheduled for February.
Padilla said the president understands the rebels' concerns.
Aquino won rare praise from the rebels when he recently ordered the dropping of charges against 43 health workers who claimed they were abused in military custody after being arrested as suspected insurgents 10 months ago.
Padilla said the rebels may soon fade to irrelevance if they persist on waging a protracted war.
He noted that even hardline leftists have been elected into Congress after abandoning their armed struggle.
Rebel spokesman George Madlos said oppressive conditions in the country that have fostered poverty, corruption and rights abuses had remained under Aquino.
"We will continue to wage the revolution because it's right and we're in a position to intensify attacks," Madlos said in a statement this week, ahead of Sunday's anniversary.
Despite sporadic fighting, both sides have agreed to resume formal talks February 15-21 in Norway's capital, Oslo. They also agreed to a Christmas truce through January 3.
