JOSE Maria Sison and his comrades could whine all they want, but President Rodrigo Duterte has made a strategic move to delay the “stand down,” or reciprocal ceasefire declaration between the government and the communist group, and the resumption of the formal peace talks.

The talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF) were supposed to resume on June 28, a week after the stand-down order to the military and police forces and the Red fighters was scheduled to take effect. The President, however, announced that he was no longer ready to resume talks, despite his issuance of a 60-day ultimatum to both sides to revive negotiations, which were suspended late last year.