The Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) Rene V. Sarmiento (2005) Between 1992 and 1995 a number of procedural agreements were reached between the government of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front. The toughest to negotiate of these, according to Rene Sarmiento, was the JASIG, which aimed at creating a favourable atmosphere conducive to free discussion and guaranteeing free movement for NDF negotiators during negotiations. Talks quickly foundered on disagreements over sovereignty and political authority, but channels of communication remained open and numerous drafts were exchanged until a draft agreement was reached. Creative work on language that protected GRP sovereignty and territorial integrity while respecting NDF organizational dignity facilitated this breakthrough. While implementation has not been smooth, the agreement did pave the way for a number of other advances.
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