MANILA - Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II called on all political consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) out on temporary liberty due to their participation in the recently scrapped peace talks to return to government custody.

This, after President Duterte ordered the scrapping of the peace talks following the killing of several soldiers as the rebels terminated the ceasefire with government.

The president's pronouncement also effectively scrapped the planned meeting of the government and rebel peace panels in Utrecht, The Netherlands later this month to discuss the possibility of coming up with a bilateral ceasefire.

"Kung halimbawang covered pa rin sila ng temporary liberty na ibinigay sa kanila to participate in the peace talks pero kung wala nang peace talks or suspended, I believe para sign of good faith they have to go back to their detention cells," Aguirre said in a chance interview with justice beat journalists on Monday.

The courts had granted temporary liberty on bail to 17 NDFP consultants, including Community Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, who are standing trial for multiple murder, so they may participate in the resumption of the peace talks.

The talks resumed August last year and continued until the third round of formal talks in Rome, Italy from January 19 to 25 this year.

Citing the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), NDFP chief peace negotiator Fidel Agcaoili, meantime, said in a statement that their peace consultants are all protected from re-arrest.

"These consultants have been put under the effective jurisdiction of GRP courts because they were released only on bail and only for a six-month period. They have been required to secure court permission every time they went abroad to participate in the last three rounds of talks," Agcaoili said.

Aguirre said it now up to the courts to act on the extension of the period of temporary liberty sought by the rebels with the bail renewal due this month.