MANILA -- The chair of the negotiating panel of the National Democratic Front (NDF) insists that the use of command-detonated landmines by the New Peoples' Army is not violative of the Geneva Convention.

In a statement released Sunday, Luis G. Jalandoni reacted to President Rodrigo Duterte's statement threatening to shelve talks with the militant rebels over landmine attacks.

Duterte gave an ultimatum to the NPA on Sunday.

“Either you stop it or we stop talking. Either you stop it now or I am ordering the government panel to come home,” the President said in a nationally televised speech.

“I am not pleading this time. That’s an ultimatum. I hear another explosion killing people, not only soldiers, killing people, no talks, pasensiya na [I’m sorry],” he added.

However, Jalandoni insisted that the NPA can use these weapons against soldiers.

"The New People's Army can use these weapons inasmuch as there is yet no ceasefire of any kind which is valid and effective between the NPA and the AFP," Jalandoni said in a statement.

He added, "The resumption of formal talks is necessary to allow both negotiating panels to take up the mode of ceasefire, as stated in the Joint Statement signed in Oslo on June 15, 2016."

Jalandoni also said he expects the government to grant temporary release to the NDF consultant so they can attend the resumption of formal peace talks between the government and the NDF scheduled from August 20 to 27, 2016.