CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — Resuming talks with communist rebels remains the best option for the Duterte government if it wants to achieve lasting peace in the country, a religious leader said.
Bishop Felixberto Calang of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente and co-convenor of the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform, noted that negotiators from both the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines have already made progress during several rounds of negotiations in Europe early this year.
Bishop Calang, who sat as observer to the negotiations in Italy and Netherlands, described how both panels adopted a two-pronged approach in the talks that was “working.”
“While the chief negotiators discuss the main issues, another group would sit down and talk about concerns that were brought by both parties at the reciprocal committee level,” the IFI bishop said on Thursday.
This approach, he added, was helpful in ironing out any kinks in the negotiations.
However, President Rodrigo Duterte stressed that the hindrances to the continuation of the talks were more fundamental than the technical work of both panels.
In particular, Duterte expressed displeasure at the continued attacks conducted by the New People’s Army.
Prior to Wednesday’s announcement by the government that it was canceling the talks, Duterte branded the NPA a terrorist organization.
Nonetheless, Calang maintained that the dialogue between the two panels has produced promising results as “issues were properly dealt with.”
Pursuing the negotiations was better than not talking at all, the bishop said, reiterating that going back to the negotiation table remains “the best way to finally end” the decades-long conflict waged by the Maoist rebels.
Datu Jomorito Goaynon, regional chairperson of the lgroup Kalumbay, echoed Calang’s call for the resumption of the peace talks.
Goaynon said if the government abandons the peace negotiations, it is likely that Duterte will declare an all-out war against the NPA and this would impact the lives of the tribal minorities living the countryside.
“It is a cause for concern if there is a failure in the peace talks. That’s why we are asking President Duterte to continue the peace talks with the NDF,” Goaynon said.
