Albay protesters call on Duterte to resume stalled peace talks

LEGAZPI CITY – About 1,000 protesters in Albay joined a rally during the 46th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law by the late President Ferdinand Marcos on Friday.

Armed with placards bearing slogans protesting the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, killings of farmers, charter change (Cha-cha), and militarization in Bicol, the ralliers marched from the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital in Daraga town to Peñaranda Park in the Albay district in Legazpi City.

Estrella Damaso, leader of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan in Albay (Bayan-Albay), said they were also urging President Duterte to resume the stalled peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines if he wants the country to be united.

In June, Mr. Duterte ordered the cancellation of the formal peace talks with the NDFP. The peace talks have been on-and-off since 1986.

“Ito ang panawagan namin kay Presidente Duterte na sana ay magkaroon tayo ng peace talks para magkaroon tayo ng kapayapaan sa buong Pilipinas,” Damaso said.

(This is our call to President Duterte that there should be peace talks so there would be peace in the entire Philippines.)

The situation in the country now is almost the same as during the martial law period, she added.

“The spikes in the prices of basic commodities and fuel are worse than during Martial Law,” she said.

She said if President Duterte really cared for the Filipinos, he should concentrate on the economy just as he promised two years ago when he ran for the presidency.

“We want the EJKs (extrajudicial killings) stopped. Stop killing farmers, especially do not push on with Martial Law (again) in the entire Philippines and stop Martial Law in Mindanao so there would be progress in the Philippines,” she said.