Peace advocate tells gov’t, NDFP: Focus on talks, not war

ILIGAN CITY — Saying a restart of peace negotiations was “overdue,” peace advocate and legal scholar Soliman Santos Jr. has called on the government and the communist rebels to think strategic and focus on laying a path for “a principled and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict” instead of concerning themselves with the short-term one of achieving military gains.

Santos, a retired regional trial court judge in Naga City, told the Inquirer that nothing much has been known after the parties achieved a breakthrough in Oslo in November last year when they issued a joint statement that stated, among others, their agreement “to come up with a framework that sets the priorities for the peace negotiation to achieve the relevant socioeconomic and political reforms towards a just and lasting peace.”

“Despite this breakthrough and some indicated basis of unity, there are mixed signals from both sides, not just the government, on resuming peace talks,” Santos pointed out.

In early September, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said “exploratory talks” were ongoing between the parties, first to come up with a vision-mission statement for the negotiations, then a framework agreement that would be the basis for a final peace agreement.

Santos noted that even after the Oslo breakthrough last year, fighting between government troops and New People’s Army rebels continued in various parts of the country.

“The problem blocking even that initial way of peace at this point is that both sides are more concerned in the short-term with their respective military efforts, gains, or regaining ground on the war front,” he said.

“If the goal or vision is a principled and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict and there is the need to unite as a nation… and
resolve the reasons for the armed conflict, then why still kill each other and innocent civilians caught in your crossfire?” Santos asked.

“Silencing the guns, not necessarily laying down arms, while giving honest-to-goodness peace talks a fair chance within a reasonable timeframe, and with a favorable climate, to address the root causes is the reasonable and sensible thing to do. Sincerity has to be proven in concrete deeds and measures by both sides to build the necessary mutual trust, goodwill, and confidence,” Santos added.

In an earlier statement, Communist Party of the Philippines chief information officer Marco Valbuena said “there is an urgent need to resume peace negotiations between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP),” claiming that “the social and economic problems and political repression which underlie the civil war continue to worsen…”

“While waging armed resistance, the party and revolutionary forces welcome the possibility of resuming peace negotiations to serve as an additional platform for the people to assert their aspirations for social justice and genuine democracy,” said Valbuena.

He said the NDFP “maintains a policy of keeping its doors open to any offer from the GRP to talk peace [by] mutually acceptable principles of national sovereignty, democracy, and social justice.”

In opening the National Peace Consciousness Month celebration on Sept. 2, President Marcos underscored the need to “focus on the transformation of our country towards a more inclusive, peaceful, and progressive society.”

“For us to move forward as a strong undivided nation, the government will continue to pursue a principled and peaceful resolution to internal armed conflicts, with neither blame nor surrender, but with dignity for all,” said Marcos.