Duterte asked to ‘open all avenues’ for peace

An official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged President Rodrigo Duterte to “open all avenues” for peace with communist rebels days after Mr. Duterte ordered peace talks between government and rebel representatives stopped.

“The folly of our time is that all men desire and preach peace but only very few desire those things which make for peace,” said Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of CBCP’s permanent committee on public affairs.

Although clashes between rebels and government soldiers appeared to further erode gains made in previous talks, Secillano expressed optimism that Mr. Duterte’s decision to abandon the peace process with communist rebels would eventually change.

Temporary halt

“Let’s hope that it’s only temporary,” Secillano said. “I would rather that the government open all avenues for the attainment of peace with the New People’s Army (NPA).”

Citing continued attacks by the New People’s Army, the armed wing of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the President ordered members of a government negotiating panel to stop talking with their counterparts in the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), an umbrella organization of underground leftist organizations including the CPP.

The President, in his rant against the NPA, offered houses and money for livelihood to rebels who would surrender and said although the communist rebellion had already taken too long, he was ready to to fight “for another 50 years.”

Secillano expressed hope that Mr. Duterte would still choose peace by entering into a deal with the NDFP, something that previous administrations failed to do. —With a report from Delfin Mallari Jr.