Army to revive peace talks with communist rebels in W. Visayas

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Army is looking to restart peace talks with communist insurgents in the Western Visayas region, the Army said in a statement Monday.

Major General Jose Mabanta Jr., Commander of the Third Infantry Division, said “it is essential to have a dialogue with the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front (CPP/NPA/NDF).”

Peace talks between the government and the rebels were stalled when the floppy disk containing the “Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantee” (Jasig) list of persons the CPP wants released by the government turned out to be corrupted once it was opened in a vault in Netherlands.

“While pertinent government agencies are talking peace, the Army’s 3ID will start an all-out effort to reach out for a dialogue with the CPP in Western Visayas,” Mabanta said in the statement.

“With the snowballing call for peace as advocated by the majority in this region, we call on the CPP/NPA/NDF for a dialogue,” he added.

Mabanta said that they will still defend against any attack from the insurgents even though they are looking to begin negotiations.

“We will continue with our mandate of protecting the citizens of this region, employing military capabilities only when necessitated by the security situation.”

“Together with our partners in the Army, we wish to pursue peaceful means towards attaining a settlement with the CPP/NPA/NDF and bring peace for the people. It’s time to sit down and look for better ways to address socio-economic issues,” Mabanta added.