Group backs talks with rebels

The Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) is backing the appeal of 61 lawmakers for the resumption of peace talks between the government and communist rebels.

“We call on the President to lead in finding feasible ways that will overcome the current impasse and to persist in the path of peaceful negotiations,” Bishop Noel Pantoja, PCEC national director, said in a statement.

Pantoja said the PCEC supported initiatives for “genuine peace.” —Julie M. Aurelio