Officials of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines peace panel during the opening ceremony for the 4th round of the GRP-NDFP peace talks in Noordwijk, the Netherlands on Monday, April 3, 2017. From left to right: NDFP peace panel chairperson Fidel Agcaoili, Senior Adviser Luis Jalandoni, and Chief Political Consultant Jose Maria Sison. (Zea Io Ming C. Capistrano/davaotoday.com)
The GRP’s decision not to participate in the 5th round of formal talks threatens to squander the goodwill and the gains that have already been achieved in the peace negotiations in the past nine months, especially in the crafting of a substantive agreement on social and economic reforms.