DAVAO CITY – The local chapter of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle in the country (ILPS-Phils) welcomes the formal resumption of peace talks between the government (GPH) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) before President Benigno Aquino’s term ends next year.
Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. on Sunday hinted that the Aquino government is open for the resumption of the talks stalled since April 2013.
“This is a positive development to address the root causes of the armed conflict in the country,” ILPS-Phils Chair Elmer Labog said in a press statement on Monday.
NDFP Chief Negotiator Luis Jalandoni last April said the NDFP has not totally closed all communication lines. Informal efforts, he said, hoped to lead to a formal return to the negotiation table.
The Aquino government has recently negotiated peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) with the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) still pending for approval in Congress.
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) has refused to honor past agreements with the NDFP. This includes the framework agreement of The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992 and the 1995 Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).
The ILPS said there are currently more than 500 political prisoners with 17 of them NDFP peace consultants who are JASIG-holders. The latest arrest was that of Adelberto Silva, his wife Sharon Cabusao and driver Isidro de Lima. Calls for their release have been made. (davaotoday.com)
