De Lima said that the arbitrary detention of their consultants is part of a string of “blatant violations” by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) it signed with the NDFP in 1995.
Detained National Democratic Front of the Philippines peace consultants welcome reported dialogues to revive stalled formal peace negotiations with the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Government of the Republic of the Philippines, expressing hope to join the talks if efforts succeed.
Various groups expressed support for the possible resumption of formal peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
In the last six years since former President Rodrigo Duterte terminated the peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, their peace consultants, including those who publicly participated in the peace process, were subjected to a series of bloody and vicious attacks.
The document said both parties agree to a principled and peaceful resolution of the nearly 55-year old armed conflict.
We need books like this that can temper our biases and allow us to better understand the process that started with “guarded optimism” but ended with the government resuming its scorched earth policy against the CPP and NDF.
It has been more than a week since Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son, and namesake of the late dictator, was inaugurated. But prospects for peace remain uncertain with the newly-installed administration neither having a peace adviser nor a clear stance on how it will proceed with the peace process.
Xandra Bisenio, daughter of detained peace consultant Rey Casambre, said the next president should address the root causes of the armed conflict.
“ATC’s terrorist designation is just another nefarious device concocted by those who reckon they can and must go around or against the Constitution and the rules of law, fair play and common decency to silence those who speak and clamor for change.”
“It is important that peace talks continue as this is one of the avenues to resolve the roots of armed conflict.”
“The regime is setting the stage for all-out suppression of democratic rights using ‘anti-terrorism’ as pretext.”