Monday, August 22, 2016

Dureza encourages GPH, NDF panel members to take advantage of latest peace talk opportunities

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 22): Dureza encourages GPH, NDF panel members to take advantage of latest peace talk opportunities

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (PAPP) Jesus G. Dureza on Monday said the journey towards the achievement of peace between the government and the communist rebels faces bumpy roads but raises hopes that the four-decade conflict would soon end.

In his opening statement during the resumption of the peace talks between the Philippine government (GPH) and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) in Oslo, Norway Monday, Dureza said, “This peace journey is not on well-paved and concrete road.”

“There will expectedly be humps and bumps along the way. The road to peace is not easy and rosy, considering the long history of animosity, suspicion and armed conflict that troubled our land. Hopefully all these now belong to yesterday. Today is the dawning of another day,” he said as he urged both parties to “stay the course! No matter what!”

”Who knows? This may perhaps be our last chance in our own lifetime to make this shared dream come true,” he pointed out.

Dureza, in his speech, a soft copy of which was distributed to journalists in Manila, said off-and-on peace talks between the sides have reached about 40 since 30 years ago, with the previous one held some five years ago.

He said the peace talks faced about 15 deadlocks in the last six presidencies.

He noted that members of both panels are generally still the ones who met some decades back and these include Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, former PAPP Rene Sarmiento, former Sec. Hernani Braganza, Secretariat chief Carla Munsayac, and lawyer Sedfrey Candelaria, for the GPH.

For the CPP-NPA-NDF, the representatives have always been CPP founder Jose Maria Sison and wife Julie, Catholic priest and NDF chief negotiator Louie Jalandoni, NDF spokesperson Fidel Agcaoili, NDF peace panel member Coni Ledesma, NDF Representative to the Nordic countries Asterio Palima, and NDF co-founder and former Bayan Muna party-list representative Satur Ocampo, among others.

Dureza said the latest truce talks has a new and refreshing element since President Rodrigo Duterte vowed his commitment to bring "a definitive and final peace settlement to our troubled land”.

“We who are in government are working now under his leadership and guidance to bring about this commonly shared dream,” he said.

He dubbed as “unprecedented” the immediate release of at least 18 detainees, who are in Oslo to join the peace talks.

”I never imagined this could ever happen before, including the spontaneous ceasefire declarations that we now see happening,” he said.

Dureza, before leaving for Oslo last Saturday, said President Duterte has again declared an indefinite ceasefire with communist rebels as long as necessary.

The President, in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July, declared a ceasefire with the communist rebels but took it back days after due to alleged violations by the other side.

Dureza said the current administration “is the main and compelling reason" for the resumption of the peace talks, which also receives big support from the Royal Norwegian government.

He encouraged both sides to maximize the latest opportunity to eventually achieve peace and not take advantage of each other.

“This should be more of a coming together of Filipinos interested to see changes in the land -- in our land, to be shared for and by all. If we can, let's no longer call our engagements as negotiations but instead a shared national 'conversation' a 'dialogue' where we find together common grounds, bridge the divides and seek common dreams to share,” he added.

The peace talks are scheduled on August 22-26.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=916159

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