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| Photo by John Alster Soriano (MAG) |
The long standing war between the Government of the Philippines and the Communist Party of the Philippines –New People’s Army –National Democratic Front must end. Peace talks are an essential mechanism in achieving the political settlement of the protracted armed conflict. The peace negotiations help ensure the commitment of both parties on reduction of human rights and humanitarian violations.
We believe that the peace talks will lead to and should go hand in hand with the adoption of comprehensive social reforms and ending of hostilities. Peace talks present the opportunity for communities to live in peace.
With these in mind, Manindigan para sa Peace Talks, a civil society movement of peace advocates, NGOs and people’s organizations united as stakeholders in the peace process, call for the following:
Sincere Commitment to Peace Talks
Genuine engagement and sincere commitment are vital for peace talks to succeed. We challenge both parties to dispel people’s skepticism on the process and their sincerity. But beyond the parties, we also challenge the civil society and communities to stand up and claim their voice on the peace processes.
