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[av_heading heading=’Don’t waste the gains’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
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Wednesday, March 15, 2017
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AT LEAST 140 House members have co-authored House Resolution 769 calling for the resumption of the peace negotiations after it was suspended last month. It was thus a big relief when President Duterte announced he was “once again open” to the resumption of the peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
We hope that formal talks can resume on April 2-6, as originally scheduled during the January Rome Third Round of Talks. We also urge the parties to honor previous agreements and not to attach any precondition for its resumption.
The resumption of the peace talks will certainly further advance the bold gains already generated during the last three rounds of talks that began in August last year such as the agreement strengthening the joint monitoring mechanism for human rights and humanitarian law, the approval of several provisions on the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms, an exchange of drafts on political and constitutional reforms, and an agreement to meet on the government’s proposal for a bilateral ceasefire agreement just this Feb. 22-27. Indeed, much has already been achieved in the substantive agenda on the socio-economic, political and constitutional reforms. This is, therefore, not the time to abandon the peace process that seeks a possible solution to the almost five-decade old armed rebellion in the country.
More than anything, the peace talks should be a platform for pushing fundamental socio-economic reforms that will resolve the roots of armed revolution – poverty, landlessness, unemployment, homelessness, expensive education, wanting social services. These are basic problems confronting the Filipino people.
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