The Marcos administration expressed confidence that a lasting peace agreement with communist rebels can be forged before the President’s term ends.
“Very, very optimistic. Yes, within the term of the President – or even before the term ends,” Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez said on Monday.
In a briefing in Malacañang, Galvez told reporters about the administration and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples’ Army (CPP-NPA) have agreed to work towards a peaceful resolution to the over 50-year-old armed conflict.
In November 2023, Special Assistant to the President Antonio Ernesto Lagdameo and National Democratic Front (NDF) member Luis Jalandoni signed a joint communique to kick-start formal discussions.
Julieta de Lima-Sison, widow of CPP founder Jose Maria Sison, is reportedly the counterpart negotiator of the NDF.
They agreed to explore ways to address the root causes of the conflict, including socio-economic and political issues.
Galvez mentioned that the exploratory talks are still in progress.
He explained that both sides are working on a framework to guide them towards the final peace agreement.
“So, at the moment, our constituency building is ongoing, and our exploratory talks are still ongoing,” Galvez said.
The process involves crafting a comprehensive peace and transformation framework supported by international partners, including the Royal Norwegian Government, which has played a role in facilitating discussions.
It can be recalled that the Duterte administration terminated all peace negotiations with communist insurgents in November 2017.
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