Silvestre Bello: Peace talks with Reds still alive

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the suspension of talks, the government peace panel has expressed optimism that the prospects of forging peace with National Democratic Front (NDF) are still there.

“The peace talks are very much alive,” government peace panel chair and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello remarked during the awarding ceremonies of the Rotary Gawad Akap peace awards on Wednesday.

Bello declined to elaborate, except to give assurance that the efforts to attain lasting peace are continuing.

Bello noted that although President Duterte ordered the suspension of peace talks, the government did not cease communicating with their counterpart NDF, the umbrella organization representing the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

“The line of communication has always been there, it has never stopped,” Bello said.

He stressed the President merely took a stronger position, but did not abandon his advocacy for lasting peace.

Bello added the GRP is now on standby awaiting the results of the localized peace talks with NDF.

“Localized peace talks is not our mandate so I really don’t know how it will work. But apparently they see some future in the new initiative so we will give it a chance,” he said.

Bello said peace could be achieved once the root causes of the armed conflict are finally addressed.

The Rotary Clubs of Rotary International District 3830 conferred Bello the Gawad Akap peace warrior award for the fruitful backchannel talks with the NDF resulting in the resumption of formal peace talks and the conduct of four successful rounds of talks until November 2017. His job as negotiator spanned four presidents, starting with the late president Corazon Aquino.

Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) yesterday said the government’s localized peace talks were a success as more communist rebels have surrendered.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said rebels have turned their back on the “twisted” ideology of the CPP-NPA and returned to mainstream society.

Año cited the surrender of 229 rebels in Negros Occidental this month, former NPA rebels who pledged allegiance to the government in Bacolod City last Feb. 25.

On Feb. 22, 80 former communist rebels also pledged loyalty to the government in a ceremony in Victorias City. It was followed by a similar event involving 35 ex-rebels in Escalante City the following day.

Año said the President’s creation of a national task force to end local communist armed conflict will lead to more rebels returning to the government fold. – With Emmanuel Tupas