Madrigal meets with Reds to continue peace efforts

Senator Jamby Madrigal said Saturday that she had met with communist rebels in the Netherlands on the possibility of continuing the peace efforts with the Philippine national government.

In a statement, Madrigal said, "I am pleased to report that in a meeting today in the Netherlands, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Negotiating Panel have agreed to exhaust all efforts to reach a resolution to Asia's longest running insurgency problem until peace is achieved."

"The NDFP has agreed with me in a Joint Statement executed in the Netherlands that, people should unite to encourage the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and NDFP to resume formal talks in their peace negotiations, address the roots of the armed conflict, accelerate the forging of agreements and bring about a just and lasting peace," Madrigal said.

She added that there is no substitute for peace and the time to talk is now.

"As Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, I shall form a Technical Working Group to assist in hastening the resolution of the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations for the purpose of enacting remedial legislation and to demonstrate that it is possible to produce agreements and actually use these to accelerate the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations," she said.

She noted, "I hope that the Arroyo administration and the hawks in the political and military establishment will not condemn me for engaging in treacherous talks with fellow Filipinos for the purpose of achieving peace."

"If they do, so be it. My intentions are clear - prevent further bloodshed and violence between Filipinos," she concluded.