Two groups urge Duterte to “rethink” ending talks with NDF

February 6, 2017

A human rights organization and a peace group have urged President Rodrigo Duterte to “rethink” his statement on ending talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front (NDF).

Karapatan said the Philippine government and the NDF “have expressed that the road to a just and lasting peace is not an easy one, but has several bumps and roadblocks.”

“President Duterte should be prepared to encounter these problems in solving the armed conflict,” said Karapatan in a statement issued on Monday.

A peace advocacy group is appealing to President Rodrigo Duterte to change his mind about terminating the peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

The Kapayapaan Campaign for a Just Peace (Kapayapaan) said a termination or even suspension of the talks would reverse the “positive and substantial” gains achieved by three rounds of talks between the government and the NDF.

Kapayapaan was formed in early 2015 as a campaign network pushing for the resumption of the peace talks under then Pres. Benigno Aquino III. Among its original members were then Davao City Mayor Duterte and party list rep. Silvestre Bello III, chairperson of the government’s peace panel.

“The way we see it, the talks are progressing at an unprecedented rate. It would be tragic for the president to stop the talks at this point. It is unfortunate that both sides have lifted their unilateral ceasefire declarations but the talks can and should continue,” said Kapayapaan Convenor Fr. Ben Alforque.

Karapatan said Duterte “should see that one big roadblock is the Armed Forces of the Philippines being warmongers and peace saboteurs, within and outside the peace process.”

“This is the reason why the residents, the victims and their families have repeatedly called on the GRP ( Government of the Republic of the Philippines) to pull out the AFP troops from their communities and to stop Oplan Bayanihan,” said Karapatan.

The group claims at least four peasant activists were killed by “state security forces” in January. DMS