DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/30 November) — The National Democratic Front (NDF) in Mindanao urged peace advocates in the island to convince the Aquino government not to ”dilly-dally” on the resumption of peace talks with the communist-led rebel group and with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Jorge ”Ka Oris” Madlos, spokesperson of NDFP-Mindanao, said in a statement dated Nov. 28 that the rebel group supports the Mindanao Week of Peace even as he urged peace advocates in the region to convince the Aquino government to be serious in pursuing the talks and ”remove all impediments to peace.”
”The MILF and the NDFP, the major revolutionary forces in Mindanao, are both committed to attain just and lasting peace that may result from a political settlement with the GRP thru peace negotiations, so long as peace talks genuinely address the root causes of the armed conflict and the people’s discontent,” Madlos said.
He said the NDF group is ”one with all peace advocates and peace-loving Filipinos in celebrating the Mindanao Week of Peace.”
He said the two revolutionary forces share the same predicament in facing the government which ”appears disinterested in pursuing the peace process because it has been dilly-dallying, has not been serious in implementing all signed agreements, and, worse, has continuously launched military offensives against both revolutionary movements.”
”In this context, therefore, peace advocates have a crucial role to help urge the GRP under Benigno Aquino III to be serious in undertaking talks with both the MILF and the NDFP,” Madlos said.
”All advocates for peace at the same time need to be aware of the historical and current circumstances that have spawned un-peace in Mindanao,” he added.
The government recently announced its new peace panel in talks with the NDF.
The Communist Party of the Philippines, the leading group inside the NDF, was founded on December 26, 1968. Its armed wing, the New People’s Army, was formed on March 29, 1969 and started out with just 60 fighters and 34 rifles.
Since the time of the late President Corazon C. Aquino the NDF has held on-and-off peace talks with the Philippine government. (Germelina Lacorte/MindaNews)