A group of advocates promoting peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) denounced the prevailing barriers to formal negotiations. According to the Council of Leaders for Peace Initiatives (CLPI), there has been no significant progress in the negotiations two years after the signing of the Oslo Joint Statement.
The document is a declaration of intent to reopen the peace talks and establish the framework for its conduct. It was signed on November 23, 2023, in Oslo, Norway. It is a general declaration that merges the aspirations of both parties: on the part of the NDFP, to resolve the “deeply rooted socio-economic and political issues” and “address the roots of the armed conflict”; and on the part of the GRP, to “end the armed struggle” and achieve the “transformation of the CPP-NPA-NDFP.”
The joint statement is a product of a series of informal discussions held in the Netherlands and Norway. These began as early as 2022 between emissaries of the GRP and NDFP, with the assistance of the Royal Norwegian Government (RNG). Signatories on behalf of the GRP were Special Assistant to the President Antonio Ernesto F. Lagdameo Jr., emissary Gen. Emmanuel T. Bautista (Ret), and Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. Signatories on behalf of the NDFP were Ka Julieta de Lima, the late Ka Luis Jalandoni, Ka Coni Ledesma, and Ka Nonoy Palima. RNG Special Envoy Christina Lie Revheim witnessed the signing.
The CLPI identified as a barrier the call by GRP personnel and agencies for the NDFP to lay down arms and surrender before negotiations can even begin. “This goes against the view of the armed struggle as a product of highly inequitable socioeconomic and political structures,” the CLPI said.
According to the group, such calls—equivalent to an open-ended ceasefire—only hinder the peace negotiations. These surrender calls mainly come from the National Task Force-Elcac (NTF-Elcac) and militarist functionaries of the regime implementing the counterinsurgency campaign.
The CLPI stated that the “whole-of-nation approach” implemented through the NTF-Elcac and further intensified under the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace, and Development (NAP-UPD) foments more human rights and international humanitarian law violations. The counterinsurgency campaign also includes the NTF-Elcac’s corruption-ridden BDPs or “bogus development programs” it uses for its “localized peace efforts”.
The CLPI noted that the development of a new Framework Agreement to reopen a new round of talks appears to be stalled. In this situation, the group suggested using the 1992 The Hague Joint Declaration (THJD) as the negotiation framework between the two parties. It urged the GRP to uphold the key provisions of that document.
The group described the document as a milestone in the history of attaining just and lasting peace in the Philippines. “It explicitly recognizes that the armed conflict has socioeconomic and political roots that must be addressed to end the hostilities,” the CLPI declared.
The CLPI also called for the guarantee of safety and non-arrest of participants in the peace negotiations as stipulated in the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG). The group said that the numerous cases of murdered and jailed NDFP consultants and staff violate this provision and must be addressed.
“The release of detained NDFP peace consultants is necessary to the peace negotiations and has to be treated as part of confidence building measures,” said the CLPI. At least 10 NDFP consultants and staff presently remain detained.
With the continuing delay in the reopening of formal negotiations because of multiple obstacles, the CLPI expressed its readiness to monitor the situation and inform the public. Over the past two years, the CLPI and other groups such as the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform have organized gatherings and activities to remove barriers and pave the way for the resumption of negotiations.
