Negros Occidental officials are willing to be part of localized peace talks with communist rebels in the province, Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante said on Monday, May 25.
“We are willing to sit down and be part of the peace process on the local level,” Escalante, Negros Association of Chief Executives (Negros ACE) president, said.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who was in Negros Occidental on Saturday, rejected peace talks on the national level.
“There are localized peace mechanisms already, so why is there a need for peace talks on the national level?” Teodoro said. He also noted that the government remains open to assisting returning rebels.
Escalante also cited a call issued by Negros ACE following the April 19 encounter between 79th Infantry Battalion (IB) soldiers and the New People’s Army (NPA) that left 19 dead.
Negros ACE, in its statement, strongly urged the NPA and their cadres to abandon the path of armed struggle.
“The loss of life is too high a price to pay for peace and social equality in our country,” the statement read.
Negros ACE called on “all involved to pursue constructive means to address grievances and to work with the Philippine government to answer the long-standing issues of social injustice, inequality, and marginalization through democracy and participatory governance.”
“We call on all communities to choose healing over retaliation, unity over division, and compassion over violence,” the statement added.
Regarding the call of Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson for school officials to monitor student activities amid reports of rebel recruitment, Escalante said that teachers in Cadiz have already been reminded to remain vigilant.*
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