The National Democratic Front (NDF)-Negros supports the resumption of peace talks with the Philippine government, and is calling for the release of Negrense NDF peace consultants and political prisoners from detention as a show of good faith, its spokesperson said on Wednesday, Nov. 29.
“The NDF-Negros and its allied organizations express utmost support to the recently released joint statement of the NDF and the Philippine government that signified renewed endeavors to resume peace talks”, Ka Bayani Obrero said.
“The Oslo Joint Statement is a genuinely positive stride to address the roots of the armed conflict. While the peace process still has a long and arduous road ahead, mutual efforts will shed light on issues that adversely affect Negrosanons and the entire Filipino people,” Obrero said.
He called on the Philippine government to heed the long-demand for the release of NDF peace consultants and political prisoners as part of the peace effort.
Of the current 778 political prisoners in the country, 139 or 20 percent of them are in Negros Island, and three NDF peace consultants Frank Fernandez and his wife, Cleofe Lagtapon, and Ramon Patriarca are Negrenses, he said.
The Army said Fernandez, a priest-turned-rebel was the former secretary of the Komiteng Rehiyonal Negros/Cebu/Bohol/Siquijor, while Lagtapon and Partiarca were KR-NCBS deputies.
Obrero said during the Duterte regime, Negrosanons bore the brunt of state terrorism and socioeconomic woes, now aggravated under the current Marcos regime.
Thus, the masses in Negros demand more than a mere declaration, he said.
“Sincere actions must be shown by the Marcos regime to show its good faith in achieving genuine peace,” he said.
The Philippine government and the Communist Party of the Philippines’ political wing, the NDF, have agreed to a “principled and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict”, a joint statement signed in Oslo, Norway on Nov. 23 states, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said Tuesday.*