Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Saturday, May 2, said he will not resume peace talks with the New People’s Army (NPA) despite suggestions from former negotiators.
Holding peace talks will elevate the NPA’s cause “to something legitimate,” which Teodoro said is unacceptable.
Following the April 19 encounter between the military and insurgents in Toboso, Negros Occidental that left 19 people dead, calls mounted to hold a new round of negotiations.
“I object to any peace talks with the NPA. The Filipinos are at peace. They are the ones disturbing the peace. So, why should we talk to them?” Teodoro said in an ambush interview in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.*PNA
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The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) on Sunday denounced Teodoro for rejecting calls to resume peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), calling it a clear sign of the government’s lack of sincerity in pursuing a just and lasting peace.
KMP said Teodoro’s claim that “Filipinos are at peace” is detached from the lived realities of millions who continue to suffer from landlessness, hunger, unemployment, and State repression.
“There can be no real peace amid a deepening socio-economic crisis, while farmers and rural communities live under a de facto Martial Law in the countryside,” the group said.*
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