Army welcomes plan to resume peace talks with communists

THE Philippine Army, which is leading the leading campaign to end communist insurgency in the country, said it is treating with “guarded optimism” the agreement of government and the communist National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) leaders to resume peace negotiations.

In a statement, the Army said it supports a resumption of talks for a “peaceful resolution of armed conflict” which has claimed the lives of thousands of government troops, civilians, and members of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the communist group.

“We view and appreciate the exploratory talks with guarded optimism and welcome this development as it aims to address the issue of peace that shall pave the way to the development of the country,” the Army said.

Composed of some 110,000 personnel, the Army is at the forefront of the campaign to end the NPA which has around 1,000 men — from a high of around 25,000 in the 1980s.

“While the NDFP pursues peaceful means to resolve and address social reforms, we expect as well the remaining members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army to lay down arms and follow its lead,” the Army said.

It said it will “work closely” with government agencies and other stakeholders “to achieve a just and lasting peace for every Filipino.”

“This is a significant breakthrough which symbolizes the collective efforts of all sectors of the society,” it said.

The agreement was announced by government and NDFP officials last Tuesday after exploratory talks that started late last year. In a joint communiqué signed on November 23 in Norway, the parties agreed “to a principled and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict.”

No date has been set for the start of the formal talks. Past administrations have held negotiations with the communist group but the talks ended up being cancelled or suspended.

The Army said while there is still no final framework on how to proceed with the peace talks, it will continue with its operations to dismantle the remaining weakened NPA guerrilla fronts and neutralize NPA rebels.

Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr said the agreement “is a welcome development and a significant step in our peace