Galvez upbeat on peace deal with communist rebels

PRESIDENTIAL peace adviser Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. on Monday expressed high optimism the government would reach a peace agreement with the Communist Party of the Philippines, its armed unit the New People's Army, and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP) under the Marcos administration.

«Very, very optimistic. Yes, within the term of the President — or even before the term ends,» Galvez said in a briefing in Malacañang.

«Exploratory talks are still ongoing, and as you saw, we had the mission statement from last November,» he said, referring to the Joint Communique signed by both sides in Oslo, Norway, last year.

PEACE President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads the opening of the National Peace Consciousness Month and commemoration of the 28th anniversary of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front in Malacañang on Sept. 2, 2024. Joining the president during the program are Opapru Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., MNLF Chairman Muslimin Sema, and MNLF Vice Chairman Abdulkarim Misuari. PPA POOL

The government and the NDFP, the political wing of the CPP and the NPA, have agreed to a principled and peaceful resolution to the half-century-long insurgency.

The two sides agreed to hold dialogues on a peace and transformation framework that focuses on further addressing the socioeconomic and political drivers of the armed conflict.

Galvez said there were three processes to the negotiation: «Number one is getting the vision statement and then number two is the framework agreement, and then number three is the final peace agreement. So, for now, our constituency building is still ongoing as well as our exploratory talks.»

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«The President is very committed to finish all agreements and implement it during his term,» he added.