Bayan welcomes resumption of peace talks with communists

Militant people's alliance Bagong Alyansang Makabayan welcomed on Sunday the government's announcement of the resumption to peace talks with communist rebels.  

In a press statement Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr said that the Filipino people welcome the continuation of the peace talks, which broke down weeks ago amid alleged violations of unilateral ceasefire declarations by both parties.

Reyes also said that the Utrecht Joint Statement issued by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace panels have upheld previously-signed agreements.

Reaffirmed previous agreements, Reyes said, include:

• the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG)
• the release of a detained NDFP consultant and other ailing prisoners, and
• the possible bilateral ceasefire after satisfying several conditions.

"The continuation of the formal talks is a positive development as both sides strive to address the root causes of the armed conflict through agreements on socio-economic, political and constitutional reforms," the Bayan statement said.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza on Facebook said that the fourth round of the peace talks will resume in April following backchannel talks with the National Democratic Front panel.

"I am pleased to announce that the peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army- National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF)... are now back on track again," he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte scrapped the peace negotiations and the terminated the ceasefire in February.

"[The President] himself closely monitored the efforts taken by the negotiators while in Utrecht in the Netherlands in bringing about an early breakthrough in the talks with the facilitation by the Royal Norwegian Government," Dureza added. —LBG, GMA News