Degamo, mayors back local peace talks with rebels

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and mayors of the provincial chapter of the League of Municipalities, headed by its president Mayor Edsel Enardecido of Ayungon town declared their support to President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for localized peace talks with the New People’s Army.

Their expression of support came amid criticisms from militant and cause-oriented groups that the localized peace initiative is bound to fail.

Degamo is confident genuine peace will be achieved in the province because government is doing its best to deliver the basic services needed by the people especially in the hinterland barangays.  The governor strongly believed that waging war is not a solution to the insurgency problem as evidenced by its existence for more than 40 years.

Enardecido, for his part, believed that National Democratic Front founding chairman Jose Maria Sison is not anymore in full control of the rebel movement, so it is better that local mayors be given the authority to negotiate peace with the NPA rebels in their respective areas of jurisdictions.

Enardecido, however, was apprehensive about the so-called packages for rebel surrenderees in the absence of clear cut guidelines regarding fund sources. He recalled that, until today, beneficiaries of the closure agreement on the peace talks between the RPA-ABB and the government has not been fully released.

Lieutenant General Paul Atal, commander of the AFP Central Command based in Cebu, said the current priority of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ campaign is in Mindanao, that’s why the command has six battalions in that area to help finish the problem on the Abu Sayaff and other terrorist groups.

However, Atal said their main effort are directed towards Negros Island to address the insurgency situation via localized peace initiatives, considering that talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the NDF have bogged down.

The government is not abandoning the peace process, thus localization of peace talks is recommended, said Atal, during the one-day Malasakit Peace and Development Forum in Negros Oriental on July 20.

The forum was aimed at appraising participants’ views on the government’s desire to localize the peace process due to pronouncements of Sison that there will be hostilities in the countrysides. (FREEMAN)