NEWS Release, 06-10-2002
Philippine Vice-Pres. Teofisto Guingona, Senator Loren Legarda, seven members of the House of Representatives, seventeen Catholic and Protestant bishops and over 1000 peace activists signed a Unity Statement that clamored for the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) to resume and proceed in earnest.
Amid threats of all-out war and possible collapse of the peace talks under the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration, the statement titled Resume Formal Peace Talks Now! was launched by multi-sectoral peace advocates urging both the GRP and the NDF to commit to the peace process that addresses the roots of conflict. The over 1000 initial signatories included hundreds of religious sisters and other respected church leaders, lawyers, academics and multi-sectoral peace advocates.
The statement was read by the Most Rev. Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. (Bishop of Iba, Zambales) at the public launching of the peace alliance, Pilgrims for Peace at the Balay Kalinaw, UP Diliman, Quezon City on Saturday, October 5.
The Catholic convenor stressed that the peace-loving people deplore the trend to abandon peace negotiations in favor of purely military solutions and ask the government to reconsider its official policy of welcoming the US designation of the CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization, in view of its dire effects on the peace negotiations.
The Unity Statement stated: “We decry what we perceive as US interference in our internal affairs. We are troubled by possible US violations of Philippine sovereignty, including increased US military presence and activity, and its threat to unilaterally take punitive actions against alleged Filipino terrorists.
Aside from the Unity Statement, the Peace Pilgrims crafted letters to the Dutch and Norwegian Governments to appeal for continued support to the peace process and rejection of US pressures to criminalize the CPPNPA and unjustly tag Prof. Jose Maria Sison, the NDFP Chief Political Consultant as a terrorist.
Mr. Rey Casambre of the Philippine Peace Center, a convenor of the Pilgrims for Peace, explains what the new peace advocacy group hopes to undertake in support of the peace process. Starting with our Unity Statement and our letters to the Dutch and Norwegian government, we aim to articulate the people s stake in the peace process and thereby build a conscious peace constituency among the Filipino people who are struggling for a just and lasting peace.
We are deeply concerned that since the formal talks were indefinitely recessed last June 2001, hopes for their resumption have become more and more dim. We ask the Dutch and Norwegian governments to continue in their supportive role of the formal GRP-NDFP peace talks and resist US pressures that seriously undermine such negotiations, the letters stated.
It is now quite clear what or rather who are blocking the peace negotiations and the road to genuine peace. These are the militarists, the hawks, and the war freaks who stand to gain with the collapse of the peace negotiations. In the Arroyo government, these are led by Defense Secretary and retired General Angelo Reyes, National Security Adviser and retired Navy Captain Roilo Golez, Presidential Peace Adviser and retired General Eduardo Ermita, and Presidential Adviser on Special Concerns Norberto Gonzales. These are the people who have constantly and successfully blocked the resumption of the formal peace talks between the GRP and NDFP for the past 15 months, Mr. Casambre pointed out.
Other signatories supporting the resumption of the peace talks include Representatives Apolinario Lozada, Florencio Abad, Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza, Crispin Beltran, Agapito Aquino and Nerios Acosta; former Senator Wigberto Tanada; international peace advocates like Clement John of the World Council of Churches in the Philippines, Mr. Petter Skauen of the Norwegian Church Aid and Rev. Chris Ferguson, General Secretary of the United Church of Canada, former University of the Philippines president Jose Abueva; Rev. Domingo Diel, chairperson of the National Council of Churches of the Philippines; Rev. Rebecca Tiston, chairperson of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines; Dr. Carol Pagaduan Araullo of BAYAN/Plunderwatch; Teddy Casiño of BAYAN; Film and Theater director Behn Cervantes; Literary Critic Prof. Bienvenido Lumbera; Karen Tañada of the Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute; Maria Socorro Diokno of the Free Legal Assistance Group; Pastor Boy Saycon of the Council for Philippine Affairs; former beauty queen-turned-activist Maita Gomez; Linda Montayre of the Philippine Consultative Assembly; labor leader Amado Gat Inciong; retired former Navy Captain Danilo Vizmanos; Chikoy Pura of the Musicians for Peace; Rommel Romato, chairperson of the UP Diliman Student Council; Abdullah Camlian of the Islamic Welfare Society of the Philippines; former Customs Commissioner Atty. Alexander Padilla; Atty. Edre Olalia of the Public Interest Law Center; Dr. Helen Mendoza of the Philippine Greens; Julie Po of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines; movie scriptwriter Bibeth Orteza; and Prof. Elmer Ordoñez of IBON Foundation Inc.
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