Glimmer of Hope in GPH-NDF Talks
by Rain Rodriguez, Quezon City
News on the scheduled resumption of peace talks between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) is an early Christmas gift for us who have been longing to see some glimmer of hope in the lulled negotiations.
Government peace panel chair Alexander A. Padilla, in a press briefing in Malacañang last Friday, announced the “initial strides towards peace” between the two parties. Padilla, together with panel member Pablito Sanidad, just arrived from Hong Kong that afternoon after a two-day getting-to-know-you meeting with NDF panel chair Louie Jalandoni, Consuelo Ledesma, his wife, and their counsel. According to Padilla, this was the first round of GPH-NDF informal meetings held under the P-Noy administration.
“The talks were open, friendly, freewheeling and eventually, meaningful,” he told the Malacañang press. Padilla said there was no pre-set agenda, but discussions on matters of mutual concern and interest were taken up. He then laid out the good tidings that will give journalists a breather in writing bad news.
GOOD NEWS #1: The government and the NDF have agreed to suspend offensive military operations (SOMO) from December 16, which is the beginning of “Simbang Gabi” or “Misa de Gallo” among Catholics, until the midnight of January 3, 2011. For a total of 19 full days, Communist rebels and soldiers will rest their weapons to spare the public some peace and quiet during the Holidays. According to Padilla, this is the longest ceasefire period agreed upon in the last 10 years. Hopefully, both sides will be able to meet the terms.
GOOD NEWS #2: Another round of informal talks was tentatively slated in the second week of January 2011.
GOOD NEWS #3: Both parties will resume formal negotiations on or about the third week of February. God willing, these would be the first of such talks after having been suspended in August 2005.
As the government and the NDF take these “initial strides towards peace,” we long to count no more bodies on the ground. We wish to see no more young people waging war in the mountains. We yearn to hear no more sounds of gunfire. We hope that this glimmer of hope that we have seen in the peace talks will not be a fleeting one, but will ultimately turn into an enduring light of peace that we all aspire for.###
News on the scheduled resumption of peace talks between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) is an early Christmas gift for us who have been longing to see some glimmer of hope in the lulled negotiations.
Government peace panel chair Alexander A. Padilla, in a press briefing in Malacañang last Friday, announced the “initial strides towards peace” between the two parties. Padilla, together with panel member Pablito Sanidad, just arrived from Hong Kong that afternoon after a two-day getting-to-know-you meeting with NDF panel chair Louie Jalandoni, Consuelo Ledesma, his wife, and their counsel. According to Padilla, this was the first round of GPH-NDF informal meetings held under the P-Noy administration.
“The talks were open, friendly, freewheeling and eventually, meaningful,” he told the Malacañang press. Padilla said there was no pre-set agenda, but discussions on matters of mutual concern and interest were taken up. He then laid out the good tidings that will give journalists a breather in writing bad news.
GOOD NEWS #1: The government and the NDF have agreed to suspend offensive military operations (SOMO) from December 16, which is the beginning of “Simbang Gabi” or “Misa de Gallo” among Catholics, until the midnight of January 3, 2011. For a total of 19 full days, Communist rebels and soldiers will rest their weapons to spare the public some peace and quiet during the Holidays. According to Padilla, this is the longest ceasefire period agreed upon in the last 10 years. Hopefully, both sides will be able to meet the terms.
GOOD NEWS #2: Another round of informal talks was tentatively slated in the second week of January 2011.
GOOD NEWS #3: Both parties will resume formal negotiations on or about the third week of February. God willing, these would be the first of such talks after having been suspended in August 2005.
As the government and the NDF take these “initial strides towards peace,” we long to count no more bodies on the ground. We wish to see no more young people waging war in the mountains. We yearn to hear no more sounds of gunfire. We hope that this glimmer of hope that we have seen in the peace talks will not be a fleeting one, but will ultimately turn into an enduring light of peace that we all aspire for.###
________________________________________
The opinions expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the official stand of OPAPP.
OPAPP makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. It will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. It will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.
OPAPP reserves the right to edit or delete any comments submitted to this blog without notice due to profanity, language or concepts that could be deemed offensive, and spam or questionable spam.
This policy is subject to change anytime.
lets all hope and pray that this almost three decades of negotiation would prosper and move forward...
ReplyDelete