Opening Statement of Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III, Chairman, GRP Panel for Peace Negotiations with the CPP/NPA/NDF, on the occasion of the Fourth Round of Talks between the GRP and NDF

Opening Statement of Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III, Chairman, GRP Panel for Peace Negotiations with the CPP/NPA/NDF, on the occasion of the Fourth Round of Talks between the GRP and NDF
3 April 2017 | Radisson Blue Palace Hotel, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

Together with the Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Jesus G. Dureza, and my Panel members, I earnestly welcome this Fourth Round of Peace Talks with extraordinary hope despite the challenges before our peace process.

Our discussion in the following days may prove to be difficult and exacting given the diversity of the positions taken by the Parties on the issues at hand. But we will not waiver from the task we embraced when we decided to restore in August last year the peace talks from its five-year impasse. We shall not fall into indifference that beset the past negotiations.

After all, the negotiations, as in other peace processes elsewhere, is all about finding common ground in diversity, and there is no reason for us not to find that common ground in this round-of-talks with the enabling counsel of Secretary Dureza and Professor Sison, as well as the facilitative hand of  our third party facilitator Ambassador Elizabeth Slattum.

Given this, therefore, we welcome the openness of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) to undertake a forging in this round of talks of an agreement on joint interim ceasefire that will accompany our peace negotiations throughout. A ceasefire that marches in step the discussion of the socio-economic reforms that will address the root causes of armed conflict.

As you will agree with me, the forging of the ceasefire agreement is not about “giving in” or “giving up”, it is about “giving all” for peace. This is the covenant of President Duterte to our people. And as peace workers ourselves, we should be one with him.

Let us be mindful of the conflict situation that our country and people have been embroiled in for decades now. As President Duterte has called upon us, “it is time to break out the cycle of violence and break through to peace and reconciliation. Our people are yearning for this. The youth deserve this.”

I trust that in this round of talks we will all walk through the open door in finding the common ground to resolve the issues that may confront us.

Thank you.