The National Council of Churches of the Philippines (NCCP) and the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Forum held a liturgical celebration last September 1 to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the signing of the Hague Joint Declaration by representatives of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) in The Hague, Nejtherlands. This declaration sets the framework of negotiations and the sequence of substantive agenda to achieve a just and lasting peace.

Revolutionary forces earlier condemned National Security Adviser Eduardo Año for saying he does not see peace talks moving forward. This was refuted by another official saying the Marcos regime is “optimistic” about the talks reaching a “final agreement.”

Amid conflicting signals from the GRP, the NDFP reaffirmed its readiness for dialogue as an effective way to address the root causes of the ongoing civil war. The Communist Party of the Philippines said the progress of the talks is highly dependent on the strength of the Filipino people’s voice and collective assertion to push the Marcos regime to heed the long-standing clamor for genuine land reform and national industrialization and the demand for an end to violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.