The Council of Leaders for Peace Initiatives (CLPI) expressed deep concern over the successive arrests of National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultants in the peace talks with the Government of the Philippines (GRP) in the past month.

“On November 23, we will be marking the first-year anniversary of the signing of the GRP-NDFP Oslo Joint Statement,” CLPI said in a statement on October 31. This agreement gave the country hope that we will achieve a just and lasting peace of a conflict rooted in legitimate socio-economic and political grievances, it said.

“We would like to raise concerns about recent developments that could derail progress, or worse, result in the abandonment of the process,” it added. The group refered to the arrests of Wigberto Villarico on October 24, Simeon Naogsan on October 21, and Porferio Tuna on October 2, all NDFP consultants and therefore protected by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).

“Such arrests have a chilling effect on the peace process and erodes the trust that is so necessary to move forward to fulfill the promise made with on what the Oslo statement promised,” the group said. They believe that there are elements in the Marcos regime that are trying to sabotage any efforts towards a permanent peace agreement between the government and the NDFP. They called on Ferdinand Marcos to stop these efforts.

“Once again, the CLPI calls on the Parties to move forward on the exploratory talks and agree on the framework for the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations,” it said. They see the need for confidence building measures, which could take the form of temporary ceasefires, and the protection protocols and mechanisms for all participants in the process.

One of the group’s demands is the release of NDFP consultants currently in jail, including the three recently arrested.

The CLPI is a multisectoral group of individuals promoting peace in the country.