On November 21, peace groups and individuals, led by the Council of Leaders for Peace Initiatives (CLPI), held a Luzon-wide conference at the Philippine Christian University in Manila. The gathering commemorated the first anniversary of the Oslo Joint Statement signed by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) on November 23, 2023. The Citizens Alliance for Just Peace, comprising the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform, Pilgrims for Peace, and Waging Peace collaborated to launch the activity. The conference, titled “PISTOKS: People’s Initiative and Solidarity Towards Kapayapaan,” aimed to promote human rights, justice, and freedom.

“We continue to draw hope from the main points of the Joint Statement that speak of the seriousness of the two Parties to address the underlying causes of the armed conflict and …arrive at a final peace settlement through negotiations,” the group stated.

From this unity, the CLPI hopes to “unite in a framework (by both Parties) to restart negotiations” and “overcome the remaining obstacles.”

At the same time, they are concerned that “some quarters of the GRP” believe that heightened counterinsurgency operations together with barangay “development” projects, and the fake surrender program, are sufficient to end the armed conflict.

“On the contrary, such operations, projects, and programs have the opposite outcome of resulting in more human rights violations, development aggression, corruption, and increasing the social conflict in rural and urban areas,” the group said. These refer to the NTF-Elcac’s Barangay Development Program and the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ E-CLIP. The AFP and NTF-Elcac have jointly conducted repressive operations in hundreds of villages in rural areas, even amid disasters.

The group acknowledges that social unrest, including armed struggle, is an undeniable consequence of inequality, social injustice, and impaired democracy. They call on both Parties to “redouble their efforts and hasten the process of formal peace negotiations.” They urge trust and confidence building measures between the two Parties to initiate the process.

“We view with alarm the recent arrests of three NDFP peace consultants covered by safety and immunity guarantees that are necessary and indispensable if the two Parties are to be able to return to the negotiating table,” the group added. They called for the immediate release of the three and other consultants arrested and imprisoned since the Duterte regime ended peace talks in 2017.

“We are also concerned about recent incidents of enforced disappearances of activists and human rights and environmental defenders,” they stated. “This is anathema to peace.” The group suggested halting military operations, especially during disasters.