Govt begins search for peace talk negotiators

The Philippine government has begun the search for negotiators who would be participating in peace talks with various armed groups, President Benigno Aquino III said. Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Deles has begun reviewing the status of peace talks with different armed groups, Aquino said in an ambush interview after the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Change of Command ceremony in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. Deles is also in the process of searching for members of government panels and its chairmen, he added. “Iyun ang sinusuri ngayon at hinahanap ating mga negotiators not only for the NPA (New People’s Army) but for the others," he said. (The matter is being taken up now and negotiators are being sought not only for the NPA and other groups.) The leadership of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process was turned over to Deles by ex-presidential adviser Annabelle Abaya during simple ceremonies on Thursday morning at the OPAPP headquarters in Pasig City. Abaya said she would continue to be active in the campaign for peace through private and non-governmental peace advocacy groups. Talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines, its military arm NPA, and its umbrella alliance National Democratic Front have been temporarily stalled after the group demanded its removal from a US and Europe list of international terrorist organizations. Under the previous Arroyo government, an all-out-war policy was pursued, intending to neutralize the insurgency by June 30. Meanwhile, the Arroyo administration’s peace efforts with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front resulted in an interim accord that preserved the commitment to continue talks under the next presidency. - RJAB Jr./JV, GMANews.TV