Message of Support to the Peace Caravan

/by

We, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultants to the peace talks presently detained at Camp Crame fully support the campaign of the Philippine Ecumenical Platform for Peace (PEPP) and othe peace organizations and advocates to convince the protagonists in the on-going armed conflict betweeb tge Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GPH) and the NDFP in our country to resume the formal peace negotiations in order to address the root causes of this conflict and attain a just and lasting peace in our hand for the interests of the majority of the Filipino people.
We are also elated and hopeful that this latest initiative among the active campaigners for the advancement of the peace talks between the GPH and NDFP will now be fruitful and beneficial to the Filipino people. In particular, we look forward to our active participation together with the other NDFP peace consultants in the peace negotiations as free man.

Thus, we reiterate our demands to the GPH to grant a general, unconditional and omnibus amnesty to all politcal prisoners.

And as we celebrate the 21st year of the historic signing of the Hague Joint Declaration, we are ever hopeful that the five (5) points agreed uipon on September 1, 1992 will be followed by both parties. The following proposals were agreed upon to be recommended to their respective principals:

  1. Formal peace negotiations between the GRP and the NDFP shall be held to resolve the armed conflict.
  2. The common goal of the aforesaid negotiations shall be the attainment of a just and lasting peace.
  3. Such negotiations shall take place after the parties have reached tentative agreement on substantive issues in the agreed agenda through the reciprocal working committees to be separately organized by the GRP and the NDFP.
  4. The holding of peace negotiations must be in accordance with mutually acceptable principles including national sovereignty, democracy and social justice and no precondition shall be made to negate the inherent character and purpose of the peace negotiations.
  5. Preparatory to the formal peace negotiations we have agreed to recommend the following:
    1. Specific measures of goodwill and confidence – building to creat a favorable climate for peace negotiations; and
    2. The substantive agenda of the formal peace negotiations shall include human rights and international humanitarian law, socio-economic reforms, political and constitutional reforms, end of hostilities and disposition of forces.

At this juncture in our history wherein hundreds of thousands of the Filipino people are rising up in outrage against the pork barrel scam and other forms of corruption in the government, the call for a just and lasting peace through a negotiated political settlement is undeniably needed and a must!

Free All Political Prisoners!
Long Live the Filipino People!

Signed by
Renante M. Gamara, Eduardo O. Sarmiento and Eduardo R. Serrano
September 2, 2013
Camp Crame