Every Juan Dela Cruz’s goal is to have a peaceful country free from terrorist attacks and insurgency. However, I am not amenable to the idea of “peace talks” with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF). For the longest time, the government panel and the NDF’s representatives sat at the negotiating table. Unfortunately, they will never end up with tangible results. Most of the time, the Left will just use the peace talks as a strategy to regain their strength on the ground and use it to recruit members.
This is already a pattern that the present administration must take note of. I believe the Duterte regime had manifested when they scrapped the peace talks for several years and focused the efforts on programs that addressed the cause of the insurgency.
I believe if the CPP-NPA-NDF is genuinely serious about their “peace talks,” they should lay down their arms as early as tomorrow. Only then am I convinced that they want peace talks.
Shermaine Anacleto,sheanacleto@gmail.com