Roots of armed conflict and 1st GOP-NDF pact

March 16, 2016, marked the 18th anniversary of the landmark Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (Carhrihl), the first-ever substantive agreement between the government of the Philippines (GOP) and the National Democratic Front (NDF). Standing by this agreement, the Citizens Alliance for Just Peace raises a collective call for continued efforts to build in our country—and for our people—an environment of peace and justice, as much as an environment respectful of human rights.

Government, political parties, election candidates and the electorate should prioritize the people’s peace agenda in the ongoing electoral conversation. Through a reinvigorated call articulating our people’s thirst for a just and enduring peace, we hope to nurture the seeds of peace so dearly needed in our nation. Not only have the May 2016 elections laid in our hands a fertile opportunity for Filipinos to discern and act on the peace platforms of national leaders; they offer us a most favorable opening to make this clamor—for tangible efforts and concrete actions to address the roots of armed conflict and build peace—resound louder.

As peace advocates, we also rearticulate our continuing call for a thorough and vibrant implementation of Carhrihl as an essential building block of the peace process between the GOP and the NDF. By embracing the people’s desire for the respect of human rights and international humanitarian law, both parties, we believe, will be inspired to proceed in their journey toward a negotiated political settlement by way of peace talks. We encourage confidence-building measures, a principled and innovative resolution of issues and impasses, as well as creative spaces that welcome and promote dynamic participation from the peace constituency.

We choose hope for the future of our nation and will continue to pursue the road to a just and enduring peace for the Filipino people. Their cry for land to the tillers, decent jobs with decent pay, food on every table, equitable access to basic social services, and respect for the collective rights of indigenous peoples and the human rights of all persons will not be thwarted by hollow rhetoric.

We must overcome the penchant for patronage-driven, privileged-centered politics. We must respond with integrity to the Filipino people’s clamor to build peace by addressing the roots of armed conflict in our nation.

—CITIZENS ALLIANCE FOR JUST PEACE, BISHOP DEOGRACIAS IÑIGUEZ JR., Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform; BISHOP ARTURO ASI, Pilgrims for Peace; JOEVEN REYES, Sulong Carhrihl; BEVERLY OROZCO, Waging Peace Philippines