{"id":93706,"date":"2017-03-13T01:38:27","date_gmt":"2017-03-13T05:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=93706"},"modified":"2017-03-13T01:38:27","modified_gmt":"2017-03-13T05:38:27","slug":"govt-ndf-urged-to-forge-ceasefire-before-holy-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2017\/03\/13\/govt-ndf-urged-to-forge-ceasefire-before-holy-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Gov’t, NDF urged to forge ceasefire before Holy Week"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Recto\u2019s<\/a>
Recto\u2019s call came after negotiators from both sides agreed to resume peace talks anew to finally put an end to almost five decades of armed conflict. (Photo: Vilma Santos-Recto\/ Facebook<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MANILA\u2013Senate Pres. Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto on Monday urged the Philippine Government and National Democratic Front (NDF) to forge a ceasefire before the observance of Holy Week next month.<\/p>\n

Recto\u2019s call came after negotiators from both sides agreed to resume peace talks anew to finally put an end to almost five decades of armed conflict.<\/p>\n

He said that a ceasefire before and during Holy Week will give soldiers and rebels the \u201copportunity to reunite with their loved ones\u201d and for communities to observe it in \u201cpeace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether unilaterally declared or mutually agreed, the people will welcome a break from fighting. If their time frame of brokering a ceasefire before April will be met, the peace negotiators couldn’t have picked a better time,\u201d Recto said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the right time because we don\u2019t want the solemnity of Lent broken by needless bloodletting among brothers,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Recto also said that a ceasefire will allow both sides to focus \u201con substantive issues such as socio-economic and political reforms that will uproot the causes of insurgency.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pointed out that a ceasefire also allow government forces to pour more resources, manpower and materiel, into the all-out war being waged against the Abu Sayyaf.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe support the President’s effort to wave the olive branch to those willing to talk peace. But we also support his call for arms against bandits and terrorists like the Abu Sayaff,\u201d Recto said.<\/p>\n

The senator, meanwhile, welcomed the efforts of both sides to return to the negotiating table.<\/p>\n

He said that with guns silent, both sides will be able to hear clearly the proposals that will bring just and lasting peace in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am glad that negotiators from the GRP and the NDF stood firm and defied the odds to bring peace back to our land,\u201d Recto said. \u201cOur people have spoken loud and clear: we need to stop this violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there is one lesson learned in this negotiation, it is useless to talk peace if both sides continue to shoot at each other. Let the hawks take a rest,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MANILA\u2013Senate Pres. Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto on Monday urged the Philippine Government and National Democratic Front (NDF) to forge a ceasefire …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":93707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1145,16,95],"tags":[5757,3650,11283],"class_list":["post-93706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headline","category-news","category-news-ph","tag-ceasefire","tag-government","tag-national-democratic-front","mauthors-philippine-news-agency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93706\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}