THE National Democratic Front (NDF) of the Philippines remains fully committed in pursuing the peace negotiation with the government amidst different view on issues particularly on the burial of the late former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB).
Ariel Arbitrario, one of the NDF consultants released to attend the resumption of formal peace talks last August in Oslo, Norway said in an interview Friday, December 9, at the City Hall that they opposed the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte in burying Marcos at the LNMB, saying that it was a "misnomer".
"The President already knew that we disagree. We want to show that Marcos should not be buried at LNMB. It's inappropriate to bury a traitor or a dictator," he said.
When asked if the burial will really affect the peace talks, he said that it will be part of the issues to be discussed in the third round of the peace negotiation.
"We might discuss it in the next meeting," he said.
Earlier, former NDFP peace panel chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni revealed that the stealth burial may affect the peace talks, adding that President Duterte became "insensitive" to the victims of martial law when he allowed it to happen.
Arbitrario said that the Marcos burial at the Libingan does not entirely mean that it would hamper the ongoing peace negotiation.
"Isa 'yan sa nakaapekto but we did not say that we will trample what we have started just because of that particular issue," Arbitrario said.
He said that there are substantial agenda that need to be addressed like the Comprehensive Socio-Economic Reform and the cause of armed conflict.
The third round of the peace negotiation is slated on the third week of January wherein 50 NDFP consultants will attend.