Church group calls for Christmas truce

Church leaders who are part of the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) has urged the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) to declare a ceasefire during the Christmas holidays.

“We call on both parties to declare and observe the yearly Christmas ceasefire,” read the statement of the group dated December 8.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said he will not recommend a ceasefire to President Duterte.

Aside from a ceasefire, PEPP also called on President Duterte to rescind his proclamation declaring the Communist Party of the Philippine-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) as a terrorist organization.

“We thus call on President Duterte to rescind both proclamations and we implore both the GRP and the NDFP to return to the negotiating table – to talk peace instead of waging war,” said PEPP.

“As we approach the day of birth of Jesus Christ, the bearer of hope, let us all pray and work for a just and enduring peace, starting on the call to resume the GRP-NDFP Peace Talks,” added the group.

“As leaders of churches in the country, we are troubled by this announcement and the escalation of violence that will surely ensue. Abandoning principled dialogue and relying on purely military might will be very costly, both in terms of lives and resources,” PEPP said. The church leaders added that a “militarist approach” will only fan the flames of the conflict instead of truly addressing it.

PEPP is composed of Cagayan De Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, retired Kalookan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez of the Ecumenical Bishops Forum, Rev. Rex Reyes of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, Bishop Noel Pantoja of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches and Sr. Mary John Mananzan of the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines.