By Froilan Gallardo
Special Correspondent
FOR Vice President and presidential aspirant Maria Leonor ‘Leni’ Gerona Robredo the only road to forging peace is by addressing the root problems of poverty and inequality country.
“Tingin ko kailangan may localized na paguusap. Mas ma attain ang kapayapaan kung ang pinaka root ng problema ma address,” Robredo told reporters in Cagayan de Oro.
The Vice President said localized peace talks should answer the root problems of poverty and inequality.
Robredo said the holding of localized peace talks would always form a part of her “road to peace” program in her administration if she will be elected as President.
Robredo arrived here in Cagayan de Oro Saturday morning to spearhead her “Vaccine Express” program at the PHINMA-Cagayan de Oro College in Barangay Carmen.
Bishop Felixberto Calang, co-convenor of the independent peace observer Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform reminded Robredo that it is not the first time the idea of holding “a localized peace talk” was presented and rejected by the National Democratic Front.
Calang said presidential daughter and Davao Mayor Sara Duterte also proposed localized peace talks with the reds in 2017.
He said the communist rebels through the National Democratic Front rejected the idea.
“For a peace agreement to proceed, both parties should come to an agreement,” Calang said.
Calang said the NDF would insist that the peace talks should resume from where they left off when the peace talks between the government and communist rebels collapsed in 2017.
“The challenge of the new administration is how to resume the stalled peace talks,” Calang said.