Op-Ed: Why Peace Talks with the NPA Will Only Prolong the Suffering – A Former Rebel’s Perspective

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. was firm in his rejection of calls to resume peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines. “No. I object to any peace talks with the NPA,” he said. “The Filipinos are at peace. They are the ones disturbing the peace.”

As someone who once carried a rifle for the movement and deeply believed in its cause, I understand why many people continue to call for renewed negotiations. They hope that dialogue will finally bring an end to the decades-long conflict. 

However, having lived inside the organization for years, I know the painful reality: peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDFP have never been truly about achieving lasting peace. They have repeatedly served as a tactical tool for the group to recover from military pressure, regroup their forces, raise funds, recruit new members, and eventually return to armed struggle.

Organizations composed of former rebels, such as Buklod Kapayapaan, have witnessed this destructive cycle many times. During every ceasefire and round of talks, the NPA gained valuable breathing space. They used this period to reorganize their fronts, train new recruits including minors, expand their extortion network, and consolidate their influence in rural communities. When the negotiations eventually collapsed, as they always did because the CPP refused to abandon its goal of seizing power through violence, the cycle of killings and terror returned even worse than before.

Secretary Teodoro is correct in refusing to grant the NPA political legitimacy through formal peace negotiations. Doing so would send the dangerous message that an armed group officially designated as a terrorist organization by the Philippine government still deserves a seat at the negotiating table while they continue to commit atrocities against civilians, including summary executions, forced recruitment, and using communities as human shields.

Those of us who left the movement know the leadership’s mindset too well. The central committee has no genuine intention of disarming. For them, peace is only acceptable if it leads to their complete victory and the establishment of a revolutionary government under their control. Every past attempt at talks has only delayed real progress in the countryside and caused more Filipino deaths on both sides.

The more effective path forward is not another round of negotiations, but good governance, genuine community development programs, livelihood support, education, and justice for victims of NPA violence. This balanced approach is what many former rebels in Buklod Kapayapaan are strongly advocating.

To those calling for the resumption of peace talks: your intentions may be sincere, but you are unintentionally prolonging the suffering of the very communities you wish to help. True and lasting peace will only come when the NPA finally ends its armed campaign against the Filipino people, not when the government keeps pretending that the conflict can be solved through another round of negotiations that the other side has never truly honored.

It is time to abandon this failed and repetitive formula. The NPA is no longer a legitimate political force. It is a weakening organization that survives mainly through deception, intimidation, and the romanticization of an outdated ideology.

Let us support real and lasting peace through development, the rule of law, and the successful reintegration of those who choose to lay down their arms and return to normal life.