THE DAVAO City Peace Committee (DC Peace) will no longer pursue localized peace talks with the New People’s Army (NPA) following President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s official declaration of the armed group as terrorists. Instead, the DC Peace, which will be renamed as either DC Peace Dev or the Davao City Advisory Committee on Peace and Development, will implement community-based discussions to address concerns. “Definitely there will be no negotiations with the NPA leaders due to their designation as terrorist group,” lawyer Eliza E. Lapiña of the City Legal Office and spokesperson of DC Peace said in a press conference Thursday. “Before our function was to negotiate but now the mandate will be community based, with us going to the community to listen to them and discuss what they need,” she added. The committee will conduct a strategic planning today, Dec. 8, before their first consultation meeting with the community on the 20th. “I am saddened as a mayor because there were efforts from the city government to sit down and talk peace with them (NPA),” said Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. “We acknowledge that the community has issues with regards government services so we will ask them what they need, problems, and the advisory committee will tell the city mayor’s office what to do about these issues,” she said. — Carmencita A.Carillo

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