The country’s top security official has rejected calls to reopen peace negotiations with communist groups, warning that such a move could undermine recent gains against insurgency and expose communities to renewed threats.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Oban Jr. said reviving talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army–National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) would give the weakened movement an opportunity to regroup.
Oban, who also serves as vice chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, said past negotiations had been used by the communist movement as a tactical pause rather than a genuine effort to reach peace.
His remarks came after former government negotiators urged the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to reconsider dialogue, following a deadly clash in Toboso on April 19 that left 19 suspected rebels dead, including two students from University of the Philippines, a community journalist, and two minors.
Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and the Philippine Army have also opposed reviving formal talks, echoing concerns raised in previous administrations that negotiations failed due to a lack of sincerity from the communist side.
Oban said the insurgency has significantly weakened, citing estimates that the New People’s Army now has around 780 fighters nationwide—a sharp decline from its peak strength of about 25,000 in the 1980s.
He stressed that reopening negotiations would grant the group undeserved legitimacy and could reverse progress achieved through sustained military operations and community-based peace initiatives.
For decades, Oban said, peace talks have been used by the communist movement to rebuild influence and continue illegal activities, including extortion, recruitment, and attacks against civilians.
“At this stage, allowing peace talks to resume risks reviving an insurgency that is already losing ground,” he said, adding that progress has been driven more by efforts on the ground than by formal negotiations.
He also said communities affected by insurgency are calling for concrete government support—such as infrastructure, education, livelihood opportunities, and security—rather than a return to dialogue with armed groups.
Oban reiterated that the government remains open to reintegrating former rebels through lawful and peaceful means but maintained that criminal activities should not be elevated into a legitimate political issue.
“The government’s role is to safeguard its people and sustain the peace already being built in communities,” he said.