SEN. KIKO'S STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR PRES. DUTERTE'S PEACE INITIATIVES

We welcome and laud the peace initiatives of the Duterte administration. We recognize the President's personal appreciation of the root causes of conflict between Filipino soldiers and Filipino rebels: poverty and injustice.

We are optimistic that more than forty years of shedding Filipino blood will end soon with the release of political prisoners Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, as well as the Communist Party of the Philippines' declaration of a seven-day unilateral ceasefire. These will bolster the resumption of the peace talks between the Duterte administration and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

Peace is both an end and a means. Peace is the result and the way to progress. When the guns are silent, much work against poverty and injustice can be accomplished.