The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) welcomes the efforts of our Christian siblings in Canada to urge their government to support our common call for the resumption of peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
The letter was signed by leaders from The United Church of Canada, The Anglican Church of Canada, KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, The Evangelical Church in Canada, Development and Peace – Caritas Canada, The Presbyterian Church in Canada and The Philippine Independent Church Eastern Canada-Tampa Diocese. It was sent on October 1 to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, through the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, urging Canada to support the peace talks between the GRP and the NDFP. The letter comes ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s upcoming visit to Canada this year.
The letter contains the following Asks:
1. To publicly support the resumption of the peace talks and call for the repeal of the Philippine government’s counter-insurgency policies and strategies
2. To initiate diplomatic efforts to broker dialogue towards the resumption of the peace talks and
3. To take the following steps to ensure Canada is prioritizing human rights
a. Perform an audit of Canada’s provision of financial, programmatic, and technical support to the Government of the Philippines
b. Halt the negotiations of the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) and
c. Suspend Canada’s Memorandum of Understanding on Enhanced Defence Cooperation
Canadian churches also expressed their support to the NCCP’s call for solidarity and accompaniment by observing the International Ecumenical/Interfaith Day of Prayer for JustPeace in the Philippines, a month-long observance which started on September 1, 2024.
This initiative from Canada is the latest expression of support from the NCCP’s international ecumenical partners following statements and prayers from the World Council of Churches, Christian Conference of Asia, World Student Christian Federation-Asia Pacific, among others.
For a copy of the letter please visit: https://www.ichrpcanada.org/2024/10/02/faith-communities-urge-canada-to-support-peace-in-the-philippines/