14/07/2025
𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴
STATEMENT
July 14, 2025
The recent statement released by the Communist Party of the Philippines against the “unity run” in support of former rebels is the usual narrative of rejection and condemnation Buklod Kapayapaan has come to expect from our former organization. While we recognize the importance of scrutinizing public programs and upholding transparency in the use of public funds, we must also call out the CPP-NPA-NDFP’s sweeping accusations, empty rhetoric, and oversimplified portrayals that have become all too common in their recent statements.
Buklod Kapayapaan is not a front or a mercenary network. It is a federation of former rebels and grassroots organizations, formed by individuals and communities that chose to live away from armed struggle. Its foundation rests on the principles of peace, social justice, livelihood, and human rights. Being an initiative by and for former rebels, Buklod’s member-organizations aim to take active roles in helping build a more inclusive, peaceful, and participatory society.
To dismiss our efforts as betrayal is to deny our agency and humanity. We have made difficult choices in the pursuit of change through non-violent and democratic means. The majority of our members are former combatants who, after years of engagement in armed struggle, came to different conclusions about how best to serve the Filipino people. Our path is not a path of surrendering our principles. It is a path of transformation, guided not by coercion, but by a shared vision of progress beyond war.
Buklod Kapayapaan welcomes the unity run as part of a broader campaign to raise awareness and support for the reintegration of former rebels and rehabilitation of communities once stunted by decades of armed conflict. It may not solve all the complex social and economic problems former rebels face, but it is a step toward the right direction, toward solidarity and reconciliation. As former members of the CPP-NPA-NDFP ourselves, we are not surprised by this outright rejection. It only proves the correctness of our analysis of the CPP's anti-peace stance that undermines every attempt at peacebuilding.
It is unfair to characterize all returnees as “fake” or self-interested. Such rhetoric ignores the real difficulties we as former rebels face in seeking to rebuild our lives after armed conflict. Livelihood programs, capacity-building initiatives, and local development projects are not perfect, but they are necessary. They deserve to be improved through collective effort and honest critique, not delegitimized altogether.
Finally, Buklod Kapayapaan rejects the CPP's claim that genuine peace can only be achieved through ideological purity or armed confrontation. We maintain that it requires dialogue, reform, and the inclusion of multiple voices, especially from those who have experienced the harsh realities and consequences of war firsthand. Buklod Kapayapaan is not an enemy of peace. It is one of the many expressions of it: flawed, evolving, but sincere.
We urge the public to critically examine these criticisms against initiatives as simple as a unity run. We must not turn away from opportunities for healing and nation-building, even when they come from those who have taken a different road toward our shared aspiration for a just and lasting peace. More importantly, we enjoin our member-organizations to stand united in the face of this clear attack on building peace, and to reaffirm our commitment to dialogue and reconciliation.
