GPH to get public inputs on socio-economic reform pact with NDF

Davao City, Apr. 15 – The Government of the Philippines (GPH) is set to solicit inputs from stakeholders on drafting the Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER), which is one the three key agreements that it seeks to complete with the National Democratic Front (NDF) within a period of 18 months to three years.

Ednar Dayanghirang, GPH peace panel member and chair of the government Reciprocal Working Committee (RWC) on CASER, said that focus group discussions will be held tentatively on April 25 to May 6, while regional consultations will be scheduled in July.

“We would like to get the pulse of the public on the kind of reforms that they want for this country. This is in response to the need to bring-in the voice of our stakeholders at the negotiating table,” he told participants in a luncheon forum sponsored by the Exodus for Justice and Peace last Tuesday at the Grand Menseng Hotel in this district.

Dayanghirang stressed that CASER is central to the peace process as it intends to address strategic and critical issues that are conflict drivers like “poverty, poor delivery of basic services, exploitation of indigenous people, unemployment, inequitable distribution of wealth, among others.”

“However, with or without the talks, the government is pursuing reforms,” he added.

Dayanghirang updated the participants on the recent developments of the GPH-NDF peace negotiations and presented the government’s SER framework.