There are no preconditions and no ceasefire set in the exploratory talks between the government and the communist rebels, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) said on Wednesday.

OPAPRU Presidential Assistant Wilben Mayor said in an interview on PTV’s Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon that exploratory talks of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) is a new peace process and not a resumption of the previous talks.

“Ang pag-uusap na ito’y bago, walang pre-condition. Hindi natin nire-refer kung ano mang dating pinag-usapan. Bago po ito, hindi po ito tinatawag na resumption talks. Kundi bago. Lahat ng mga detalye, kung ano pang dapat pag-usapan ay sa susunod po na pagkikita po,” Mayor said.

Mayor clarified that anti-insurgency operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the maintenance of peace and order by the Philippine National Police (PNP) will continue amid exploratory talks.

“Ang bawat ahensya ng pamahalaan ay tuloy-tuloy, ang kanilang dapat gawin, wala pong dapat itigil dito at kagaya ng nabanggit ko kanina, this is a new discussion, a new dialogue, walang pre-condition at simula tayo sa isang bagong pag-uusap,” he added.

The Philippine government and the CCP-NPA-NDF recently agreed to a principled and peaceful resolution of armed-conflict as well as the ending of the armed struggles and the transformation of the former rebels who wanted to return to the folds of the law.

In another development, Mayor called on the Filipino people to continue supporting the exploratory talks as he emphasized that the Marcos administration has a pure intention when the government signed the joint agreement and joint communique.

“Sa atin pong mga kababayan, kami po ay nanawagan ng tuloy-tuloy niyong pag-suporta sa prosesong pangkapayapaan,” Mayor said in the interview when asked for his message to the Filipino people.

“Ang mithiin po ng ating pangulo, Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ay ipagpatuloy ang prosesong pangkapayapaan at hangad niya ang tunay at mahabang pang-kapayapaan para sa pag-unlad ng Bagong Pilipinas,” he added.

Mayor also emphasized that the Marcos administration is not discrediting the efforts of the previous leadership as he stressed that the present government signed the joint agreement and joint communique without any pre-condition.

Mayor also credited the AFP and the PNP for their collective hard work and sacrifices to come up with the agreement with the CCP-NPA-NDF, which aims to only promote an ever-lasting peace and order for the Filipino people in the Philippines.

The OPAPRU official also emphasized that the whole-of-government and the whole-of-nation approach play an important role to nation-building and process as he emphasized that a nation develops when there is peace and order. Presidential News Desk