Church leaders and peace advocates on Monday called on the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) to resume formal peace negotiations as they marked the 33rd anniversary of the Hague Joint Declaration.

The Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) said it joined other faith-based groups and civil society organizations in commemorating the 1992 accord, which set the framework for talks with four agenda items: respect for human rights and international humanitarian law, socio-economic reforms, political and constitutional reforms, and the end of hostilities.

“For more than five decades, armed conflict—rooted in poverty, joblessness, landlessness, environmental degradation, human rights violations, and systemic corruption—has caused untold suffering. For PEPP, the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations is a viable and less costly path to resolve it,” the group said.

PEPP also urged Filipinos to mark Peace Month with a “Day of Prayer for Just Peace” this September. It appealed to the government “to prioritize resolving the root causes of the conflict and finally engage in formal talks,” while asking the NDFP to demonstrate readiness for dialogue.

The coalition pressed both sides to uphold past agreements, including the Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), which it said are “vital in preparing a space for dialogue that is inclusive, reconciliatory, and collaborative.”

The Hague Joint Declaration remains a worthy framework for addressing the root causes of conflict,” Pilgrims for Peace said.