Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc on Sunday criticized National Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr.’s opposition to potential peace talks with the New People’s Army, saying it downplays the impact of the conflict on civilians and prolongs what they described as a “dead-end policy.”

The bloc said ongoing military operations by the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have failed to resolve the decades-long conflict and have instead caused harm to affected communities.

“We condemn Defense Secretary Gilberto ‘Gibo’ Teodoro Jr. for his openly anti-peace, close-minded stance rejecting any resumption of peace negotiations between the GRP and the CPP-NPA-NDFP,” the group said in a statement.

Makabayan lawmakers noted that even former government peace negotiators have urged the administration to revive talks amid recent clashes that have led to alleged human rights violations and displacement of civilians in conflict areas.

On 19 April, a confrontation between government troops and NPA fighters in Toboso, Negros Occidental resulted in 19 fatalities, drawing widespread attention on news and social media platforms.

Conflicting reports on the identities of those killed have fueled debate, with some groups claiming civilian casualties while the military maintains that those killed were rebels.

Human rights organizations have called for an investigation, with the Commission on Human Rights launching an independent probe into the incident.

Makabayan said peace negotiations are not a substitute for justice but a way to reduce violence and prevent further civilian suffering.

“A serious peace process does not replace justice; it helps prevent repeated tragedies by reducing hostilities and addressing root causes such as landlessness, poverty, and the absence of genuine rural development,” the group said.

“We call for decisive action to address the roots of the armed conflict, including socio-economic and political reforms, and an end to the all-out war mindset,” it added.

Teodoro, however, maintained his opposition to peace talks, describing the insurgency as criminal activity.

Speaking to reporters during the Balikatan joint military exercises on 2 May, he said the country is generally at peace and that rebel groups are the ones disrupting it.

“It’s terrorism. Plain and simple. So to call for peace talks is to elevate the morality of their cause to something legitimate, which I cannot accept,” he said.