Peace talks between the Duterte administration and the National Democratic Front/Communist Party of the Philippines/New Peoples Army (NDF/CPP/NPA) will not be derailed by the hero’s burial for former President Ferdinand Marcos, government chief negotiator and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd said on Tuesday. “We can’t block the flow of the peace process because of an incident like this which has been decided by the Supreme Court. Yes, the President said he is in favor of it, but the Supreme Court has decided and we have to follow it. The Supreme Court is supreme in the interpretation of the law, in the same vein that the President is supreme in the implementation of the law,” he added. Bello was referring to the Supreme Court decision junking the petitions against the hero’s burial for Marcos via a 9 to 5 vote.

Source: Manila Times November 22, 2016 12:21 UTC