The Federation of Free Workers and the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition called on leaders of faith-based groups Sunday to initiate peace talks.

Atty. Sonny Matula, FFW president and Nagkaisa chairperson, asked the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, Iglesia ni Cristo, as well as the Muslim Ulamas to help urge the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Communist Party of the Philippine-National Democratic Front (CPP-NDF) to come to the negotiating table and sincerely talk about how to end the 52-year old fratricidal war.

"We call on our faith leaders to remind our national leaders, the military and police officers; and the rebels, that peace based on social justice and the common good cannot be achieved through the barrel of a gun," he said in a statement.

The biggest labor coalition in the country said they are seriously concerned over plans of the New People's Army (NPA), armed wing of the CPP, to revive its urban partisan hit squads; and the fire-raising response from the Defense department to counter the NPA's threat.

"The problem we anticipate with this kind of bullet-for-bullet tit-for-tat is that nobody will be a winner and many will probably become victims of violence, including possible collateral damage from both sides," said Nagkaisa.

"It is highly probable that actual killings, more repression, and the further militarization of social conflicts, absent a revolution that a militarist regime of President Duterte will only have the pleasure in indulging, and take advantage of," added Nagkaisa.

The Nagkaisa Labor Coalition said it is opposed to the escalation of violence inflicted on anyone, the extra-judicial killings (EJKs) as well as the re-imposition of the death penalty.

"As we enter 2021, we call for the de-escalation of violence and the stoppage of the rampage of EJKs in urban and rural communities. Instead of keeping their guns blazing, warring factions of society should hold genuine peace talks that seriously seek an end to armed conflicts on the basis of social justice," said the group.

"For these reasons we reiterate our call on government, the rebels, the trade unions, the church, religious, and civil society groups to help put a stop to these killings and pull everyone back to the negotiating table for the resumption of peace talks."