MANILA, Philippines - Former Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Thursday urged Malacañang to form a permanent peace comission that will be in charge of pursuing peace negotiations with communist and Moro rebels in the country.

Bello, a senatorial candidate under the Lakas-Kampi CMD banner, said government peace negotiations are often hobbled by lack of institutional knowledge because peace negotiators keep getting replaced. 

"You know, in my 10 years in the peace process, I’ve realized that the GRP panels are always at a disadvantage...Tayo, papalit-palit ng negotiator, sila, yung day 1 na kausap namin, sila pa rin ang kausap ngayon," he told reporters.

Bello said  the signing of a peace agreement is not the final solution to the armed insurgency in the country. He said lasting peace can only be achieved by addressing the root causes of the armed conflict, which are extreme poverty, corruption and injustice.

He said even Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has pointed out that the armed rebellion will become irrelevant if social inequities are solved.

For his part, Senate President Franklin Drilon backed the creation of a permanent peace commission, which he said should function independent of the executive.

"It is not an easy process but I agree that there must be a consistent policy, and a consistent policy that should be pushed by a permanent peace commission," he said.