Duterte not ready to resume peace talks

MANILA -- Peace negotiations between the government and the communist rebels will not happen this month, as proposed by communist leader Jose Maria Sison.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, June 14, said he needs "more time" before allowing the talks to resume.

"I’m talking to Sison. He said (he wants the talks to resume) in June. I’m not ready for that. I still need more time," Duterte said before the newly-elected village officials of Calabarzon.

Duterte made the remark shortly after Presidential Adviser on Peace Process Jesus Dureza announced a delay in the revival of the talks because the President wants to conduct a public consultation first.

Speaking to Palace reporters, Dureza said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, the government's chief peace negotiator, already informed National Democratic Front (NDF) chief peace negotiator Fidel Agcaoili regarding the latest development.

Dureza stressed that there is a need to "engage the public and get their support" before the government heads back to the negotiating table. Duterte earlier said he expected the talks to resume in mid-July.

"In our common effort to make sure that we achieve a conducive and enabling environment for peace, President Rodrigo Duterte instructed us to engage our bigger peace table to general public, as well as other sectors in government as we work to negotiate peace with the communist rebels," Dureza said.

"The scheduled supposed resumption of talks that have been earlier subject of discussions by our back-channel (negotiations) will not happen as originally set and as originally announced in the media," he added.

In November last year, Duterte inked Proclamation 360, formally scrapping the peace talks after the New People's Army (NPA), armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, continued to attack law enforcers.

But in early April, the President gave the communist party "another last chance" and said he will revive the peace negotiations, on the condition that the NPA stop extortion, arson attacks, and killings.