Duterte still open to peace talks with Reds
President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed readiness to resume peace negotiations with the communist rebels following the release of a policeman who was kidnapped by the guerillas three months ago.
Duterte said there is a need to have serious talks with the rebels, who have been waging an armed struggle against the government for 50 years.
“If you (communists) want to resume the talks, I am not averse to the idea, but let me sort out first the other branches of government,” the president said during his meeting with SPO2 George Rupinta, the policeman freed by the rebels, in Davao City last Saturday.
Rupinta was seized by the New People’s Army, the armed wing in the communist rebels, in Davao Oriental last June to probe his supposed involvement in “antipeople activities.” He was released in Compostela Valley last Friday.
Duterte said he could not immediately grant some demands of the rebels because they require the approval of other branches of government.
“I share power with Congress and the Supreme Court. So do not ask for something in a hurry and for those which are not really acceptable to the other branches of government. Mahirap ‘yan (It will be difficult),” Duterte said.
“Pag-usapan natin ‘yan ng masinsinan (Let’s talk about it seriously). Do not be in a hurry because we have been fighting for the last 50 years. And you just cannot ignore that period of violence and killing on both sides. And you have to consider also the position of the military who invested and the police, who invested lives there,” he added.
Duterte said he has to consider the sentiments and concerns of all sides as president.
“The fact alone that I cannot operate by myself would indicate that there is something more to be done… there is more than what meets the eye,” he said.
“There are things which has to be done. We have to clear it with the Speaker periodically and the Senate President. So that is how it operates here.”
Duterte scrapped the peace talks last July after the communist leadership ordered the NPA to launch offensives against government troops to resist Duterte’s imposition of martial law in Mindanao. The president declared martial law in the island after ISIS-inspired terrorists laid siege to Marawi City and held dozens of people hostage.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said Duterte would consult with members of the security cluster before returning to the negotiating table with the communists.
“The president likewise has to confer with the other branches of government regarding matters [that] require their consent and approval,” Abella said in a statement Sunday.
“In spite of (the president’s) firm position to protect the nation from violence and terrorism, his fundamental goal is sustainable and lasting peace; which in this case begins with addressing the social injustice as the historical root of conflict,” he added.
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