(Eagle News)—President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, April 16, reiterated his proposal for Communist Party of the Philippines founding chair Joma Sison to come home and talk peace.
Duterte did this after Sison slammed the government’s plans to hold localized peace talks, which he said were “fake”, and were all the more driving a nail into the coffin of peace negotiations.
“Ako ang bahala sa iyo. Hindi ako traydor na tao. I give you my honor—word of honor. Mag-usap tayo,” Duterte said.
Duterte also reiterated what his then-Peace Secretary Jesus Dureza said were pre-conditions for an enabling environment.
He said there should be no talk of a coalition government as “I am not allowed to do that,” no “taxation” on the part of the rebels and no going out of their camps armed.
He said there should also be no burning down of structures on the part of the rebels.
“Diyan sa Mindanao, maraming pumapasok para mag-develop. Wala man tayong pera. Multinational. Ang hinahabol ko, trabaho lang….Saan na? Eh nandiyan kayo eh. Iyan ang mahirap diyan, we cannot progress. Kaya ihinto mo muna lahat…” he said.
Only recently, Duterte dismissed the national panel in charge of peace talks with the rebels, saying it was not effective.
He broached the possibility of creating a new panel that would be composed of three members from the military and two civilians, an idea Sison has rejected.
