Rody wants peace, not war

MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte yesterday said that his first job as an elected leader and commander-in-chief is not to go to war but to bring peace to the land.

During his speech after military honors given to him by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, he said he has been busy going around and talking with many sectors to bring peace to the country.

“So, even before I was proclaimed, before the assumption of office, I was busy going around Mindanao and talking to a lot of people to bring about peace in our land. I started with the Left and with the NPA (New People’s Army), and we got a favorable answer from the leaders, including Jose Ma. Sison (founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines),” said Duterte.  

He recounted that, in the 1970s, he used to listen to Sison talk about revolution.

“I was then in the AB, and half of it, well, of course, at the College of Law. And I am now 71 years old and the communist party is still talking of a revolution. So, I asked them what they really wanted. I was a student then. I am now a grandfather and I even become a President. I don’t know really why you have to supply the answer. Maybe president (Fidel) Ramos can give us an idea,” Duterte said.

Aside from talking with the communist rebels, he also talked with representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

He added that he also asked his friend, MNLF founder Nur Misuari, if the fighting between the rebel forces and the government would continue.

“My job is to bring peace. My job is to talk to the enemies of the state, to the Communist Party of the Philippines, to the MILF, and to the men, and see if I could make a difference in our lives,” Duterte also said.

Duterte said that he still has not included the Abu Sayyaf group in the government’s campaign against criminality, pointing out that the issue is closely related to the issue of Mindanao. – With Jaime Laude