Duterte: Give peace talks with Reds last chance

President Rodrigo Duterte directed the Cabinet on Wednesday to work on resuming peace talks with communist rebels on condition that a ceasefire agreement was reached first.

“Let’s give this another last chance,” said Mr. Duterte during the Cabinet meeting.

He also said he was ready to provide financial support to rebels to replace the socalled revolutionary tax that New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas collect from businesses operating in areas where rebels were active.

Earlier, however, Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the government would not withdraw the petition that it had filed in court to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), NPA and 600 leftists as terrorists.

Duterte terms

Guevarra said rebels had to first meet the President’s conditions, among them a halt to attacks and collection of socalled revolutionary taxes.

“For now, that statement by the President, which is premised on certain preconditions, will not affect in any way the pending petition for the proscription of certain individuals as terrorists or violators of the Human Security Act,” Guevarra said in a briefing.

In a speech on Tuesday at Bongabong town, Oriental Mindoro province, a known NPA stronghold, Mr. Duterte said the government was willing to subsidize the costs of resuming negotiations with communist rebels.

“We are not enemies,” the President said.

“So if we can have a middle ground I am not closing the door to everything, because there is no forever, even between couples,” he added.

Ending the nearly half-century insurgency, that had killed more than 40,000 people, was among Mr. Duterte’s campaign promises.

Negotiable

Mr. Duterte canceled the talks last year following NPA attacks on unarmed soldiers.

He later issued an order classifying the CPP-NPA as terrorist organizations.

“We are likewise open and ready to resume the peace negotiations,” Jose Maria Sison, who has been on self-exile in the Netherlands for at least three decades, said in response.

Mr. Duterte’s conditions, he added, could be discussed on the negotiating table.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana backed the President’s statement, but urged rebels to “show a little sincerity” by stopping their “depredations” on the ground and announcing a ceasefire.

Not sincere

Previous ceasefires didn’t work because of rebel attacks on troops and equipment, abduction of soldiers and civilians and collection of revolutionary taxes, he said.

“They never stopped with their depredations,” said Lorenzana. “So as far as we are concerned, they were not sincere to pursue peace,” he told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.

He said if there would be no “sincere peace talks,” the government would “pursue the tag that they are terrorists.” —With reports from Christine O. Avendaño and the wires

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