Palace: Duterte to create a new panel of gov’t peace negotiators

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte will be creating a new panel of government negotiators for the administration’s localized peace talks, Malacañang said Thursday.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo issued the statement after the President terminated the appointment of Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and four others as government peace negotiators.

READ: Duterte cancels appointment of Bello, 4 others as gov’t peace negotiators

“According to [retired general, now Presidential Peace Adviser] [Carlito] Galvez, new panels will be created, localized with sectorized representatives, local government units, and military,” Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

In a statement, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chair, Jose Maria Sison said the President “has no interest in the peace negotiations,” adding that “tyrannical Duterte regime has completely ignored the consistent NDFP policy of openness to peace negotiations because of his obsession to establish a fascist dictatorship.”

Panelo said Sison “read it wrongly.”

“That’s why there will be creation of panels, it’s localized. That would be more favorable to them,” he said.

Panelo said the new panel would be composed of sectoral representatives, local government units and the military.

Dutert signed in December 4 Executive Order No. 70, creating a national task force to end local communist armed conflict in the Philippines.

READ: Duterte forms nat’l task force to end local communism

The President terminated talks with the communist rebels with the signing of Proclamation 360 on November 2017. /muf

READ: Duterte signs Proclamation No. 360 terminating peace talks with NPA