Duterte to serve as ‘resource person’ of communist rebel panel in peace talks

DAVAO City, Philippines—Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said the military or the police should not worry about his accepting the National Democratic Front of the Philippines’ offer to sit as their resource person in the ongoing peace talks with the government.

“There’s nothing for the police and the military to worry about,” Duterte said in his Sunday “Gikan sa Masa, para sa Masa” television program.

“I do not share secrets of the military and the police. My sitting there as a resource person does not have anything to do with military information, it will neither add to nor subtract from their strength, because I’ll only be there to contribute to the peace process,” Duterte added.

Duterte also said that his service as a resource person for the NDF would not prevent him from giving his advice, should this be sought by the government. He said giving advice to the government and to the rebel panel would not run in conflict with his interest as a public servant because he would focus only on how the peace process or the absence of it would impact on the local government.

“Those are public matters primarily,” Duterte said.

“One thing I can assure you, I am a government employee, sworn under the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. I will never, never give advice that will destroy my country. All that I have to give is toward the resolution of peace,” Duterte added.

Duterte said NDF peace panel chairman Luis Jalandoni and peace panel member Connie Ledesma made the offer to him when they sat at dinner Tuesday last week and he asked Jalandoni about the developments on the peace talks with the government, which recently stalled after the NDF demanded the release of 14 NDF consultants covered under the Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantee.

“That was when they offered me to sit as a resource person. It was no big deal, actually,” Duterte said.

The vice mayor said he had known the couple years back and had invited them for dinner when he learned they were in Davao City.