Armed groups should disband under federal gov’t–Duterte

DUTERTE

DAVAO CITY—While saying he is open to a coalition government with communist and Moro guerrillas, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said armed groups, including rebels, should be disbanded as a requisite for a federal system of government.

“No other armed group should be allowed to operate in the country except the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Duterte said in response to a question raised by a student inside an auditorium of the Angeles University Foundation in Angeles City, where he continued his “Listening Tour” to raise public awareness on his campaign for federalism.

A statement on the Angeles City segment of the tour was released by Duterte’s office.

Duterte said one of the pitfalls of federalism is that it usually breeds “powerful, highly autonomous states especially in the Bangsamoro.”

He clarified his statement was expressing openness to a coalition government with rebels, saying such a coalition would be preconditioned on the laying down of firearms of the rebels.

All rebel groups that maintain armies, he said, should be willing to “decommission their firearms” if they wanted to join the coalition government.

Under Duterte’s concept of federalism, at least 14 states would be formed, each with its own state police but under the direct supervision of a national police force. The federal government retains control of armed forces, foreign relations and finance.

Federalism, he said, is the best option to the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which is now going through rough sailing in Congress following the Mamasapano debacle.

With the BBL in danger of being rejected in Congress, Duterte said federalism is the best option to save the peace process in Mindanao.

Some participants in the Angeles City forum raised fears that powerful and highly autonomous federal states may arrogate power unto themselves, allowing groups like the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to strengthen their armed components beyond the control of the federal government.

“That is a risk which will be addressed with the decommissioning of the firearms and armaments of the MILF and other armed rebel groups should they agree to join the government,” Duterte said.

“This (disarmament) must be implemented without fear or favor,” he added. Germelina Lacorte, Inquirer Mindanao