Duterte working on bringing peace despite scrapping talks—Dureza

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. SIMEON CELI JR./Presidential Photo

DAVAO CITY – Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said that even with the cancellation of the peace talks with the communist movement, President Duterte is still keen on fulfilling his promise to build peace in the land.

“If there is anyone who passionately dreams of — and works on — bringing about sustainable peace in the land, it is President Duterte. His judgment calls are directed towards this goal,” Dureza said in a short statement Sunday.

But Dureza said the entire government team will take the President’s recent cancellation of the peace talks “as a directive.”

“As I always say, the road to just and lasting peace is not easy to traverse. There are humps and bumps, and curbs and detours along the way. What is important is that we all stay the course,” Dureza said.

READ: Duterte: No more peace talks with Reds without ‘compelling reason’

Meanwhile, protestant Bishop Felixberto Calang of the Sowing the Seeds of Peace in Mindanao, said his group believes that it is “still possible for the negotiations to continue even if armed skirmishes will serve as a thorny backdrop to the talks, as this had been the prevailing condition under the Ramos, Estrada, and Arroyo governments.”

Calang said that it is an immediate concern to ensure that the talks would continue even if there is no ceasefire.

“We believe it is realistic at this juncture to note that until the roots of the armed conflict are resolved, the conditions for hostilities to flare are ever present. And this, we believe, is a matter that both negotiating panels can competently tackle as the talks progress,” Calang said.

Calang said he believes President Duterte “wants to leave a legacy of peace under his presidency and that he wants a departure from the hawkish strategies adopted by previous administrations.”

“In relation to this, we believe it is important that the voice and the welfare of the people be the primordial consideration and the ultimate end of the talks. It should not be primarily driven, therefore, by the security sector. In fact, the civilian voices in the GRP are intent on pursuing the talks despite the seemingly daunting challenges,” Calang said. JE/rga

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