FILE- Government and communist peace negotiators get order from President Duterte. Photo from Jesus Dureza’s Facebook account
Government and communist peace negotiators on Tuesday received a must-do order from President Duterte.
“I want a ceasefire reduced in writing, and the parameters clearly shown, saan tayo pupunta (where we should be going). At anong gawain natin ‘pag pumalpak (And what we should do if it fails),” Duterte said in his speech during the first general assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) in Manila.
The President said the resumption of the peace talks was a “must-do” to achieve lasting peace in the country rocked by more than two decades of communist insurgency.
“We have to pray for everything. Eh medyo (Slightly) still vague until now. I cannot expound anything further. But iyong mga must ko, must-do, para maabot natin ang kapayapaan (But my requirement must be done so we can achieve peace),” he said.
In a Palace briefing, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Duterte gave the instructions to set “clear parameters” for both peace panels during the National Security Council meeting in Malacañang on Monday night.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday in Utrecht, The Netherlands, the government and NDF representatives agreed to resume formal peace talks. Both peace panels said the fourth round of talks would be held the first week of April.
Duterte’s call for clear parameters came amid a series of New People Army (NPA) attacks in Mindanao and northern Luzon.
The President scrapped the peace talks in February and said it would no longer continue unless there’s a compelling reason to do so.