Local peace talks with communists pushed in Davao City

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte—EDWIN BACASMAS

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte said the cancellation of the national government’s talks with communist rebels would not affect the local peace talks with the New People’s Army (NPA) that she had been pushing for.

The daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte has created the Davao City Peace Committee (DC Peace) to strike a peace deal with the NPA operating in the city. The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The body, headed by retired judge Ridway Tanjili, has convened and discussed the crafting of a strategic plan in dealing with the NPA.

“DC Peace will continue with its work and they are on track with their timeline,” Tanjili said.

Mayor Duterte said Tanjili’s group had scheduled for next month a visit to Paquibato district, one of the  areas in the city where the NPA still operates.

Asked if she thought the cancellation of the talks on the national level was in order, the mayor said: “I do not have an opinion about it. I do not have access to documents that are available to the [Office of the President] and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.” —Reports from Allan Nawal, Jigger J. Jerusalem, and Frinston Lim