DAVAO CITY – The local peace talks initiative of the Davao City government is getting the full support of President Rodrigo Duterte and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Rey Leonardo Guerrero.
In fact, Duterte even invited members of the armed New People’s Army (NPA) to come down from the boondocks, "bring down your arms and surrender."
“I am addressing myself to all the soldiers of the New People’s Army. Mag-surrender na lang kayo ngayon at ibaba ninyo ang inyong baril o i-surrender ninyo (You just surrender now and bring down your arms or surrender),” the President said.
The offer for jobs and housing, the President said, still stands.
“At sabi ko, may trabaho kayo naghihintay. At I am building, all throughout the country, almost 5,000 sa National Housing Authority (As I said you have jobs waiting. And I am building throughout the country, almost 5,000 houses),” he said.
He said the communist revolution in the Philippines has been running for 50 years and nothing happened.
“I do not fight them with money. I’m just saying na kung mag-surrender kayo, ayaw na ninyo gusto ng patayan, or pumatay ng kapwa mo Pilipino, mag-surrender ka na. Bigyan kita ng bahay automatic, at bigyan kita ng trabaho (I’m just saying that if you surrender, if you do not like fighting, you surrender. I will give you a house and I will provide you jobs),” the President reiterated.
But Duterte said that the NPA rebels who would surrender should really work.
“This is not an honorarium thing. You have to work for it,” he said.
On the other hand, the AFP chief of staff said he believes that Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio already talked to the military commanders in Davao.
Even if the military is not a member of the Davao City Peace Committee, Guerrero said he welcomes efforts of the local government that would contribute to the peace and order condition of the area.
Last month, Duterte-Carpio convened the peace body to hold peace talks with the NPA.
Among the other initial preparation is holding a peacebuilding workshop of all members to let them understand all about peace negotiations and how to initiate peace talks.
Given that Secretary Jesus Dureza has already expressed that the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) is not supporting the local peace talks, Duterte-Carpio said she would be writing OPAPP to inform of the local undertaking.
The city mayor has emphasized there is no law that prohibits any local peace engagements. She said there is a provision in the Local Government Code that LGUs could go about the local peace process. (Lilian C. Mellejor/PNA)
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