DAVAO CITY—- Again, President Rodrigo Duterte opened the door for a peace talk with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
Duterte issued the statement while presiding briefing on the effects of Typhoon Tisoy in Legazpi City, Albay, late Thursday afternoon, December 5.
“I’m sending (Labor) Sec. (Silvestre) Bello…(to) talk to them,” “Basta I’m sending him [Bello] back to (Joma) Sison and talk to him,” he said.
“Ang ano ko ngayon (My stance is) I cannot stop. Hindi ko pwedeng sabihin, ayoko nang makipag-usap (I cannot say I no longer want to talk to them). That is not a statement of a leader, of a president.”
“Now this is the first time I will reveal it. I’m sending Secretary Bello. Komunista naman talaga ito siya (He’s really a communist) so he should go there, talk to them, and… I cannot talk about it…but I’m sending him back to Sison and talk to him,” he added.
People close to Duterte had long expected that the President will again open his doors for peace talks saying “His endless quest for peace has again crossed his heart, he really wanted to end insurgency in a peaceful way.”
However, the President said he cannot divulge further details of his recent directive, adding that the public will soon know whether it will prosper or not.