DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio still want to continue the dialogue with the New People’s Army (NPA) despite its rejection on the proposed localized peace talks by the city government.
“Maybe that is their (NDFP) opinion, but as the representative of the City Government of Davao, I have a duty to pursue just and lasting peace in the city,” Duterte-Carpio said.
Duterte-Carpio said the localized peace talks is the best way to achieve peace in the city. “But, it really depends with the NPA if they really want to talk with us,” she added. The Local Peace Committee (DC PEACE) was given up to November 30 of next year to dialogue with the rebel group.
However, if there is no progress, the Mayor said she will have no other recourse but to order to stop it because there will be no point to talk with the rebels if they do not want peace in the city.
She emphasized that the rebels need not surrender their firearms just because she only wants them to work with the government.
In its website last November 2, the NDFP said that the local peace talks will surely fail in its aim to divide the revolutionary forces which is waging a nationwide people’s war.
It stated that the Duterte regime is “wasting time and the people’s money in setting-up these useless local peace committees which will go nowhere and achieve nothing. ”
“These are mere rehashes of worn-out psywar surrender programs such as the “balik-baril program” and the Comprehensive Local Integration Program (CLIP) riding on the popular clamor for peace talks,” it added in the statement.-Armando B. Fenequito/Newsline.ph
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