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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday declared an immediate, unilateral ceasefire with communist guerrillas and asked the rebels to do the same to end decades of deadly violence and foster the resumption of peace talks.
In his first state of the nation address before Congress, Duterte said he wanted a “permanent and lasting peace” before the end of his six-year term, which commenced on June 30. The former mayor, who built a name for his tough, crimebusting style, also focused on his battle against illegal drugs, again threatening to kill drug dealers.
Addressing the New People’s Army guerrillas, Duterte said: “Let us end these decades of ambuscades and skirmishes. We are going nowhere and it is getting bloodier by the day.
“Let me make this appeal to you,” he said. “If we cannot as yet love one another, then in God’s name, let us not hate each other too much.”
The Philippine military welcomed Duterte’s announcement, but said it “will remain alert, vigilant and ready to defend itself and pursue attackers if confronted by armed elements of the New People’s Army.”
“The commander-in-chief has initiated a very bold move and we fully support him in his effort to bring sustainable and lasting peace,” said military spokesman Restituto Padilla.
The decades-long communist insurgency, one of Asia’s longest, has left about 150,000 combatants and civilians dead since it broke out in the late 1960s. It has also stalled economic development, especially in the countryside, where the Maoist insurgents have had an active presence.
Under Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino, peace negotiations with the communists that were brokered by Norway stalled over the government’s rejection of a rebel demand for the release of captured insurgents.
But Duterte, 71, who describes himself as a socialist, had given concessions to the rebels and designated left-wing activists to at least two Cabinet posts.
The rapport he had built with the political left was evident outside the House of Representatives complex, where Duterte delivered his nationally televised speech. Instead of the violent confrontations between riot police and left-wing protesters that have taken place in the past, activists were allowed to camp outside the congressional complex and policemen were seen greeting and giving them juice drinks.
The rebels have also praised Duterte’s critical stance on the security policy of the US, which has blacklisted the communist insurgents as terrorists for its bloody attacks, including an ambush that killed a US Army colonel near Manila in 1989.
Government negotiators have met with rebel counterparts and agreed to restart peace talks soon. Jose Maria Sison, a rebel leader in self-exile in Europe, plans to fly home to meet Duterte, his former student at a Manila university.
Duterte also said his administration is ready to pursue peace talks with Muslim guerrillas in the country’s south, where he was a long-time mayor of Davao city.
(AP)