Andal not authorized to do backchannel talks with Reds – Galvez

January 16, 2019

President Rodrigo Duterte did not authorize Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) member Avelino "Billy" Andal to conduct backchannel talks with communist rebels, Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez said on Wednesday.

In an interview by GMA News to Go, Galvez said this was what Duterte told them during the command conference in Malacanang on Tuesday.

"He (Andal) was not tasked to do backchannel talks based on our discussion (with the President) during the command conference," he said.

He noted that the peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front have been canceled since 2017, although the President gave some window for the possible resumption of the talks.

Galvez said Andal has never been with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process nor been assigned in any negotiating table.

"Normally, if there's backchanneling, our OPAPP office knowst," he said.

He added this was also the information he got from Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon.

Andal on Tuesday said he was tapped by the President to do backchannel talks with the Maoist group for the possible resumption of the peace process. Celerina Monte/DMS