Duterte says next president may continue talks with Reds

October 5, 2017

President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday it might be the next administration which will continue the peace talks with the communist rebels.

In his speech during the change of command of the Philippine Army, Duterte said he is not inclined to resume the peace process with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front.

"You can just imagine, we are fighting the New People’s Army. At this stage, I am not ready to talk to them because it is not good for the country,"  Duterte said.

"The way that it is now, I don't like it anymore. And maybe it would take some time to… maybe another president to do it," Duterte said.

Duterte said when he was still the student of Jose Ma. Sison, CPP founder, he listened to the leftist leader.

"It’s full of ideal… a set of what you want the world to be. But when you get older, you know this is not really possible, that life is really unfair. It ain’t really fair," he said.

Duterte slammed the rebels for their continued atrocities, including their extortion activities.

In July, Duterte decided to abandon the peace talks with the leftist rebels.

In the same speech, Duterte said he would appoint newly-retired Army chief Lieutenant General Glorioso Miranda as a member of Bases Conversion and Development Authority's (BCDA) Board of Directors.

He said Miranda would assume the post by November.

Duterte also said he would allow the Armed Forces of the Philippines to enter in any joint venture with private sector for possible lease of an army camp, which is not operating to raise more funds for its modernization program.

"And I’ll give you a land... you can choose the Clark Air Base or any other base that’s not operating. You can convert it to an ordinary camp then with an airstrip...all the earnings that you can get will go to you. And do whatever you want to modernize (the military)," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS