Advancing the peace process in Mindanao was the consensus reached during President Duterte’s recent meeting with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Nur Misuari in Davao City.
The President had a “warm” and “cordial” conversation with Misuari about the peace efforts at the Presidential guesthouse in Davao City last Monday, his spokesman Ernesto Abella said.
“This was a close-in meeting, all right. Basically, it was a reaffirmation of the importance of securing just and lasting peace and development for Mindanao,” Abella said. “It was warm, cordial, positive,” he added.
Duterte was seen embracing Misuari like a brother during the meeting based on a photo released by Malacañang. Misuari was accompanied by his wife Madam Tarhata and son Abdulkarim.
Prior to his meeting with Misuari, the President admitted that he talked to Misuari last Thursday about the proposal to introduce federalism in the country this year. “We are talking, we are crafting a sort of a preparatory document so that we can go into the process of proposing the federal structure,” he said.
Duterte has strongly pushed for a shift to federal form of government to help end the armed struggle in the south. He has offered to cut short his six-year term once the federal-parliamentary system of government is adopted.
(Genalyn Kabiling)
