The government is ready to “fight until kingdom come” if the communist rebels refuse to heed four conditions in the peace negotiations, President Duterte declared yesterday.
The President laid down anew his “barest” conditions to the peace process with the local communist group, such as the signing of a document establishing parameters of the peace talks and the bilateral ceasefire.
The communists must also stop the collection of revolutionary taxes, must not claim any territory in the country, and must release all prisoners, according to the President.
“Kapag wala ‘yan, walang peace talks,” the President said in a media interview during a visit to Cagayan de Oro City. “I will be telling the Filipino people, we’ll just have to fight until kingdom come, wala akong magawa,” he added.
The President confirmed that he talked to the government negotiators ahead of the resumption of the peace talks in the Netherlands about his conditions to peace.
He said the negotiators sought his guidance on some matters which he mentioned were “not acceptable to me.” “My objections are contained in four conditionalities that I just said,” he said.
Duterte insisted that he hates to wage a fight with fellow Filipinos, admitting his heart breaks whenever he learns about the death of soldiers and rebels alike.
Meanwhile, Duterte is apparently seeking the accountability of former President Benigno S. Aquino III and other former and incumbent officials for the irregular implementation of the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program.
Annoyed that the media have not reported on the alleged misdeeds of his political opponents, the President vowed to release crucial information on how the former President, former Budget Secretary Butch Abad, Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV, and others have used the DAP funds despite the existing constitutional prohibitions.
“Kayong mga media ngayon, bakit ang gobyerno lang, bakit ‘di ninyo kalkalin si Abad? Ano ginawa ni Abad, si PNoy despite of a constitutional ruling na bawal yang DAP, they continued to do it as if it was nobody’s business,” the President said. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)
