By ARGYLL GEDUCOS
PRESIDENT Duterte on Friday said that he is not giving up on peace as he renewed his call to end the hostilities between the government and the New People’s Army.
Duterte made the appeal amid his latest criticisms of Communist Party of the Philippines founder Joma Sison who claimed that the President fell into a coma recently.
In a speech in Davao City, Duterte said a revolution will not expedite the progress and development of a country.
“Life isn’t that easy. Life has to evolve, and progress and development can’t be rushed through a revolution. If you’re always calling for revolution and killing people, nothing good will happen to our nation,” Duterte said. “So kung maaari lang sana ayaw ko talaga. That’s my mission. I want peace for my land,” he added.
Duterte said that he will bring former female New People’s Army rebels who have surrendered to the government to China and Hong Kong to see the economic development there.
The President noted that China adopted the characteristics of a capitalist economy in spite of having a communist ideology then.
“I will let you go to China and Hong Kong. See personally what kind of communism it is…See how good it is, how modern those communists are,” Duterte said.
Duterte cancelled peace talks with the CPP-NPA-National Democratic Front in November last year, citing their insincerity to the formal negotiations and breaching their own unilateral ceasefire.
A few months later in March, Duterte announced that he was willing to give the peace talks one last chance but said that it has to be done in the country. Duterte assured Sison’s safety but the communist leader thumbed down the Chief Executive’s condition.
Sison said that they would no longer talk peace with the government under the leadership of Duterte and would instead support efforts to oust him.
Duterte last month compared the NPA to robots who are fighting for nothing but one corrupt mind. “You’re fighting for a bankrupt mind. Isang tao lang ang nag-iisip. There’s only one person using his goddamn gray matter between his ear. Para kayong robot, kung ano ‘yung inuutos,” he said.
