Du30 going back on his word

Isn’t the resumption of talks with the communist rebels just a waste of time? A month after President Duterte stopped the negotiations due to rebel attacks on government troops, he said certain conditions were no longer negotiable as far as he was concerned.

Recently, however, the government and the communist National Democratic Front have again agreed to resume peace negotiations focusing on shaping a bilateral ceasefire agreement and on socioeconomic reforms.

Mr. Duterte said that the rebels must stop collecting revolutionary taxes, release soldiers held in captivity, and avoid claiming ownership of territories. “There are certain conditions to me which are no longer negotiable so either I have it before I embark on another journey of peace talks (or not),” he added in a press conference. He clearly mentioned that if the rebels don’t accept his conditions, he wouldn’t deal further with them. He strongly urged the rebels to release all prisoners of war.

The rebels must stop turning away troops in their self-claimed territories, extortion and arson.

ANN R. AQUINO, [email protected]