DAVAO CITY – Mayor Rodrigo Duterte expects the new representative for the indigenous people in the city to talk with the New People’s Army whose members in the countrysides are mostly IPs.
Halila Sudagar, who was the former Sangguniang Kabataan federation president, was swore in by Duterte as the new IP rep afternoon on March 30 (Monday) at the People’s Park.
Duterte said it would be good if Sudagar would talk to the NPAs “about two-thirds of whom are IPs.”
“Adto ka sa bukid. Pila na ko ka beses adto bukid. Almost two-thirds sa mga sundalo nila lumad (Go to the mountains, I have gone there for a couple of times, almost two thirds of their fighters are indigenous peoples),” Duterte said during his weeklly program Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa on Sunday.
“Ambot unsa pod isulti niya nga gwapo. Mag-amigo ta? Mangitag away? O unsay mahimo nato para nila? (I don’t know what good she would say. That we’re going to be friends? Or we are looking for war? Or what we could for them?),” Duterte said adding that he would want to resume talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines.
“Ang akong interes maundang tag pinusilay. If we can agree on a ceasefire, gwapo unta (My interest is that we stop fighting. If we can agree on a ceasefire, that would be good),” Duterte said.
During last Monday’s program, Duterte also challenged Sudagar to support the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
Sudagar who hails from the Kagan tribe will be representing the six major tribes in the city including Ata, Kagan, Klata, Matigsalug, Tagabawa, and Uvo Manobo.
Sudagar is the second IP representaive following Datu Berino Mamboo who was selected in 2012.
Duterte previously opposed Sudagar’s selection as IP representative saying she has had her term as SK federataion president.
He explained on Sunday, how Sudagar’s selection came about saying most of the crowds who chose Sudagar were members of Duterte’s political party, Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod.
“Out of delicadeza, I wanted a more representative crowd. They did not know I got the opinions of Kagans who live from afar,” he said.
Duterte said Sudagar should “come up with a justification” for her programs.
“She has to come up with a justification sa iyang program, come up with a rationale. Di ko mohatag basta og lump sum, for what? (she has to come up with a justification for her programs, come up with a rationale. I will not easily give a lump sum, for what?),” Duterte said.(davaotoday.com)
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