DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Aside from housing units and a job in the armed forces, President Rodrigo Duterte is offering a possible general amnesty for members of the New People’s Army who will come down from the mountains.
“All you have to do is to work and be at peace with everybody,” he added.
Duterte made his “appeal” to the Communists fighters late night Friday, September 22 at the Matina Enclaves here.
He said if Congress will agree to him he will declare a general amnesty and will write off all the crimes they committed or were accused of committing.
“Maybe, just maybe, Congress will agree with me, I will just declare a general amnesty, except criminals. Pero itong mga rebelde (who) really want to topple government, bumaba kayo para wala na lang away,” Duterte said.
(But the rebels who really want to topple government, come down here so we will not have to fight.)
Duterte said even if the NPAs fight for another 100 years, they will not get what they want from the government.
“Ang gusto ni Sison hindi niyo makuha kailanman. Even if you fight for another 50 years or 100 years wala kayong makuha sa gubyerno na to, away lang,” he said.
(You will never get what Jose Maria Sison wants. Even if you fight for another 50 years or 100 years you will not get anything from the government but fighting.)
Sison is the founding chairman of the CPP who is a former professor of Duterte.
Duterte last Saturday, September 16 said he is “not averse” to resuming talks with the National Democratic Front, the political wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
However, the CPP said while they remain open to peace negotiations with the government, they no longer see that there will be “anything substantive” from the talks given Duterte’s policies which they say is following the dictates of the United States and capitalists.
“How can negotiations on socio-economic questions go anywhere when Duterte zealously implements neoliberal policies and pushes for such anti-people policies as the Compressed Work Week or 12-hour workday, removal of restriction on foreign ownership of public utilities, debt-driven infrastructure projects and others?” the CPP said in a statement on September 19.
The CPP added that negotiations on political and constitutional reforms are challenged by Duterte’s Martial Law declaration in Mindanao, the war in Marawi, and the killings brought by the government’s war on drugs.
“Duterte’s triple war violates the human rights agreement with impunity. He could not even fulfill his vow to release political prisoners now numbering more than 400,” it added.(davaotoday.com)
