Duterte holding talks with all rebel fronts to ensure a “peaceful city”

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 6): Duterte holding talks with all rebel fronts to ensure a “peaceful city”

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has been holding “barkada style” backdoor talks with all rebel fronts, including those perceived involved with the Abu Sayyaf and the Bangsamoro Islamic Liberation Fighters (BIFF) to foster peace and create linkage with them.

“I can’t declare war against anybody -- a mayor promotes peace to protect the people,” said Duterte during his Sunday program “Gikan sa Masa Para sa Masa”.

The mayor disclosed that he has been meeting a lot of people everywhere, shaking hands with them even with the BIFF and Abu Sayyaf, whom he believed are around the people he met.

As the August Kadayawan Festival nears, Duterte said he has been trying to reach out even to the extent of spending too much money, shake hands with them and grant them some kind of concessions.

Duterte explained meeting with them does not mean being afraid of them following reports of a terror threat in Davao City.

He said it was meant to approach everybody without really begging.

“Wala naman kaming kasalanan sa inyo (We never faulted you)…I don’t want to fight because it is not my job. I just want to talk,” Duterte recalled telling them. The mayor said he just wanted to talk in order not to jeopardize the safety of the people.

He emphasized that Davao City being part of Mindanao, is not spared from terrorism, which is true to other places. “Terrorism is universal in the Philippines and all over the world,” he stressed, citing that terrorism also hits powerful countries like United Kingdom, America, Nigeria, Indonesia, Thailand and China, among others. He named world’s terror groups like the Islamist Al Qaeda, Al-Sabaab –- the Somali-based cell of Al Qaeda, the Boco Baram of Nigeria.

He said the Jemaah Islamiya in Southeast Asia is an active group in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. The mayor stressed JIs are “sleepers”, at times active that is why information (about their presence) is coming in.

While he considers them (Al Qaeda, JI) terrorists, Duterte said not the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as both have been fighting for dignity of the Moro people.

The mayor added that there is a problem in Mindanao – partly territorial and partly historical injustice committed against the Moro people – but, “we are trying to strike a compromise everywhere just so people can attain peace.

Duterte said the peace agreement with MILF, for example, the government practically gave them everything -- 70–30 -- in their favor, although some sectors did not favor it.

The mayor’s statement came following the reported terror threat in the city, although President Benigno Aquino III said the information was raw after come countries like UK and Australia issued a travel advisory to its citizens against travelling to the city.

Duterte said Aquino was right. “It is never wrong to be prepared and if you want to go err -– you want to err on the side of prudence,” he defended.

As the August Kadayawan Festival nears, Duterte said alert is still up in the city. Police checkpoints are still active.

The mayor is giving the police and the military a free hand in coming up with an operational plan for the festivities.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=660092