Negros NDF supports president

From the Visayan Daily Star (Jul 25): Negros NDF supports president

The National Democratic Front-Negros yesterday said it supports President Rodrigo Duterte's call for renewed peace talks and his relentless campaign against illegal drugs.

“We consider President Duterte's speedy effort to continue the peace talks between the government of the Philippines and the NDF to be an advancement in the progressing peace process to address and find solution to the social roots of the raging civil war in our country,” NDF Negros spokesperson Frank Fernandez said.

He also said the revolutionary people's courts have already standing orders for all New People's Army units to arrest notorious drug lords and pushers in Negros.

Others have already been punished, like the ambushed policemen in Candoni town, he added.

Ferrnadez said the NDP-Negros warmly welcomes Duterte, who is set to deliver his State of the Nation Address at 4 p.m. today, and supports his pro-people and nationalistic policies.

More Negros Occidental officials yesterday also aired their hopes under the Duterte administration.

Negros Occidental Vice Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said word from Malacañang is that Duterte's speech would last 30 minutes, he hopes the president limits his anti illegal drug, corruption, criminality policies to five minutes of the speech since he has proven his point on that.

Lacson said he hopes the president, instead, will focus on the "how", he will keep inflation low, create more jobs, address problems on education, health, housing, agriculture.

“I also expect him to talk about federalism and tax reform,” Lacson said.

Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Neg. Occ, 3 rd District) said he hopes the president tackles federalism and housing in his SONA.

Gov. Alfredo Maranon Jr., on the other hand, said he is reserving his comments until he has heard the president's SONA.

Fernandez, in his statement, also said “The revolutionary forces accompany the broad masses of the people in supporting president Duterte's pro-people and nationalist policies and programs in the field of the economy and politics with the objective of attaining genuine peace, development and justice which has been long deprived of the Filipino people.”

Duterte obtained the great majority of the votes cast because he campaigned for programs that reflect the will of the people especially, the urgent ending of the worsening problem of illegal drugs, corruption and criminality, Fernandez said.
He said they can also be sure that the president knows the failure in the implementation of the government's land reform in Negros compared to other provinces.

He also said it is an honor for the revolutionary forces to be acknowledged and encouraged by the president to continue the campaign to stop the illegal drug trade and criminality inside and outside the guerilla fronts.

Fernandez also said they are ready to support and defend Duterte from the sabotaging schemes of pro-US and anti-communist forces within and outside his government.

“In this connection, we are calling on the people, our forces and organizations to strengthen the peace movement here in Negros by supporting the peace talk between the Duterte administration and the NDF,” Fernandez said.

http://www.visayandailystar.com/2016/July/25/topstory2.htm