House Speaker Alvarez hints need to talk to local rebels

From the Philippine Information Agency (Aug 8): House Speaker Alvarez hints need to talk to local rebels

“We might be talking to the wrong people,” House Speaker Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez said over the weekend as he hinted the need to talk with local rebels.

In an interview last Saturday (Aug 06), Alvarez aired his personal views of  the recent ambush against Civilian Armed Forces  Geographical Unit (CAFGU) members that was owned  up by the New People’s Army (NPA).

Happened on July 27 in Barangay Gupitan, Davao del Norte, the incident eventually led President Rodrigo R. Duterte to withdraw the unilateral ceasefire he  declared during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered on July 25.

Alvarez surmised that the NPA group which orchestrated the reported ambush could be sending a message to  the government.

“We have to read between the lines why this happened,” he told members of Tagum media. “Sa ako lang pangagpas, basin naa sila’y mensahe nga (I think, they might be telling us that) we might be talking to the wrong people,” he added.

He made it  clear, however, that he was not saying “anything conclusive” and that  his view was just his personal “impression” on the incident which he considered as worthy of  looking into.

Meanwhile, when asked about the relevance of local peace negotiation, Alvarez pointed out the  need to talk not just with those “who are not in the country”.

“Kani on the ground sila man gud ang naa diri (Those who are on the ground, they are the ones here). We really have to talk to them,” he said.

Alvarez was in Tagum City last Saturday, meeting with his constituents from barangays in Davao del Norte 1stDistrict that delivered him winning votes last May 9 elections.

On the other hand, Kapalong Municipal Mayor Maria Theresa Royo-Timbol in an interview with the Provincial Information Office  appealed to  members of NPA to join the search for peace at the community levels.

“Pareho lang ta Pilipino; pareho lang ta nangandoy ug kalinaw. (We are all Filipinos; we are all  dreaming for peace.),” she said.

Timbol noted that members of indigenous people (IP) communities in Barangay Gupitan are seeking for peace especially now that the area has become a focus of development.

“Nag abli kita ug 17 ka IP schools (We have opened 17 IP schools) and that the  farm-to-market road project has been started with concrete bridge (component),” she said.

http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1591470645981/house-speaker-alvarez-hints-need-to-talk-to-local-rebels