President Rodrigo Duterte is visiting Jolo, Sulu Friday (Aug
12) to meet with the Tausug Moro tribe and possibly meet with Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) chair Nur Misuari somewhere in the island.
While he purposely wanted to meet the people in Sulu and
thank them for giving him a landslide win during the last elections, Pres.
Duterte said he would be willing to hold talks with Misuari who remains a
fugitive after charges were filed against him for the Zamboanga siege in 2013.
“I would not be able to visit every nook and corner of Jolo
but just the same if I can just make a symbolic gesture of thanking them,” said
Duterte, adding, “I do not want to elaborate why but I want to thank them.”
“This is what it means to Misuari – I am just reading his
thoughts I think he loathes to go just because he is…there is a warrant for his
arrest and he does not want to go just to be freed for so many hours and then
not to walk again freely after I am gone. Parang it does not sit well with his
thinking,” Duterte told reporters in a late night press conference on Thursday
at the Presidential Guest House in Panacan here.
The president however said he was sure Misuari will be
sending an emissary. “He is there in - anywhere in Sulu and if he would want to
meet me I will go there. Walang problema magkaibigan kami There is no problem
we are friends. If he wants to talk to me nandun ako (I will be there),” he
said.
When asked about the prospect for Misuari to finally
participate in an inclusive Bangsamoro peace process, Duterte said, “When I
make a declaration Misuari can go out anywhere he wants to go. Fine with me,”
he said.
Duterte had wanted Misuari to participate in the process.
This week, Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza and other leaders of the
MNLF faction (Muslimin Sema group) met as part of the continued effort to reach
out to the MNLF with an objective to have inclusive peace with the Bangsamoro.
Dureza said it is the objective of the Duterte
administration to implement all signed peace agreements and convergence of
Bangsamoro enabling law. There is also need to review the tripartite 1996
agreement. Dureza said there are 42 consensus points that will be converged and
implemented under an enabling law.
Dureza was also looking forward to meeting with Misuari
although there remains a legal constraint to allow the MNLF leader to
participate. However, Dureza said there is a direct engagement with Misuari
through other channels.
The President also wished for Misuari's freedom given his
fragile condition due to old age, as he said he does not see the need for
Misuari to be pursued.
“I don’t want him to be detained. He just stay there
(somewhere). I know he stays there. Huwag na lang kunin dito at ikulong natin
(Maybe we do not need to get him and detain),” he said, emphasizing if
something happens to him while under the government’s custody the country will
face a big problem.
Duterte is concerned that if something happens, the
government may not have the chance to talk with the Tausugs.
“Pag may nangyari dyan kay Misuari – malaking problema as in
malaki (If something happens to Misuari – it will be a big problem as in big.
So you lose the chance even if it’s a small one to have peace talks with
anybody. Delikado yan (That’s dangerous),” he stressed.
He said the same may hold true for Communist Party of the
Philippines (CPP) founding Chair Jose Maria Sison, emphasizing that both
leaders may not muster a good number of Filipinos but they command respect
because of what they believe in.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=913063
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