Duterte to meet NDF leadership; urges rebels to lay down arms

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 13): Duterte to meet NDF leadership; urges rebels to lay down arms

PAQUIBATO PROPER, Davao City -- Mayor Rodrigo Duterte will meet with the leadership of the National Democratic Front (NDF) to talk peace.

The mayor will also open a deal on the multi-million offer of the Malaysian investors to develop an oil palm industry with members of the New People’s Army (NPA) as partners.

At the same time, the mayor urged rebels to lay down their firearms or simply hide them somewhere if they want to keep them to pave the way for a business joint venture. He said this will be an opportunity for everybody – the rebels and the populace of Paquibato who have longed for economic development in the area.

Duterte has been helping the Malaysian investors scout for 1,000 hectares of land to be developed as oil palm plantation. The mayor and the Malaysian group have eyed Paquibato’s vast idle land as good location. The Malaysians and Thais are looking for 50,000 hectares of land in Mindanao.

Duterte, who chose to spend the 116th Independence Day with the heads of government functionaries and the military in the known NPA stronghold, stressed the NPA and the military cannot engage in war all their lifetime and government cannot all the time arrest them or NPA abduct soldiers and government leaders.

“What for? All other countries have developed, but we have continued to be poor,” Duterte said, even challenging to raise their hands who are the NPAs in the crowd during the program. None did, but Duterte said he knows they (NPA) are just around.

According to the mayor, Paquibato have remained poor because no investors dared to put their money in due to presence of rebels plus the imposition of “revolutionary taxes”.

Duterte said he would meet with NDF leaders first and possibly for Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Chair Jose Maria Sison.

Of course, Duterte said he would also talk the proposal to President Benigno Aquino III and the military to ask for support and pave the way for a best business deal. Under the deal, Duterte said the Malaysian firm has committed to develop the area, provide the seedlings and buy the product. The CPP/NDF/NPA can manage and provide the labor component.

"I never intervene. I will only facilitate," Duterte said.

But he said part of their earnings will also go to the government in the form of taxes.

Duterte informally offered the proposal to the NPA in the presence of military officials led by Armed Forces Chief of Staff Emmanuel Bautista during the program for the signing of the Manifesto of Commitment and Support to the Development of Paquibato District.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=653251