Duterte felt "betrayed" by Reds, Roque says
President Rodrigo Duterte has felt "betrayed" by the communist rebels, his spokesman said on Monday.
In a press briefing in Davao City, Roque said Duterte did not order to kill leftist rebels or those perceived to be left-leaning individuals following reports certain persons from militant groups in Mindanao have been killed.
He said the order of Duterte was to arrest and charge those who have violated the laws.
"There was no order to kill the leftists," he said, noting that Duterte, when he was still the mayor of Davao City, had a close relationship with the New People's Army as he even appointed some of them to the government.
Roque said the left-leaning party-list groups even supported Duterte in Davao during the 2016 elections. "That's why he really feels betrayed. He thought that because he really has a very close relation with the left, they would sincerely talk (with the government)," Roque said.
But he said the rebels continued with their attacks on government troops despite the ongoing talks.
He said what the rebels did were "traitor acts."
"But if it's not betrayal, who is controlling the NPA and who should we talk peace with?," he added.
Roque said it was Duterte's call for the communist rebels to be sincere in talking with the government.
He also said that Jose Maria Sison's statement, calling Duterte as a "political swindler" was "really foul."
Sison is the founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA-National Democratic Front.
"I will not even dignify the name calling," he said.
If Duterte was a political swindler, Roque asked why he did he not declare an all out war against the NPA after the election and instead tried to pursue peace talks with them.
Duterte earlier issued Proclamation No. 360 terminating the peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF.
But the local government units could proceed with the localized talks, similar to what Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has been doing, Roque said.
"We have local autonomy. So the peace talks can proceed on a local level if the local government units should want or desire to proceed," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS
