Duterte: Palace to study proclamation ending talks with Reds

Malacañang's legal team will be tasked to draft a proclamation to terminate the peace talks with the communist rebels, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday.

Duterte named the point persons in drafting the proclamation as Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo.

"It’s not an entity anymore worth talking to... Ayoko nang makipag-usap," Duterte said after attending the 65th General Assembly of the League of Cities of the Philippines.

"Pinag-aralan [ang proclamation]… Nakita ko si ES. Sila ‘yung gagawa niyan eh. And Panelo, I have not seen him around. It’s a legal thing that they have to craft," he added.

Duterte at a ceremony commemorating the heroism of the fallen soldiers and police officers killed-in-action in Marawi City said that he  decided to cut talks with the communists “as of yesterday.” 

He said he already told Office of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza and Labor Secretary and GPH chief negotiator Silvestre Bello III to inform their counterparts with the National Democratic Front about his decision.

“Sinabi ko kay ano, Dureza pati kay Bello, ‘You tell the guys there sa Netherlands, I am no longer available for any official talk. Gyera na lang tayo,’ he said.

“So I have to build a strong army,” he added.

However, the OPAPP has yet to release a copy of its letter of termination to the NDF that will formally end the peace talks. —NB, GMA News