Duterte threatens to have NDF panelists arrested

President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to have representatives of the National Democratic Front (NDF),  who were temporarily released for the peace talks, arrested after suspending the peace talks with the communist group.

"They are in the wanted list, so I will alert the International Police to arrest them where they are because they are in [the] wanted list. I'll cancel their passports," Duterte said on Saturday evening in a press conference during his visit to his parents' tombs in Davao City.

Duterte said the NDF panelists, acting as the negotiating arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines, were only granted temporary freedom so they can fully participate in the ongoing peace talks which started in August last year in Oslo, Norway.

"They can return, all of them. For those released by the government, they should, on their own volition, return here and go back to prison. Or else I will be forced to, I am alerting all the intelligence community to keep track of where they are now," he said.

The President said that with the suspension of peace talks, the NDF negotiators' amnesty will be revoked.

"Yung na-release temporarily to talk with us in Oslo, they should come back and submit themselves to the jurisdiction of the government because they are still in prison. Walang pardon, walang amnesty, wala lahat," he added.

The government and NDF panels concluded the third round of peace talks in Rome, Italy in January.

A special meeting was supposed to be held in The Netherlands this month to discuss the bilateral ceasefire agreement, a key agenda for the resumption of formal peace talks in April in Oslo.

The communists are demanding the release of more than 400 political prisoners as condition for a binding peace agreement to be passed, citing a promise made by Duterte earlier.

However, Duterte said he only promised to release the NDF peace panelists.

"I never promised. I said leaders, that the leaders can go to Oslo to talk. You do not release all prisoners because they committed a crime along the way against the Republic of the Philippines," Duterte said. "I would not be stupid in entering that kind of arrangement."

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza, for his part, said he will let the issue cool down first before issuing a comment.

"Let's hold comments until temperature comes down," he said.

'Walked the extra mile'

Meanwhile, Duterte said he already walked the "extra mile" to achieve peace with the communist group, but releasing the political prisoners can only be attained after successful negotiations.

"I tried everything. As you can see I walked the extra mile, released the prisoners, released their leaders so they could go to Oslo to talk. Now they want 400 plus prisoners who fought the government under a rebellion [to be released]? That is only given, common sense would tell you, after a successful talk," Duterte said.

"Ako ginawa ko na ang lahat. Gumastos ang gobyerno. I released all the prisoners, they started with 18, now they came up with 23 leaders, and now its 400. E kung ganon mag-surrender na lang kami?" he added.

Duterte said he is entirely scrapping the peace talks and was no longer interested in talking with CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison.

Duterte reiterated that he has ordered government troops to prepare for a long fight with the communist rebels.

Asked if he is giving the Armed Forces of the Philippines a deadline, Duterte replied he is not ordering an all-out offensive, saying he leaves it to the military how they operate against the Reds: "No, because I said the struggle might go on for 50 years."

"Kung ubusan ng bala, siguro, until such time that it will come to a natural cessation because everybody is tired of killing people. That's what it is actually. A revolution or terrorist if just out there to kill people. Why do they hope to overthrow this government for the next 500 years? Do you really believe that?" Duterte added. —Joseph Tristan Roxas/ALG, GMA News