Mixing military men with leftist personalities in Cabinet part of peace plan –Duterte

Noting that the country has suffered "so much," President-elect Rodrigo Duterte said mixing military men and leftist personalities in his Cabinet is part of his plan to stop armed conflict and unify the country under his administration.

During his Thursday night press conference in Davao City, Duterte, the first president to hail from war-torn Mindanao, acknowledged that not everyone will be pleased with his decision to offer four government agencies to nominees of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

"I know that it is not new if I get criticisms especially mixing up the right and the left. But this country has suffered so much," he said, pointing out that some of the opposition came from the military.

"Meron ibang mga sa military who are vehemently against it. I asked them, 'When should we stop? When is the right [time] to correct?’” Duterte said.

Duterte said Moro rebel groups — particularly the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front — are also included in his unity plan.

He also said excluding rebel groups in the government would only prolong and exacerbate the armed conflict that has hindered economic growth in many areas.

"How do we solve this problem? We are here. They are here. I have to look for a way of doing it. Otherwise, we [will pass] to the next generation the fighting," he said.

"Kawawa ang bayan natin. And the sad part is that we are all Filipinos," Duterte added.

Leftist leaders who will have posts under the Duterte administration include Rafael "Ka Paeng" Mariano (Department of Agrarian Reform) and Judy Taguiwalo (Department of Social Welfare and Development).

Duterte has yet to appoint someone for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) secretary post, which he earlier reserved for a leftist leader.

He originally reserved the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for the communists' nominee, but the post was eventually given to former Justice secretary Silvestre "Bebot" Bello III who was also assigned to make initial meetings with CPP founder Jose Maria Sison in Europe for the peace talks.

"Let us find a way of stopping all these wars and come up with a nation that is only one," Duterte said. "I will not agree to any breakage of this country."   —Trisha Macas/KBK, GMA News