Duterte on CA rejection of his Left-leaning appointees: Buti na lang

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday said in hindsight that it was good that the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) rejected Cabinet members endorsed by the Left as he continued his tirades against the communist movement.

Duterte appointed former University of the Philippines professor Judy Taguiwalo and former Anakpawis Representative Rafael Mariano as secretaries of the social welfare and agrarian reform departments, respectively, when he assumed office in June 2016 as the President sought to iron out a peace deal with the communist rebels.

Taguiwalo and Mariano, however, failed to secure the nod of the CA, a body composed of select congressmen and senators, last year.

"In my desire really to just extend a helping hand, maybe I can succeed talking to them, naipasok ko rin sa gobyerno. Mabuti na lang ni-reject ng Congress 'yung appointments nila," Duterte said in a speech in Calamba City, Laguna.

"It turned out to be na ayaw talaga nila even the talks now are almost done. I don't know if it could be revived but I am not ready at this time to talk to the communists."

He then recited atrocities allegedly committed by communist rebels, including undermining the government and killing policemen, soldiers and civilians.

"'Iyan lang ang binigay ng mga komunista sa atin," the President said, adding he cannot extend amnesty to the communist rebels "without asking" the police, military, local officials, civil society and victims of their supposed atrocities.

Duterte's pronouncements were a departure from those of his former spokesperson, Ernesto Abella, who expressed regret and sadness after the CA rejected the appointments of Taguiwalo and Mariano.

Abella hailed Mariano, saying the former party-list congressman had been "pivotal" in promoting farmers’ rights and welfare and ensuring their security of land tenure.

Taguiwalo, meanwhile, "made an impact in the lives of many Filipinos" during her tenure as head of the Department of Social Welfare and Development from June 2016 to August 2017, according to Abella, now an undersecretary at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Peace negotiations between the government and communist rebels bogged down in November last year after Duterte lamented the continued attacks by the rebels on troops and civilians.

The talks were supposed to resume in June in Norway but Duterte called it off to give way to public consultations and review of existing agreements.

Last week, Duterte told troops in Isabela that the communist insurgency may be over by the second quarter of next year, pointing to the continued surrender of New People's Army members and fall of several guerilla fronts in Mindanao as indicators.

Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison scoffed at Duterte's claim, saying the President was delusional. — BM, GMA News