REGION | Duterte says he will befriend Maute militants

In this Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016 photo, President Rodrigo Duterte poses with a fist bump during the anniversary of the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing at the Philippine Air Force headquarters in Pasay City, southeast of Manila, Philippines. ​The president on Tuesday, November 29, said he would befriend Maute militants so there would be no more trouble. AP/Bullit Marquez, File | with a report from Alexis Romero

           

FORT MAGSAYSAY, Nueva Ecija — Was it a policy pronouncement or a joke? 

 

President Rodrigo Duterte said he would befriend the Maute armed rebels, who recently occupied parts of Butig, Lanao del Sur to establish an Islamic caliphate. 

 

“Kakaibiganin ko sila para walang gulo (I will befriend them so there will be no trouble),” Duterte told reporters in a chance interview here Tuesday. 

 

It remains unclear whether the president was serious or was just joking when he made the statement, which was a reply to a reporter’s question. 

 

The president said on Monday that the Maute group is connected to the international terror network Islamic State (ISIS). He declared in previous speeches that he would not negotiate with terrorist groups like the Abu Sayyaf. 

 

However, Duterte cited the importance of talking to armed groups in a speech delivered during the inauguration of a drug rehabilitation center here. 

 

He also renewed his call to change the type of government from unitary to federal, believing this would solve the Moro rebellion. 

 

“Except for the rebellion, which is a pestering problem, I really would say that were it not for this, we would have been okay but we can never move,” the president said.  

 

“Now, let me remind you again. Per my observation: we cannot have a peaceful country as you know, if you do not agree to a federal setup.”

 

Duterte admitted though that talking peace requires compromise, noting that Moros are fighting for the land that they believe was stolen by Christians. 

 

“If you do not compromise here, we won’t attain something. That’s the barest minimum that we are asking. The problem is in Mindanao, the Moro people will go for it at all costs,” the president said.  

 

“If I were you, I’d listen to the speaker here. Ponder on it, sleep on it, and maybe decide one day that they too must have a better deal in the government,” he added, referring to himself. 

 

Duterte admitted though that the government cannot accommodate all the demands of Moros. He cited the proposal of Moros to establish a regional armed forces and police. 

 

“That’s something which I cannot give. Those are the things that cannot be negotiated,” the president said.  

 

“They want a federal type presidency, fine. But the commander-in-chief and the control of the police and the military shall always be in the hands of the president.”

 

Duterte stressed that he could not just order attacks in areas like Basilan and Sulu without considering the plight of civilians. 

 

“There’s no doubt about it, I can fight the whole year round. The government has money because of taxes. But for how long? And at what cost?” the president said.