MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte will not face communist leaders Fidel Agcaoili and Luis Jalandoni if they come to the Philippines for informal talks.
Duterte said the communist leaders should bring up their concerns with presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza and government chief negotiator Silvestre Bello.
"I will talk to the enemies of the state. I did. And pa-ganun-ganun sila (they acted like that). This Agcaoili and Jalandoni would come here and talk to me. I said, 'Why should I talk to you? You talk to Dureza and Bello,'” the president said during the inauguration of the Cavite Gateway Terminal on Thursday.
"Bello is a communist. You will understand each other," he added.
On Sunday, Dureza said in a statement through his office that the meeting with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines negotiators could happen in Manila this week.
"President Duterte has tasked Secretary Salvador Panelo and me to meet with them in an informal chat," he said, adding that could happen when he comes back from heading a delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
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No arrest
Duterte assured Agcaoili and Jalandoni that he would not order their arrest if they set foot in the country.
"I will not have you arrested. Talk to Bello and Dureza but I will not talk to you. If you have a good proposal, I will call (defense secretary Delfin) Lorenzana and (Armed Forces chief Carlito) Galvez," he said.
Duterte said he would consult with the military and the police before approving proposals related to the peace talks.
"Give me the final draft and if I like it, I’ll pass it on to the military and the police. I will ask them, 'Is this all right with you?' If the military and the police do not accept it, they will launch a coup d’etat," he said.
Congress would also be involved in the decision-making, the president added.
"This is a democracy. We share powers for the benefit and the good of the country, remember that," Duterte said.
Communist negotiators have canceled a planned trip to the Philippines for fear of being arrested.
Presidential spokesman Panelo has said the fears of communist leaders that they would be arrested were "misplaced."
Negotiations between the government and the communists were terminated after Duterte had accused the rebels of pushing for a coalition government, a power-sharing setup that he said is not allowed by the constitution.