A one-on-one talk with Jess Dureza

Yesterday, despite being a holiday, I had my TV crew go on overtime as my special guest on my talk show Straight from the Sky was no less than my good friend, Secretary Jess Dureza, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. During the Feast of All Saints Day, I usually write on anything about our Saints, but when Jess texted me that he would be in Cebu on Monday, even if it was a holiday I made it a point that I would get that TV interview with him on my talk show and yes we had such a good time together talking about the 120 days of the Presidency of Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte, his boss and classmate in Davao.

I have always known Jess Dureza for his transparency. He still remembers that years ago when he was Press Secretary of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, we both played golf in Boracay (It was my last time to visit that island). Then I showed him photographs of recent history when on Jan. 29, 2015 Jess Dureza with his companions, among them now House Speaker Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez for the first time introduced then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte before 70 Cebuano businessmen at the Cebu Country Club (CCC) and I was the only person taking photos of that historic event.

Back in those days, Mayor Duterte was testing the waters, whether he had a chance at the Presidency. Jess remembers that during the question and answer forum no one dared ask a question to Duterte… I was the only one who questioned him on his chances of winning, especially since I believed that the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) would cheat him of his votes. But at that time, Mayor Duterte was unsure of himself, and even said that if Mar Roxas would ran for President he would support Roxas. But as they say, the rest is history. With no machinery, no money, but only the confidence of the Filipino people, Mayor Duterte pushed for his presidential bid and won the presidency against all odds.

Jess Dureza came to Cebu to hold a media briefing on what is happening with the peace process… after all, he has been involved in the peace process since the time of presidents Fidel V. Ramos and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Being a Bisaya, the Cebu media loved hearing a high-ranking Cabinet Secretary speak before them in Bisaya. His message was simple – the media had to play its role in the peace process in informing the Filipino people of the on-going talks between the Communist Part of the Philippines (CPP), National Democratic Front (NDF) and New People’s Army (NPA) and the Philippine government.

While he was involved in the previous peace talks  the difference then and now is that this time they allow the media during the peace negotiations. Sec. Dureza clearly pointed out… “The road to peace is not an easy asphalted road; I expect bumps and potholes along the way. But if we work together, we will reap the dividends of peace.” Sec. Dureza pointed out that during the peace negotiations, while the CPP/NDF/NPA is there for their own reasons, the Philippine government is also there for its own interest. But there is a greater interest that he considers equally as important to the peace process –  it is the interest of the Filipino people who must take ownership of the peace process and he pointed to the media for our role in educating the Filipino people on what is happening during the peace talks.

Sec. Dureza used what happened recently in the peace process involving the Farc in Colombia… where both the Colombian government and the Farc already came up with a peace deal and had it approved by the Colombian people through a referendum. This was totally rejected by the people of Colombia because apparently, they were kept in the dark on what kind of peace deal Colombia was getting. Sec. Dureza was in Butuan City last Sunday to attend the opening of a new gun range by the military and he told us that this time around, the Army was shooting at paper and metal targets instead of human targets, which pleased many of the Army officers.

Being a Cebuano… I’m one of the few journalists who understands the words of Pres. Duterte. A case in point is when he called outgoing US Ambassador Philip Goldberg “Gay.” Actually he did not really mean that the American Ambassador was a homosexual. Cebuanos use the word “Bakla” to denote cowardice or a person being scared, which can also be used to mean a homosexual. But then many in the media get lost in translation because Pres. Duterte uses words in Bisaya.

I had a great time with Sec. Dureza and I’m sure he too had fun talking with me on my talk show which we will air on Nov. 7. I told him clearly that with people like him supporting Pres. Duterte it gives me the confidence that we have a government and a President that has truly put the interest of the Filipino people first in his agenda and exhort him to pursue his efforts for peace for the greater good of the nation.

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