- Columnist reacted to MNLF chairman Nur Misuari’s unprecedented endorsement of Duterte
- He said Davao City mayor may be the key to resolving the PH’s insurgency problem
- He pointed to peaceful co-existence of rebels in Davao City as proof
MANILA, Philippines – Reacting to the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman’s endorsement of Rodrigo Duterte which the group’s officials have described as unprecedented, columnist Mon Tulfo said the Davao City mayor may yet hold the key to finally resolving the decades-long Moro and communist insurgency hounding the country.
In his column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Tulfo said Duterte — unlike his rivals — is acceptable to both communist and rebels in the MNLF and its offshoot, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, given his roots and plans to set up a federal form of government which would be inclusive of all groups.
“Duterte is acceptable to the Moro rebels and the communists whose arm is the New People’s Army (NPA),” he said.
As proof of Duterte’s unifying appeal, Tulfo pointed to the harmonious relationship of the Davao City government with the insurgents.
For years, the Davao City government has been living in peaceful coexistence with the MNLF, M.I.LF. and the NPA,” he said. “Moro and communist rebels on R&R (rest and recreation) in the city are left alone as long as they don’t bring their firearms and they follow the law.”
“He might yet be the only solution to the lingering Moro and communist insurgencies,” he added.
Duterte, who is running for president under a strong anti-crime and corruption platform, is a student of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Joma Sison and a good friend of Misuari. Recently, he also established contact with ranking Moro Islamic Liberation Front officials whom he promised would be given positions in his federal form of government.
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