By Lilian Mellejor (PNA)
DAVAO CITY – Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief, General Carlito Galvez declined to comment on the reported visit of ranking officials of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) to the country.
”I suspend my comment on that. I am not privy to the meeting,” Galvez said Tuesday in an interview with local reporters during his visit to the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) here.
In a speech on Friday during the 1st Subaraw Biodiversity Festival in Palawan, Duterte said NDFP chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili, NDFP adviser Luis Jalandoni and consultant Coni Ledesma expressed their plan to visit the country.
Duterte said the visit relates to the NDF officials’ work as members of the NDFP’s component in the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).
“I will not keep it a secret. I do not want confidential-confidential. Pupunta dito sabi nila gusto nila akong kausapin. Ang problema nila pagka hinuli sila (They will come here, and they would like to talk to me. But they have problems on possible arrest),” Duterte said in his speech.
The President said he made it clear to Agcaoili and Jalandoni that they could be arrested.
“So nagtawag ako ng cluster meeting kasali na mga military (So I called for a cluster meeting that included the military). So, what do you think?” the President recalled asking the officials in the meeting.
Duterte hinted the possible meeting with Agcaoili but said he would make the formal announcement on his return from Papua New Guinea and Singapore.
It was not also clear if the discussion has also something to do with the resumption of the peace talks.
“I will make the announcement. Kaya usap tayo ulit kasi baka, baka pala. Sabagay okay naman (So we will talk again maybe, just maybe. Anyway, I find it okay),” the President said.
