PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday expressed optimism that peace will be achieved under his term, despite the communist insurgency.
In his second State of the Nation Address, Duterte admitted that there were times when he was discouraged by the possibility that peace might not be achieved during his six-year stint in office.
He, however, said that he would not be "disheartened" nor "cowed" by the insurgency.
"Sad to say, despite our efforts, peace especially on the island of Mindanao continues to elude us. But of course, it is not the peace of the dead but the peace of the living that we seek," Duterte said in a speech delivered at Batasan Complex in Quezon City.
"We will not be disheartened. We will not be cowed," he added.
During his first Sona last July 25, 2016, Duterte announced a unilateral ceasefire with the communist party in an attempt to "stop violence on the ground, restore peace in the communities, and provide enabling an environment conducive to the resumption of the peace talks."
The government and the communist leaders were able to meet four times in the Netherlands to talk about the crafting of a peace deal. Both parties, however, called off the fifth round of peace dialogue, as the communist's armed wing, New People’s Army, continues its offensives against government forces.
On July 20, Duterte said the government peace panel would no longer push through the peace negotiations with the communist group after NPA staged strings of attacks against the government forces.
The President also declared an all-out war against the communist rebels, saying the security troops are prepared to fight them even for "another 50 years."
Speaking before the nation, Duterte said he remained hopeful that peace will prevail amid the insurgency of the communist rebels.
"The Reds insurgency has been there for decades… So much time has lapsed, so many lives have been lost and so much destruction has been brought. But peace eludes us still. Sometimes, I’m almost tempted to conclude that peace might not be able to come during our lifetime," he said.
"I hope that peace continues… [To communists], look beyond your biases, your prejudices, your ambition, and your political agenda. The search for change will begin and end only when we look at and find it within," the Chief Executive added. (VoxPop Philippines)
