President Rodrigo R. Duterte said on Monday, March 26, that he expects to sit down next week with Moro leaders to finally “find solutions” to the long-standing armed conflict in Mindanao.

“We have to talk and talk until we find a solution. I cannot give you a timeline now, simply because I am busy. But next week, I will expect you the whole day for us to talk. It will really have to be one whole day,” Mr. Duterte said in his speech during the handover ceremony of loose firearms and presentation of Abu Sayyaf surrenderees in Patikul, Sulu.

“By the end of the day, we should come up with something that’s very solid. And that’s the time that I would talk to Nur (Misuari) and Murad (Ebrahim),”the President added. Mr. Ebrahim is the chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) while Mr. Misuari is the founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

One of the issues that Mr. Duterte intends to discuss with the Moro leaders is whether it is possible for the Muslims of Sulu to be lumped with their brothers and sisters from mainland Mindanao.

“I am worried. Would it do well to mix [you] all in one pot? Meaning to say, you people of Jolo, are you ready to be led by a Maranao?” the President said.

“That is the problem now while the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is being processed in Congress. Who heads what? Should the [Bangsamoro State be] divided [into two regions] or should they be put together under one governing authority? Who would it be? That’s why I need to talk to you, and I want to finish it this year.”

Mr. Duterte stressed that his government wants the issue “solved to the best way that is acceptable” to all parties concerned.

The President also reiterated his wish for Filipino rebels to stop their illegal activities, especially hijacking cargo vessels from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

He said leaders of those countries, like Indonesia’s Joko Widodo, “may lose confidence” in him.

“It will create uncertainty…I’d like to tell you now, if somebody is listening, stop it. Stop it!”

He explained: “Ultimately, if they ask: ‘What caused the fall of the Philippines economically and everything?’ ‘It’s because of the Abu Sayyaf and the NPA.’ ‘Who are they?’ ‘Moros and Christians—Filipinos.’”

“Come to me, I will listen. You also listen to me. Let us have a good dialogue, so that when the BBL comes, I know what to do,” Mr. Duterte added.

Whether he intends to extend his term, the President said: “Do not be afraid. I am old. I have no intention to extend my term. You just do not know how exhausting it is [to be president].”

He said his only interest is for his “grandchild to become mayor of Davao City.”

In his speech at the general assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) last week, Mr. Duterte mentioned that he supports the banning of political dynasties in the country.

“A few of the principled men, I would say, want this kind of thing about dynasty [being] abolished. I am for it. Ang problema, lulusot ba ‘yan? (The problem is, will it get approved?),” the President said. — Arjay L. Balinbin

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