MANILA: The mayor-daughter of President Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte announced the cancellation of local talks with communist rebels in their hometown of Davao City in Mindanao due to her father’s declaration of the insurgents as a ‘terrorist organisation.”

“Since the policy of the government is never to negotiate with terrorists, what we are going to do is to talk with the community about issues,” Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte explained.

Mayor Duterte pointed out it was still possible for her and other local government officials to conduct localised talks with the insurgents when the president formally announced the cancellation of peace negotiations with the rebels.

Such localised talks aimed to help ensure peace and security especially in remote ‘barangay” (villages) where members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) operate.

But with the president’s declaration of the NPA and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) as terrorist groups, such localised talks with the rebels also have to be cancelled, according to Mayor Duterte.

Earlier, Mayor Duterte announced the establishment of Davao City Peace Committee to hold localised talks with the insurgents, which was also supported by the military.

Mayor Duterte said she decided to rename the agency as the Davao City Advisory Committee for Peace and Development to hold talks with village officials on local issues confronting them.

“The city government will try to address the issues raised by the communities. We acknowledge they have issues with regard to the services of the government,” she pointed out.

The NPA is the armed component of the CPP which has been waging a Maoist-style insurgency against the government for close to 50 years, considered the longest in Asia and the Pacific.

Duterte declared the CPP-NPA as terrorist organisations for their unabated attacks on civilian establishments like mining firms as well as on remote police and military installations while their representatives were talking peace in Oslo, Norway as the third party facilitator.