International relations expert reacts on Duterte's dialog with protesters after SONA

President Duterte spared some of his time to have a dialog with the protesters after the conduct of his second State of the Nation Address.

Sass Sasot, a known International Relations Expert noted that President Duterte was the first to talk with the group of activists, which are mostly associated with the Communist Party of the Philippines and NPA, who staged a rally while the SONA was conducted. CPP-NPA was one of the longest existing communist insurgency in Asia.



The on-going peace talks between the government and the CPP/NPA was temporarily delayed because the members of the NPA ambushed some members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG).  Sasot also said that Duterte chose to have a conversation with the demonstrators and asked them what kind of goodwill do they still want? When Duterte appointed some of their comrades in the cabinet position.

Sasot stated the way they treated the President. “The protestors jeered at him, taunted him, ridiculed him, and chanted that they wanted the peace talks to resume. He told them if they wanted the peace talks to resume then they shouldn't ambush him,” Sasot said.

Sasot also added that despite the harsh treatment of the protesters, the president walked away peacefully. “He left the stage.  No one got hurt. No one got tortured. The police even set up their stage, provided sound system, and portalets. Prior to that, he met the leaders of these protestors in the presidential office, had a dialogue with them, and encouraged them to hold demonstrations against him. This is dictatorship Duterte style,” as Sasot described.



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After his State of the Nation Address, Duterte spoke on the stage of the protest held against him. The first Philippine president to do this. The protestors are aligned with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing NPA, which has been waging one of Asia's longest existing communist insurgency.

The peace talks with CPP/NPA is currently stalled after the NPA ambushed some members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG), the security detail of the president.

So Duterte spoke and asked the protestors what kind of goodwill do they still want? He already made some of the comrades cabinet members.

The protestors jeered at him, taunted him, ridiculed him, and chanted that they wanted the peace talks to resume. He told them if they wanted the peace talks to resume then they shouldn't ambush him.

He left the stage.  No one got hurt. No one got tortured. The police even set up their stage, provided sound system, and portalets. Prior to that, he met the leaders of these protestors in the presidential office, had a dialogue with them, and encouraged them to hold demonstrations against him. This is dictatorship Duterte style.

Source: Sass Sasot

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