DAVAO CITY—In a three-hour meeting at Matina Enclaves here, the communist National Democratic Front of the Philippines submitted its nominees to the incoming administration of President-apparent Rodrigo Duterte, ranking NDF official Fidel Agcaoili said Wednesday.
“We submitted three names [nominees] for Cabinet positions and several other names for other lower positions,” Agcaoili told The Standard without identifying their nominees because “we should allow President Duterte to announce his appointees.”
Agcaoili said he met with Duterte from 6:45 to 9:45 Tuesday evening and was accompanied by his wife Chit and ranking Communist Party of the Philippines official Vicente Ladlad, who is believed to have been one of the possible successors of former CPP chairman Benito Tiamzon.
Tiamzon was captured along with his wife and CPP secretary-general Wilma in Aloguinsan, Cebu on March 22, 2014 in a security operation that has been called one of the biggest blows against the communist insurgency.
“We respect the decision of President Duterte to appoint Secretary [Silvestre] Bello to the Department of Labor and Employment since he is a patriot. He is also a known progressive,” he added, referring to Duterte’s earlier announcement that he would name Bello to the labor portfolio.
Bello, a former Justice secretary and congressmen, had served as chief government negotiator in the peace talks with the NDF, which is the umbrella organization of groups identifying itself with the national democratic movement in the country.
Duterte had earlier said he would offer the DoLE, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Agrarian Reform to the Communist Party of the Philippines.
Agcaoili did not specify how many people they nominated to be part of the Duterte administration but he said the president-in-waiting “appeared to be receptive” to the names submitted for the Cabinet.
Aside from the NDF nominees, Agcaoili said they also discussed the possible resumption of the peace talks shortly after Duterte’s inauguration on June 30.
But Agcaoili, chairman of the NDF human rights committee, also expressed concern at the human rights situation in the country. “Of course, the issue of respect for human rights will continue to be of major concern for the NDFP,” he said.
When asked how he assessed Duterte’s human rights record, he said Duterte “has is also concerned about this issue as manifested in his position on the killings and forced evacuation of lumad, the Kidapawan incident and others.”
“He has himself expressed concern over the violation of the human rights of children and young adults brought about by the intake of synthetic drugs peddled by pushers and criminal syndicates,” he said.