MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte wants to meet with returning Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad to allow reformed members of the terrorist Maute group and other Muslim Filipinos to study agricultural technology.
Duterte earlier congratulated the 92-year-old Mahathir for winning the recent polls in Malaysia.
He said Mahathir brought progress to Malaysia for several decades of his rule. Mahathir was Malaysia’s fourth prime minister from 1981 to 2003 and now, the country’s seventh premier after defeating Najib Rajak in hotly-contested elections last May 9.
Mahathir returned to power after his party won 122 seats in the 222-seat parliament.
Duterte said he would just call Mahathir to arrange a program to allow Filipinos in Malaysia to study how to cultivate rubber trees and produce palm oil.
The President revealed his plan when he met last Friday with 27 surrenderees of the disbanded Maute group in Marawi City.
He promised the former rebels shelter and livelihood assistance as long as they commit to peace.
Talking to the members of the rebel group inside Camp Ranao, Duterte said the former rebels should first develop technical know-how in palm oil and rubber tree planting so that they can cultivate idle lands in Lanao del Sur.
Once the government aids the rebels, Duterte said they should also start committing themselves to peace and stop propagating the jihadist ideologies.
Duterte said he is looking at the possibility of granting amnesty for members of the rebel group with existing arrest warrants once they have vowed to talk peace.
After his meeting, Duterte also witnessed the presentation of 2,708 loose firearms that were surrendered to the police and the military during simple ceremonies at the provincial capitol last Friday.
In his speech, the President renewed his offer of reconciliation, calling members of the Islamic State-inspired Maute group who are still in hiding to surrender.
Duterte also thanked the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for helping attain peace in the region.
“On behalf of a grateful nation, I thank the AFP for this milestone and I look forward to see more surrenderees and comfortable lives for the Maranaos,” he said.
At the same event, the President also declared his plans to proclaim Maguindanao, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur as land reform areas.
“But first you must study how to plant rubber trees and produce palm oil before I give you these lands,” he told the former rebels.
Duterte promised to provide assistance such as tractors, fertilizer and seedlings to the surrenderees.
Duterte recalled that when he saw the Maranao people start returning to Marawi to reclaim their land, their homes and their lives, he immediately felt a sense of hope that Mindanao can rise as a center of growth and development, not just in the Philippines but in the ASEAN region.
“That is why we have embarked on unprecedented infrastructure development program that intends to facilitate commerce and trade in Mindanao,” he said.
“With the support of the Maranaos, I am confident we can spur economic growth and solve the political and socioeconomic roots of violent extremism in the region,” Duterte added. – With Edith Regalado