MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte said the Philippines will go on fighting in the aftermath of the twin explosions in Jolo that rocked the municipality's downtown area and killed nine people, while the possibility of peace will only be looked into "in God's time."
Speaking before troops at Jolo, Sulu for National Heroes' Day, the chief executive said that the attacks only reinforced the government's resolve to fight against extremist elements to ensure "terrorists will have no future" in the Philippines.
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"If we cannot really agree then we fight. And we fight hard until they are finished. Maybe by that time, when they are all depleted, there will be no more war," he said in his televised speech in a mix of Filipino and English.
"In God’s time, we will talk about peace. If it is hatred, it cannot be stopped anymore. It is an impossible dream. It is an unreachable star. But it behooves upon us even as leaders, even to try, to talk, even as we wage war."
It is not clear what kind of discussions he was open to: Duterte said that he was willing to engage in talks with terrorist groups again but vowed that his administration would "fight hard" to quell insurgency and extremism in the municipality.
In the past, the president vowed never to negotiate with terrorists, and past invitations to talk were later framed as invitations for the Abu Sayyaf, which is suspected of carrying out last week's attacks, to surrender.
After the bombings, Malacañang initially mulled the idea of placing the entirety of Sulu under martial law, although the Armed Forces of the Philippines decided to look at other options for the time being.
"There is a time to build and a time to destroy... and there is a time that we do not talk to each other, but there will always be a time to talk. We will have the time, as there is a time for war and there is a time for peace," the president said.
"There will always be a time that you answer for killing an innocent human being."