Duterte earlier this month said he will not brand Abu Sayyaf members as criminals, noting that the group was “driven due to desperation.”“I am not including Abu Sayyaf in criminality. As I talk to the communist, I will talk to the MI[LF], MN[LF], and all the armed groups there, except the Abu Sayyaf,” the President said. Duterte said he has to neutralize the rebel group because “Filipinos cannot have better life under them.”“That’s why we are fighting them. Duterte rules out talks with Abu SayyafLUCENA CITY, QUEZON: President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said the government will not talk with the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), because its members are “criminals.”In his speech at Camp Nakar in Lucena City, headquarters of the Southern Luzon Command, Duterte made a distinction between the Abu Sayaff,the communist group and Muslim rebels, including the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), that his administration aims to negotiate peace with. You’ll never hear me say that they are criminals,” the President had said.

Source: Manila Times July 28, 2016 12:56 UTC