But President says he will still pursue peace until the end of his term

  MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte said he will not talk anymore to communist rebels in the hope of finally ending the decades-old insurgency in the Philippines but he vowed to pursue peace efforts up to the end of his term. Duterte made the statement on Monday during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) before the Philippine Congress. Duterte lambasted the communist insurgent for making unreasonable demands in the peace talks while at the same time attacking his security convoy and civilians. "To the Left, I will not talk to you. Why should I? They accused me of being a bully. That's true. I said I'm a bully to the enemies of the state. If you don't want to talk to me, I don't want to talk to you," he said. Duterte said officials of the communist movement who are in exile in The Netherlands are better off going back to the Philippines as he revealed that Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder, Jose Maria Sison, has colon cancer. Sison however denied in a statement sent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer yesterday that he has colon cancer and challenged he 72-year-old Duterte to disclose his health condition to the people. "It is Duterte who has to explain his disappearances for medical reasons because the public is entitled to know everything that pertains to his suitability for public office," Sison said. Duterte was not seen in public for several days last month and had no official engagements, prompting speculations that he was seriously ill but Malacañang said Duterte was "just resting. Sison said in the statement he was confined for a month in the Rheumatology Department of the Utrecht University Medical Center early this year but was given a clean bill of health last 20 after three weeks of diagnosis and treatment and a week of medical observation. According to the CPP founder, he was treated "in connection with rheumatoid arthritis and skin allergy for the following symptoms: low auto-immunity level during the cold months of autumn and winter, lack of appetite, loss of weight, skin allergy, pains on the joints, etc." "No findings of cancer of any kind, cardiac problem or any other malignancy which is life threatening," he added. Meanwhile, Duterte lambasted a Left-leaning group that took over government housing intended for soldiers. He said he allowed the Kadamay group to keep the homes to avoid trouble but warned them against repeating their protest action in the past wherein they demanded for free electricity and water supplies as well as bigger homes. "You do anarchy, I will order the soldiers and the police to shoot even if I have to bury thousands of Filipinos," he said. The President admitted getting discouraged by the challenges his administration faces in the pursuit of peace. "Sometimes I am almost tempted to conclude that peace might not be able to come during our lifetime. But believe me, it will not be for want of trying. I will persist in our goal of attaining peace until the last day of this administration," he said. 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