Palace: Remaining leftists in Duterte gov’t to stay for now

File: President Rodrigo Duterte speaks with (from left to right) National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Secretary Liza Maza, former Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano, former Social Welfare and Development Secretary Judy Taguiwalo and former Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial prior the 12th Cabinet Meeting at the State Dining Room of Malacañan Palace on Monday

MANILA - Malacañang on Monday said left-leaning personalities in the government will stay for now despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to terminate peace talks with the communists.

“For as long as they remain in their posts, they enjoy the trust and confidence of the president. When they go, the president then obviously had ceased to have trust and confidence in them,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a news conference in Davao City.

Doubts have been raised over the fate of the remaining left-leaning personalities in the Duterte administration following the collapse of peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front.

There were high hopes that peace talks will succeed in the Duterte administration, following 5 decades of communist insurgency.
However, such hopes were dashed after the President decided to scrap the negotiations amid what he claims was the communist rebels’ lack of sincerity.

Duterte, a self-proclaimed socialist, had appointed left-leaning individuals in his Cabinet, including former Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo and former Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano, whose appointments were rejected by the powerful Commission on Appointments.

Following Mariano and Taguiwalo’s departure from the Cabinet, the only left-leaning personalities left in government are Labor Undersecretary Joel Maglunsod, National Anti-Poverty Commission Secretary Liza Maza, and Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor Chairman Terry Ridon.


Duterte recently terminated government’s talks with the communists following rebel attacks against government troops. He also cited the supposed goal of the communists to form a coalition government with his administration as another reason the talks fell through.