Govt insists on bilateral truce with Reds

THE government is not keen on declaring a unilateral truce with communist rebels before the resumption of peace talks in the Netherlands next week as President Rodrigo Duterte prefers a bilateral ceasefire agreement, the gov-ernment’s chief negotiator said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters in Malacañang, government peace panel chief Silvestre Bello 3rd said negotiations would proceed sans the declaration of ceasefire on the part of the Duterte administration.