Accountability on the part of the Reds.

This was the "one missing ingredient" in the failed peace process between the Philippine government and the communist insurgents, President Duterte claimed during a speech in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan on Thursday night, Nov. 4

"Kaya ‘yan bumagsak ‘yung peace talks eh. Lahat nang binigay na mga proposals, binigay ko rin sa military, sabi ko (That's why the peace talks failed. All of the proposals they gave me, I also gave to the military, I said), 'You study.' Pero ako talaga pagtanggap ko, hindi na (But I disagreed with it once I received it)," he said.

"And there was this one missing ingredient to arrive really at a peaceful resolution of the conflict --- ‘yung accountability wala (there was no accountability)," Duterte noted.

By "accountability", Duterte primarily meant having some form of sanction or penalty against the insurgents for the killings they've committed against Filipinos over decades of fighting.

"I have to have something in my hand na a provision or the sanctions na lahat nang nangamatay dito sa Pilipinas (in connection with all those killed in the Philippines), mga barangay captains almost every day, innocent people suspected of being informants of the military, marami ‘yang pinapatay na pati itong human rights wala nang ginawa tinuturo sa akin (they've killed so many to the point that these human rights advocates have blamed me)," he said.

"Pero walang (But there is no) --- the accountability, whatever, if they have any against us or against them, wala, at ayaw nilang i-discuss ‘yan (They haven't any and they didn't want to discuss it). Sabi ko, walang (I said)--- no peace talks. We will fight forever if ako ang masunod (if I would have my way)," he continued.

Accodring to the Chief Executive, the bloody insurgency cannot be treated like a game that would end with a simple handshake.

"Paano na lang --- paano ‘yung nangama --- namatay? Paano ‘yung biktima nila na sabihin mo lang na, 'Peace talks na, maglamano tayo?' Ano ito, laro ng bata? (How about all those who have died? How about their victims, should we just tell them, 'It's time for peace talks, let's shake Hands?' What is this, a children's game?)" he asked.

Communist rebels are considered terrorists by the Philippine government. Duterte maintained that government forces weren't outright killers like the Reds.

"Sabi ko may kulang dito (I said there's something missing here). One ingredient is really the sanctions sa mga ano iyong mga insurgents. Hindi tayo. Tayo ang gobyerno eh. Hindi naman tayo papatay kung walang rason. So iyon ang isa doon (Not us. We're the government side. We wouldn't kill for no reason. So that's one). The one ingredient, the factor that was missing which I was discussing and insisting on as part of the talks. Ayaw nila, eh 'di ayaw ko. Eh 'di wala (They don't want it, so I don't want it either. Let's have nothing p, then)," Duterte said.

The President was in town to attend the joint meeting of the National Task Force-Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-RTF ELCAC) in Region IV-B.