President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that he wants more Muslims in the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). He also expressed gratitude to Muslim cops and soldiers who have fought in various homeland battles. Since the 1970s, Muslims have been waging a rebellion seeking autonomy or independence in the southern areas of the mainly Catholic Philippines that they regard as their ancestral homeland. The conflict has claimed more than 120,000 lives and left large areas of Mindanao in poverty. Duterte has promised a definitive end to the Mindanao conflict. Lofty promises aside, it would appear that Duterte has yet to craft a coherent and consistent policy to steer Mindanao out of conflict, writes Joseph Franco in a journal published by ISEAS.