PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will renew his appeal for “peaceful” conduct of the Philippines’ 2022 national and local elections in the upcoming Summit for Democracy, a Palace official said on Thursday.

Undersecretary Robert Borje, Chief of Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs, said Duterte’s intervention in the US-organized summit will tackle not just what has been done insofar as democracy is concerned, but also ongoing efforts to guarantee its continuation.

“Ang isa pang importanteng component dito ay alam natin na si Presidente ay patapos na ang termino. And in the context of democracy, a democracy cannot be strong if there’s no peaceful and regular transfer of power. And I think this will figure very strongly and very prominently in the speech of the President,” Borje said in an interview over PTV-4.

For Duterte, Borje said the country cannot be truly democratic unless Filipinos have the opportunity to choose the country’s next leaders through elections that are “peaceful, honest, free, and credible.”

“It’s an admission on the part of the President, and maybe re-affirmation of his strong belief, that it is his responsibility first and foremost bilang Pangulo na siguraduhin na may peaceful transition, dahil pag wala nito, hindi tayo matatawag na demokrasya. Ibig sabihin, authoritarian tayo. ‘Pag hindi naman peaceful, honest, free, and credible ang elections, it calls into question the integrity of the electoral process and at the democracy,” he added.

Despite challenges, he said Duterte will reiterate his continuing commitment to the promotion of democracy and its core values.

“What the President is saying is that the Philippines is democratic, Filipinos are democracy-loving people. We value democracy. We may continue to have challenges as a democracy, but we’re firmly committed to democratic values. And that’s always been his message naman bilang Pangulo ng Pilipinas,” he said.

“Magandang opportunity ito para maipakita ng Pangulo na ang Pilipinas ay isang demokrasya, nananatiling demokrasya, at ang mga Pilipino ay malaya at nananatiling demokratiko sa puso, sa isip, at sa gawa,” he added.

Earlier, Malacañang described Duterte’s decision to accept the invitation of US President Joseph “Joe” Biden Jr. to participate in the summit as “consistent” with his independent foreign policy.

“Si Pangulong (President) Duterte has always been consistent naman in his foreign policy and even foreign relations. And to put it quite candidly and very consistently, the foreign policy of the President has never changed – it has always been a friend to all, enemy to none,” Nograles said in an interview over CNN Philippines’ “The Source” on Wednesday.

The Summit for Democracy, which will run from Dec. 9 to 10, will focus on challenges and opportunities facing democracies and will provide a platform for leaders to announce both individual and collective commitments, reforms, and initiatives to defend democracy and human rights at home and abroad, according to its website.

Leading up to the summit, the US is consulting with experts from government, multilateral organizations, philanthropies, civil society, and the private sector to solicit bold, practicable ideas around three key themes namely defending against authoritarianism, addressing and fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights.

More than half of the world, including the Philippines, was invited while the rest were left out.

Some of the countries that were left out include China, Russia, Hungary, Egypt, and Turkey. Philippine News Agency