Duterte is Phl’s No. 1 terrorist – Joma

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Ma. Sison has branded President Duterte as the country’s No.1 terrorist for reportedly sabotaging the peace talks and calling the rebel group a terror organization.

In a statement posted on the website of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), Sison lamented Duterte’s almost daily rant against the CPP and the New People’s Army (NPA) “in connection with recent incidents in the armed conflict.” Duterte accused the rebels of provoking him with their recent attacks on government and civilian targets.

Sison lamented that before Duterte’s diatribe, the government and the rebel negotiating

panels had already spent several months of hard work in unilateral and bilateral meetings and were “ready to do a little polishing of common drafts” on Nov. 22 and 23 in Utretch for finalization in the slated fifth round of formal talks in Oslo, Norway on Nov. 25 to 27.

“The GRP AND NDFP negotiating panels were so happy and confident that they would be able to initial the CASER and the agreements on the general amnesty and release of all political prisoners and the coordinated unilateral ceasefires at the closing session of the fifth round of formal talks and formally sign all these at the closing ceremony of the sixth round in January 2018,” Sison said. CASER stands for Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms.

In his rants, Duterte “unwittingly exposed his scarce, shallow and defective knowledge of the peace process,” Sison said.

He scored the President for citing recent hostilities between troopers and guerillas as “false basis for slandering the revolutionary forces and threatening the termination of the peace negotiations and the outlawing of the revolutionary forces and legal democratic forces as terrorists.

“In the absence of ceasefire between the GRP and NDFP, he (Duterte) through his negotiating panel should have submitted his complaints to the joint monitoring committee under CARHRIHL,” Sison said, referring to the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

“He (Duterte) violated the mutual agreement that talks would be discreet until there would be good news to announce at the end of the fifth or sixth round of formal talks,” Sison said.

The CPP leader said the NDFP has always submitted to the Joint Monitoring Committee its complaints against abuses and provocative acts by security forces committed in the name of Oplan Kpayapaan and martial law in Mindanao.

“These violations are far worse in scale and severity than those alleged by Duterte against the NPA. And yet NDFP never threatened to terminate the peace negotiations,” Sison said.

Rody’s lies

Sison said Duterte spouted lies like the NDFP ignored the GRP proposal for a stand down agreement prior to the adoption and implementation of a coordinated unilateral ceasefire.

“Showing gross ignorance of the peace process, he (Duterte) even referred to The Netherlands as the facilitator rather than the Royal Norwegian Government,” Sison said.

“There are symptoms that Duterte is mentally” unfit to handle the complexities of the affairs of his state and the peace process between the GRP and NDFP. GRP officials in his Cabinet and the reactionary armed forces should consider whether he (Duterte) is mentally fit for his office or needs to be replaced in accordance with their 1987 Constitution,” Sison said.

Sison said Duterte’s “lucid statements in the course of his rants are those pertaining to his voluntary admission as a fascist in the service of the US, his overwhelming desire for killing and war and his advice to the NDFP to negotiate with his successor in due time.”

Meanwhile, Chief Supt. Billy Beltran, Police Regional Office 9 (PRO) director, said government forces have raised the alert level to counter NPA threats.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian and Rep. Jericho Nograles of party-list group Puwersa ng Bayaning Atlet, for their part, blamed the rebels for Duterte’s decision to terminate the peace talks.

“The President has every legal basis to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front-NPA (CPP-NDF-NPA) as terrorist organizations because they have been committing atrocities clearly described under the Constitution as acts of terrorism,” Nograles said.

“Sincerity to talk about peace is the right word lacking in the negotiations,” said Kalinga Rep. Jesse Allen Mangaoang.

Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez of Marbel, South Cotabado and Ozamiz Archbishop Martin Jumoad said that if the communist rebels wish to revive the peace talks with the Duterte administration, then they should show good faith by not engaging in criminal activities.

“In dialogue both parties must show sincerity and honesty. (There should be) no betrayal of what has been agreed. If one party does not stick to the agreement, (it would be) very difficult to restore the trust,” said Jumoad.