Sison: ‘I don’t want to be in Duterte’s pocket’

THE founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) over the weekend said peace talks between his group and the Duterte administration would be hurt if he prematurely returned to the country.

Besides, according to Jose Maria “Joma” Sison, he does not want to be in the “pocket of Duterte.”

In a statement released on Saturday, Sison, now chief political consultant to the umbrella group National Democratic Front (NDF) of the Philippines, gave three reasons why he was shelving going back to the Philippines for now.

One, holding the talks would be “going against the established mutual agreement to hold the peace negotiations in a foreign neutral venue in accordance with The Hague Joint Declaration and Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees.”

He said the NDF previously proposed that the meeting should be in Oslo, Norway, or Hanoi, Vietnam.

The government, however, offered Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea as the proxy of President Rodrigo Duterte in the Oslo ceremony for the signing of an interim peace agreement.

Sison said Manila did not give a positive answer for him and Duterte to meet in Hanoi.

Two, going back home now would be placing himself and the entire peace negotiations in the “pocket of Duterte.”

Three, Sison said any peace spoiler or peace saboteur would destroy the entire peace talks by abducting or harming any NDF consultant.

He said he will only come home when there is substantial progress achieved in the peace talks.

“I have consistently declared that I will