Palace to Joma: Stop long-distance propaganda war

Malacañang yesterday lashed at communist leader Jose Maria Sison for criticizing President Duterte’s handling of the West Philippine Sea row and dared him to return to the Philippines to see how the government is implementing its independent foreign policy.

Sison claimed on Saturday that former solicitor general Florin Hilbay was right that the Duterte administration has “treasonously and stupidly made a waiver of Philippine sovereign rights” by being silent on the issue.

The rebel leader also lambasted the administration for supposedly putting Philippine sovereign rights at par with China’s claims in the memorandum of understanding on the joint exploration and development of oil and gas resources in the West Philippine Sea.

Sison said Duterte had made a “false and stupid calculation” that the Philippine economy would be buoyed by “burdensome and exploitative Chinese loans.” He warned that China wants an “explicit and categorical surrender of Philippine sovereign rights.”

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo described Sison’s attacks as “lamentable.”

“We find it lamentable and pathetic that Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairperson Jose Maria Sison resorted to ad hominem (personal) attacks in criticizing the President’s policy on the West Philippine Sea,” Panelo said in a statement.

“We urge Mr. Sison to stop his propaganda war by long distance and to return to the Philippines and see for himself the independent foreign policy course that the President has charted, including a cautious, pragmatic and diplomatic stance on how to deal with the favorable arbitral ruling,” he added.

Panelo said the basis of Sison’s tirades was a two-year-old article by international political risk analyst Anders Corr, who has worked for several projects with the US military. He said Sison’s reliance on a two-year-old article proved that the rebel leader is “out-of-touch with the realities in the Philippines as a result of more than three decades of high living in Europe.”

“The President has a wealth of information at his disposal, which is not readily available to ordinary citizens or foreigners hence he is in the best position to decide on international matters that affect the welfare of the nation,” Panelo said.

He added that Duterte has steered clear of a “potential warfare with China” and maintained constructive dialogues through a bilateral consultation mechanism, which led to the signing of 29 agreements.

For Panelo, Sison should instead abandon his violent armed struggle as this has already resulted in meaningless deaths and alienated his followers.

“In the twilight of his years, Mr. Sison must accept the reality that his dream of wrestling political power from the duly constituted authorities has come to an end,” he said. “Truly, the revolution that he has commenced half a century ago has devoured its own children.”

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) yesterday urged communist rebels to go down from their camps and be with their relatives this yuletide season.

PNP spokesperson Chief Superintendent Benigno Durana Jr. said the New People’s Army rebels can go down from the mountains provided that they are unarmed.

This, he added, would give the rebels the opportunity to see the reforms the government has undertaken under President Duterte.