CLOSING STATEMENT. National Democratic Front of the Philippines Senior Adviser Luis Jalandoni reads the closing statement of NDFP Chief Political Consultant Jose Maria Sison during the closing ceremony of the third round of GRP-NDFP formal talks in Rome, Italy on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. (Zea Io Ming. C. Capistrano/davaotoday.com)
ROME, Italy — Jose Maria Sison, the founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines, missed the closing ceremony of the third round of talks with the Philippine government here after being admitted to the hospital Wednesday night.
Sison, who is also the chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines was admitted as advised by a physician, said NDFP Senior Adviser Luis Jalandoni.
He said Sison had a fever and was not feeling well when he was advised to be admitted a day before the closing ceremonies of the third round of talks.
Jalandoni said Sison was also taken to the hospital in Oslo during a time when the temperature was really cold at minus 20 degrees. But he said Sison was not confined that time.
“Nangyari din yan sa Oslo, yung masyadong malamig naging minus 20 degrees, dinala din siya sa ospital pero di naconfine,” Jalandoni told Davao Today in an interview.
Despite his sickness, Jalandoni said Sison was hands on in preparing for his closing statement, which Jalandoni read on Wednesday evening.
Jalandoni said Sison’s wife, Julie De Lima, who is also a panel member had the speech taken to him to the hospital for checking.
“He will also be the one to fine-tune the speech,” he added.
In his closing statement, Sison said there will be more intense work for the subcommittees of the reciprocal working committees on the social and economic reforms and subgroups of the reciprocal working groups on the political and constitutional reforms who will meet “bilaterally” in Manila.
“We can be confident that as soon as the RWCs on CASER will submit their final drafts for approval by the negotiating panels, the RWGs on PCR will become the RWCs on PCR and finish their work in a few months’ time,” he said.
Sison also expressed hope on the founding of the “Federal Republic of the Philippines” next year after the unified drafts on the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms and the Comprehensive Agreement on Political and Constitutional Reforms are ready for approval by the Panels before the end of 2017.
“We look forward to the implementation of CARHRIHL, CASER and CAPCR for at least two years before the signing of CAEHDF in 2020,” he added.
The government has announced that they will recommend for the delisting of Sison from the US terror list.
Jalandoni said the move is “very positive.”
“That will help Joma’s mobility for him to be able to share his views on peace talks among other things. That is a big help and that would give a push for the peace process,” Jalandoni said.
During the closing ceremony, Royal Norwegian Government Special Envoy to the Philippine Peace Process Elisabeth Slattum announced Sison’s hospitalization.
Slattum assured the audience that Sison is “recovering well.”
“I think I speak for everybody when I say that I hope he will be back on his feet within the next few days,” she said.
GRP chief negotiator and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III offered a one-minute of prayer for Sison.
Sison, 78, is on self-exile in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Aside from being the chief political consultant of for the NDFP, Sison also serves as the Chairperson of the International Coordinating Committee, International League of Peoples’ Struggle, 2004 to the present.(davaotoday.com)
