Communist of the Philippines founding chairman Prof. Jose Maria Sison and President Rodrigo Duterte (davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines —- President Rodrigo Duterte’s scathing remarks against his former professor, Jose Maria Sison, was met with equally strong statement from the founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines on Monday, July 24.
Sison said Duterte should recognize that there are two governments in the country.
“Duterte should wake up to the fact that there are already two governments in the Philippines, one is the reactionary government of big compradors and landlords headed by him and the other is the revolutionary government of workers and peasants led by the CPP,” he said.
Headded that the President should not belittle their forces. He said during the time of Martial Law implementation by former President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. the revolutionary forces have grown in strength and spread nationwide.
“Duterte should not belittle the revolutionary forces. These will outlast him and grow even stronger in the years ahead. He can belittle the revolutionary forces only at great risk to his fleeting regime and the entire ruling system of big compradors and landlords,” Sison said.
Duterte urged the surrender of the communist leader telling him that Sison was old and sick already without achieving any gains from the almost five decades of fighting.
In his second State of the Nation Address yesterday, Duterte said the communists were demanding too much and asking him to continue the peace talks while the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the CPP, continue with its offensives against government troops.
In Davao region, the NPA said there is no stopping the armed offensives in their territories in response to the extension of Martial Law, which they said will target revolutionary forces and civilian communities tagged as NPA sympathizers.
But Sison said they they have a different measure of success.
“The revolutionaries think and act to win in terms of building the revolutionary party of the proletariat (CPP), the people’s army (NPA), the mass organizations of various classes and sectors, the alliance of revolutionary forces (NDFP) and the local organs of political power (the people’s democratic government),” he said.
No colon cancer
Sison also denied Duterte’s claims about his health condition.
He admitted being hospitalized for a month under the Rheumatology Department of the Utrecht University Medical Center. He said he was released “with a clean bill of health on March 20, after three weeks of diagnosis and treatment and one week of observing that I was cured.”
“I was treated in connection with rheumatoid arthritis and skin allergy for the following symptoms: low auto-immunity level during the cold months of autumn and winter, lack of appetite, loss of weight, skin allergy, pains on the joints, etc. No findings of cancer of any kind, cardiac problem or any other malignancy which is life threatening,” Sison said.
Sison said it is Duterte who should explain his disappearances from the public for medical reasons. “The public is entitled to know everything that pertains to his suitability for public office,” he added.
During his SONA, Duterte said the communist leader is suffering from colon cancer and urged him to surrender. Duterte almost cussed at Sison passing it off as a joke.
“Ikaw, Sison, tang … Mag-inom ka ng Tang ‘yung orange. Matanda ka na. Kayong Pilipinas, makinig, buong Pilipinas. Kayong mga bata, kayong mga Lumad natives, itong matatanda na ito, Sison is sick. May colon cancer,” Duterte said. He said the Royal Norwegian Government is the one paying for Sison’s medical expenses.
However, Duterte said, due to politics, the medical assistance to Sison became an issue.
“Ang gastos ng Norway, sumurender na siya. Kasi naging isyu sa pulitika eh. This government who sponsored those — who provided the good offices. Matatalo sa eleksyon dahil sa issue diyan. Kasi pabalik-balik ang mga b****, kala mo mga turista. Wala namang pinag-uusapan,” Duterte said.
Duterte also reiterated that he is a bully against the enemies of the government. He ranted about the encounter with the Presidential Security Group in a checkpoint set up by the NPAs along Buda road in the boundary of North Cotabato, Bukidnon and Davao City.
In a media conference after the SONA, Duterte announced he is ending the peace talks with the communists which was scheduled to resume its fifth round next month.
He said he is beefing up the military and the police and will prepare for “war footing.”(davaotoday.com)
