Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison reaffirms friendship with President Rodrigo Duterte saying they have the common desire to serve the best interests of the Filipino people.
DAVAO CITY — The National Democratic Front of the Philippines consultant, Prof. Jose Maria Sison is thankful to President Rodrigo Duterte for releasing NDF consultants who will be joining the resumption of the formal peace talks in Oslo, Norway on August 22.
In a statement on Wednesday, August 17, Sison said he is grateful to Duterte “for his acts of goodwill to move forward the peace negotiations between his government and the NDFP.”
“He has made possible the release of the JASIG-protected NDFP consultants from prison and has graciously met the NDFP lawyers and consultants together with his negotiators and other officials,” he said.
Anakpawis Partylist Representative Ariel Casilao told Davao Today that out of the 22 detained NDF consultants, 11 are already released namely: Winona Birondo, Alex Birondo, Kennedy Bangibang, Ruben Saluta, Tirso Alcantara, Allan Jazmines, Renante Gamara, Ernesto Lorenzo, Jaime Soledad, Concepcion Bocala and Alfredo Mapano.
The professor and his student had recently had a word war after Duterte ended the unilateral ceasefire, which he declared during his first State of the Nation Address. Duterte is a former student of Sison at the Lyceum of the Philippines University.
Duterte gave ultimatums to the Communist Party of the Philippines after government troops were killed and injured by the New People’s Army in Kapalong, Davao del Norte, only two days after Duterte declared a unilateral ceasefire. The NPA defended their action saying the government troops were on combat operations which they only thwarted.
Sison said Duterte is “butangero” (hoodlum). Duterte also called Sison “arrogant” and said the revolutionary movement “cannot even occupy a barangay (village)”.
Sison said that despite what happened, he and Duterte “remain good friends.”
“Our friendship has a strong basis in longstanding cooperation and in a common desire to serve the national and democratic rights and best interests of the Filipino people. Furthermore, we have plenty of mutual friends who help maintain our friendship,” he said.
Sison added that both of them are inspired by the principles and objectives of Kabataang Makabayan and driven by the patriotic desire to continue the unfinished revolution of Andres Bonifacio.
Sison co-founded the Kabataang Makabayan in 1964. The group’s leaders played key roles in the re-establishment of the CPP in 1968 and the NPA in 1969. During his campaign, Duterte has many times admitted that he became a member of the Kabataang Makabayan.
“BAYAN and the producers of the film TIBAK (Kabataang Makabayan) have notified us of the plan to give us the Gawad Supremo soon in honor of Bonifacio,” Sison said.
He said that during the formal talks in Oslo, he and Duterte shall be in touch with each other
“We intend to perform our respective parts in order to make the talks successful and beneficial to our people,” Sison said. (davaotoday.com)
