Joma Sison calls Duterte ‘butangero’ for threat to bomb rebels

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte gestures as he delivers his speech during the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Visayas Island Cluster Conference at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City on August 21, 2018. SIMEON CELI JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

The word war between President Rodrigo Duterte and Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria “Joma” Sison heats up as the latter called the Chief Executive a ‘butangero’ or a gangster after he threatened to bomb communist rebels if they do not stop attacking government troops.

“Duterte is a brutal guy who likes to intimidate people and impress people that he is a strongman. He’s very capable of violence,” Sison told ABS-CBN early Wednesday, August 22, in response to Duterte’s threat.

The President, he added, is a ‘coward’ who has a power but has no idea how to handle it.

“You have a butangero (gangster) in power for the first time in Philippine history. You have a wild guy, a crazy guy in power,” he added.

Duterte issued his warning against rebels in a speech at the League of Municipalities (LMP) Visayas Island Cluster conference on Tuesday, August 21.

“I’m warning you rebels, marami akong armas (I have many weapons). You do some fighting there, I will freely use all the jets to bomb you. And if I hurt civilians, then it’s part of the territory,” the President said.

“Huwag kayong masyadong mag-atake-atake ng kampo, magpatay (Do not attack camps and kill) because if you start a large-scale war, I will not hesitate to bomb you. Huwag na natin itong patagalin (Let’s not prolong this),” he added.

He also warned local government executives who attended the event not to associate themselves with the CPP.

“Never give them aid and never give them favor. It will be to your chagrin at the end of the day if you do that. Talagang huwag (Just do not). You will lose everything there. You lose the power over the police,” Duterte said.

The exchanges between the Chief Executive and his former professor flared up anew as Sison shared on Facebook over the weekend an unverified report that Duterte has gone into a coma.

On Monday, Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher “Bong” Go posted a Facebook live video, showing Duterte having dinner with a female guest, to dispel Sison’s claim.

Sison earlier said he was ‘pleased’ to know that the President is in good health so that the former can still be “held accountable for his crimes against the people and be tried by the people’s court or by the International Criminal Court (ICC).”

Duterte then hit back at Sison, calling him a “discredited leader” whom no one believes.