Joma Sison welcomes Duterte’s remarks of being open to peace talks

FILE: Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chair Jose Maria “Joma” Sison. (Photo: Joma Sison/Facebook)

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chair Jose Maria “Joma” Sison said he welcomes the remarks of President Rodrigo Duterte where the latter said his administration is still open to peace negotiations with communist rebels.

“Enemies need peace negotiations before they can become friends or partners for the sake of the Filipino people who desire social, economic and political reforms as basis for a just and lasting peace,” Sison said on Saturday, January 5.

“Thus, I welcome the statement of Duterte that he is still open to peace negotiations even as there is still an exchange of hostile words in the mass media and exchange of bullets in the battlefield,” he added.

Despite his previous order to the military to “destroy” the CPP and its legal fronts, Duterte on Friday said the government is still not closing its doors to peace negotiations with the rebels.

“Ngayon ‘di na kami magkaintindihan ni Sison pero (Now, Sison and I do not understand each other but) I’d like you to know we are keeping the fire burning and hindi pwedeng sarahan (it cannot be closed entirely). You cannot afford to lose all channels of communication. Mag-iwan ka talaga maski maliit (You will really have to leave even a small [space]),” he said in a speech in Camarines Sur.

Sison said it is his group’s “consistent policy” to be open to peace talks with the government despite their announcement earlier that their “principal work” for 2019 is the removal of Duterte from office.

[READ: Sison: Rebels’ ‘principal work’ for 2019 is ousting Duterte]

“It is for the benefit of the people that the peace negotiations resume and stop the Duterte regime from proclaiming martial law nationwide, from calling off or rigging the May 2019 elections and from pursuing the scheme to impose a fascist dictatorship on the Filipino people via charter change for a bogus kind of federalism,” the communist rebel said.

In November 2017, Duterte formally terminated peace talks with the CPP-New People’s Army (NPA)-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) through Proclamation No. 360, saying that the communist rebels did not show their “sincerity and commitment” in pursuing “genuine and meaningful” peace negotiations.

Sison, however, earlier said that it was the President who was “not interested” in peace negotiations, adding that what the latter wants is “impossible”: the surrender of the revolutionary movement of the people.

Malacañang earlier brushed aside Sison’s threat to oust Duterte saying that the communist leader should have realized by now that his 50-year long insurgency efforts did “not bore any fruits.”

“He has been saying that and as I said much earlier and even recently, his is a failed rebellion,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo told reporters during a Palace briefing last January 3.