Group urges The Netherlands to abort Joma’s asylum status

In a rally staged Monday in Makati City, members of the Liga Independencia Filipinas called on the embassy to remove the CPP founder’s privilege as Dutch citizen. (Contributed photo via PNA)

MANILA – A group of former rebels urged The Netherlands Embassy to terminate Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Joma Sison’s asylum status and repatriate him to the Philippines so his punishments may be served.

In a rally staged Monday in Makati City, members of the Liga Independencia Filipinas called on the embassy to remove the CPP founder’s privilege as Dutch citizen.

Nolan Tiongco, leader of the anti-communist group, in an interview, said Sison has conveniently made The Netherlands his safe haven while the communist group he founded has lost touch of its purpose to bring injustices to light in the country.

“Ang nangyayari pa, mas marami pang injustices na idinulot ang mga giyera ng New People’s Army (NPA). Maraming nasaktan at namatay, wala naming naligtas katulad ng dapat sanang mithiin ng grupo(What happened here is more injustices were brought by the NPA. Many were wounded, nothing has been resolved),” Tiongco said, adding that in the 50-year struggle of the communist group, no proof surfaced that the group’s fight is even legitimate.

Tiongco, a former member of the revolutionary movement, said most of the rebels who joined during his time dropped the fight because they realized it made no sense.

“Malaking pagsisi namin na dating kabahagi ng movement ang pagsali. Mali yung pakikipaglaban, mismo yung mga kasama na nakikibaka, sila mismo yung nag-aaway away at karamihan ay terroristic act (Joining the movement was a huge mistake. Fighting was wrong, our comrades in the group were fighting against each other, mostly terroristic acts),” he added.

In February 2018, a 55-page petition was filed before a Manila court to legally declare the CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization.

Early this year, Senator Panfilo Lacson has reminded the Department of Justice to follow-up in its petition seeking to tag the CPP-NPA as a terrorist group.

“I urge the executive branch, particularly the DOJ to follow up with the judiciary the case that they filed calling for the prescription of the NPA as a terrorist group which is provided under Section 2 of the Human Security Act of 2007,” Lacson said on Twitter.

“They have not succeeded for the past five decades so I don’t see how they can. Right now, they are reduced to a band of extortionists, arsonists and robbers, even a terrorist group,” added Lacson, former Philippine National Police chief.