Sison on restive soldiers: They must follow Duterte orders

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison is positive that the military will cooperate and play its part in the ongoing peace negotiations between the government and the National Democratic Front in Oslo, Norway.

Asked about restive soldiers, especially those not pleased with the release of the NDFP consultants, Sison said he was confident that they would follow the orders of President Rodrigo Duterte as Commander in Chief.

“In any Army, the first rule is to obey all orders on the command. And so the Commander in Chief of the Philippines, President Duterte, made the decision. The Army, the military, has to follow,” Sison said in an INQ&A interview on Tuesday night.

“There has been no objection. Legal processes have been followed. The Joint Agreement for Security and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig) has been invoked to justify the releases,” he added.

Detained NDFP consultants including top insurgent leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon were released last week to participate in the peace talks.

The CPP declared a unilateral ceasefire hours after the release, which the government also reciprocated.

Duterte first declared the ceasefire with Reds during his first State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 25, but lifted it five days later as the ultimatum he gave lapsed without reciprocation.