Duterte to Reds: Why listen to Sison? You have not seen the guy

Exiled Communist Party of the Philippines founding chair Jose Maria Sison INQUIRER PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday asked communist rebels why they keep on listening to exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chair Jose Maria Sison, whom they have not even seen yet.

“Nakikinig lang kayo diyan sa mga lecture, ni hindi niyo nakita. You have not seen the guy. Hindi ninyo nakita ’yan. Nandoon sa Amsterdam. Doon nagpapalamig pati ang b**** niya matigas na, naging yelo na,” Duterte said during the distribution of land ownership certificates to agrarian reform beneficiaries in Kidapawan, Cotabato.

“Kung ako ang leader nito, uuwi ako dito. Dito ako magpakamatay,” he added.

Duterte made the remark just days after the CPP marked its 50th founding anniversary.

Sison went into exile in The Netherlands after the Marcos regime ended in 1987. Since then, he has resided in The Netherlands where he is seeking asylum as a political refugee.

Earlier, it was Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana who ridiculed Sison, calling him an “armchair general.”

Lorenzana said he even has more respect to the rebel group’s foot soldiers than to Sison who only direct them while away from the country.

READ: Lorenzana calls Joma Sison an ‘armchair general’

The President also renewed his promise to distribute all government-owned land to farmers, which he said was one way to end the insurgency.

“I told (Agrarian Reform Secretary John) Castriciones: ‘I-land reform mo lahat ang gobyernong lupa bago ako matapos pagka-Presidente’ lalo na ’yung Quezon, Bicol, Negros, diyan mainit, mainit diyan basta lupa,” he said.

“Kaya sabi ko, even without the communists, there will always be friction for as long as there is no real land reform,” he added.