Duterte insults Sison: ‘When did you have your own gov’t?’

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday taunted exiled communist leader Jose Maria Sison for justifying the rebels’ collection of revolutionary taxes to aid “needed financial resources for administration and social programs” of what he called as “people’s government.”

“‘Yun ang statement ni Sison. Anong gobyerno? P**a *n* ka, kailan ka pa nagkaroon ng gobyerno? Ang gobyerno amin,” Duterte said in a speech during the distribution of certificates of land ownership awards (Cloas) for farmers in Buluan, Maguindanao.

Duterte on Friday again opened the possibility of the resumption of peace talks with the communists but on the condition that rebels would stop their extortion activities and collection of revolutionary taxes.

READ: Duterte renews call to Reds: Stop extortion, taxation and we will resume talks

The President has issued a series of flip-flopping statements on his position on the resumption of peace talks with local communists after he signed Proclamation No. 360 on November 2017, which terminated negotiations for peace with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

READ: Latest peace talks flip-flops: Duterte says no more negotiations with Reds

Sison has justified the rebels’ collection of revolutionary taxes, saying the “people’s government needs financial resources for administration and social programs, including public education, land reform, raising production, health and sanitation, people’s self-defense, cultural work, and so on”.

Duterte, however, dismissed this and said Sison, his former college professor, was only dreaming.

“Gusto niyo patayan lang palagi, tapos mag-dream ka na kailangan ka mag-extort kasi ‘yung inyong gobyerno kailangan mabuhay,” he said. /kga