Duterte calls for ‘immediate ceasefire’ with Reds

Jose Maria Sison (left), founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines, was a professor of President Rodrigo Duterte in college. (File photos from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday called for an “immediate ceasefire” with the New People’s Army (NPA).

“Yong mga NPA, gusto talaga ninyo ng usapang matino. Immediate ceasefire. Walang magdala ng armas sa kampo ninyo sa labas. Walang taxation. Walang pagsunog,” the President said in a speech during the campaign rally of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan in Tuguegarao City in Cagayan.

[To the NPA: If you really want an honest talk, let’s have an immediate ceasefire. Nobody should bring arms outside of your camps. No taxation. Don’t burn anything.]

He again renewed his call for Jose Maria Sison, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chair, to come home to the Philippines from Utrecht in the Netherlands and talk to the government.

“Umuwi ka dito, Sison. Akong bahala sa ‘yo. Hindi ako traydor na tao. I give you my word of honor, mag-usap tayo. Pero nothing about coalition government. You can never have even an iota of the sovereign power of the Republic of the Philippines,” he said.

[Come home, Sison. I’ll take care of you. I’m not a traitor. I give you my word of honor, we will talk. But nothing about a coalition government. You can never have even an iota of the sovereign power of the Republic of the Philippines.]

The President issued Proclamation No. 360 in November 2017, terminating the peace talks between the government and the communist rebels.

/atm