I have not returned—Jose Ma. Sison

No, he has not returned to the country, nor is he planning to.

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Ma. (Joma) Sison on Monday belied a rumor he had returned and reconciled with the government.

He said people loyal to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo started the rumor to sow intrigue within the Aquino administration.

In an overseas interview over radio station dzRH Monday, Sison said he was still living in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and he was in Amsterdam the day before for a speaking engagement.

An Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson denied Sison was in the country but refused to comment further.

Sison said the rumor of his return through the Clark International Airport under an assumed name was a result of infighting between “pro-Arroyo” and “pro-Aquino” factions in the military.

“My suspicion is the pro-Arroyo group in the military is sowing intrigue about P-Noy (Aquino) entering into a compromise [with me],” Sison said in Filipino.

He said the rumor he had returned and accepted a government position may also have been meant to “demoralize or deceive” his comrades.

He stressed he had made no deals with the Aquino administration.

Sison has lived in Utrecht since 1987 after he was released from prison by then newly installed President Corazon Aquino in the spirit of national reconciliation.

Sison is chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, the political arm of the CPP.

Unconfirmed reports circulated early this year that government representatives had asked Sison to return and offered him a Cabinet position.