Duterte is Joma Sison’s disciple—Trillanes

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte INQUIRER PHOTO

Vice presidential candidate Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday warned that poll front runner Mayor Rodrigo Duterte will establish a “coalition government” with Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison should he win the presidency in Monday’s elections.

In a press conference at the Magdalo headquarters in Quezon City, Trillanes called Duterte as Sison’s “disciple.”

“Sabi niya, they will form a coalition government tapos they threatened na magkakapatayan kung matatalo sila. Sinabi niya (Duterte) that he will follow the way of socialism. So mga kababayan natin, ang ibig sabihin niyan, lahat ng negosyo ay gobyerno na ang magmamay-ari, so maraming mawawalan ng trabaho diyan,” Trillanes told reporters.

(They said they will form a coalition government, and then they threatened that there will be bloodshed if they lose. Duterte said he will follow the way of socialism. So that means, all businesses will be owned by the government and many people will lose their jobs.)

Trillanes said Duterte and Sison forged alliance and “set an agenda,” expressing alarm that a “power-sharing” between the two would be detrimental to the country’s democratic institutions.

“‘Yung sinabi niyang i-se-set nila ‘yung agenda bago pa siya umupo sa office…So hindi alam ng mga kababayans natin na may alyansa si Mayor Duterte at si Joma Sison ng Communist Party of the Philippines. Sila ang mamumuno ng ating bansa at ako ay nangangamba na gigibain nila ang ating mga democratic institutions,” Trillanes said.

(He said they’ll set the agenda before he takes his seat in office… So our countrymen don’t know that Duterte has an alliance with Sison of the Communist Party of the Philippines. They might rule our country and I’m afraid that they’ll destroy our democratic institutions.)

The soldier-turned-senator was reacting to a spliced video of Duterte’s video chat conversation with Sison circulating online, where the tough-talking mayor vowed to implement socialism and be the “first President from the left” before the top communist who is living in self-exile in the Netherlands.

“I will follow the pattern of socialism, sir. Sinabi ko na sa kanila in public, in every meeting, I am a socialist. Though I am not a member of the communist party, I am socialist. And I belong to the left. Alam na ng mga tao, sir. Sabi ko this will be the first time in the history of our country na merong leftist na president. Walang masama sa left. We are more tolerant to the doubts of government,” Duterte said in the video.

Sison said it would be helpful if Duterte included the programs of a leftist President as one of his agenda in the electoral campaign. The mayor added that he was hoping to visit the communist leader “before I assume office.”

Peace talks, not power-sharing

Trillanes said he was in favor of peace negotiations between the state and insurgent movements, but noted that putting up a “coalition government” was a totally different matter.

“Iba ‘yung peace talks, iba ‘yung coalition government. Coalition government is power-sharing. ‘Yun ‘yung sinasabi niya (Duterte) doon. In fact, hindi pa siya nananalo, pinag-uusapan na nila i-se-set ‘yung agenda before he assumes office. Teka muna, hindi alam ng mga kababayans natin na may sabwatan siya sa mga komunista. Kaya kailangan ilabas din itong impormasyon na ito, dahil ‘yung mga sundalo maraming nalilinlang. Marami pong napatay ang NPA na mga sundalo at hanggang ngayon tuluy-tuloy,” he said.

(Peace talks and a coalition government are two different things. Coalition government is power-sharing. That’s what Duterte said. In fact, he hasn’t even won yet but they’re already discussing setting the agenda before he assumes office. Wait, our countrymen don’t know he’s in cahoots with communists. That’s why we need to disclose this information because many soldiers get fooled. The NPA has killed and is still killing many soldiers.

“Ang sa atin dito, ‘yung peace talks, peace talks, pero walang conditions. Dapat disarmament, demobilization, kung paano man sila ibabalik sa mainstream of society, or may mga polisiya na kailangan para ma-address ‘yung roots ng insurgency problem, pwede ‘yun. Pero hindi pwede ‘yung power-sharing na pino-propose ni Mayor Duterte at ni Joma Sison,” Trillanes added.

(All we have are peace talks but no conditions. There should be disarmament, demobilization, a way for them to return to the mainstream of society, or policies that address the roots of the insurgency problem. But Duterte and Joma’s proposed power-sharing should not be it.)

Duterte, Sison’s former student at the Lyceum University, was known for having a good relationship with the NPA, the armed wing of the CPP.