Joma slams Duterte’s call for ceasefire, invitation to come home

LUCENA CITY, Philippines  – Exiled communist leader Jose Maria “Joma” Sison slammed the renewed call of President Rodrigo Duterte for an immediate ceasefire and for him to come home.

“Nangloloko si Duterte sa bagong statement niya. Luma ang laman. Binibingwit (niya) ang mga NPA (New People’s Army) pati ako na pumasok sa bitag niya para kontrolin at katayin niya sa anumang oras na gusto niya,” Sison, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder, said in an online interview from Utrecht in the Netherlands early Wednesday.

The 79-year-old Sison said he does not believe the President’s call for a ceasefire and more so on his preconditions.

He said the President’s call was only prompted by the coming election.

According to him, the President only wants to trick and confuse the electorate in connection with the May elections.

Sison declined to state the communist rebel movement’s preconditions before returning to the peace negotiation table.

“There are prejudicial matters that Duterte was liable for in his killing of the peace negotiations,” he explained.

On Tuesday, President Duterte called for an “immediate ceasefire” with the NPA, the CPP’s armed wing that has been fighting with the government over the past five decades.

The President however demanded that the communist rebels not bring arms outside of their camps, cease the collection of revolutionary taxes, stop the destruction of property owned by those who refuse to pay the rebel taxes.

The President also renewed his call for Sison to come home and discuss  peace with the government.