Duterte gives new ultimatum to Joma Sison

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Duterte has given Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Ma. Sison a window of only two months to return to the country and resume the peace talks between the government and leftist guerrillas – or face perpetual exile.

“If nothing happens, I would tell him ‘do not ever, ever return again to this country. I will kill you. You’ve killed so much of my soldiers and policemen.’ Dapat lang (He deserves death),” Duterte said during the inauguration of the Davao River bridge widening project the other day. 

He stressed that the window is very small and that this invitation is a make-or-break deal.

If nothing significant will come out of the talks, Duterte said he would keep his word and personally escort Sison to the airport, allowing him to get out of the country instead of arresting and sending him to jail.

He added that he would make sure Sison will not be able to return to the Philippines again.

For Sison though, the repeated threats have become a “term of endearment.”

“(Duterte) has repeated so many times the threat to kill me that sometimes I surmise that the expression kill has actually become a term of endearment, as in some American comedies,” a statement posted on the National Democratic Front website reads.

The communist leader added that Duterte, by using strong words, would now appear to be eager to resume the peace negotiations rather than block them.

“It is best that Duterte and I allow and encourage the negotiating panels to continue preparing for the resumption of formal talks and make substantial progress as soon as possible,” he said. 

Sison, who fled to Europe after peace talks failed in 1987 and has stayed abroad since, said he is ready to go home as soon as there is “substantial progress” in the negotiations as he expressed optimism that the backchannel consultations on the resumption on peace talks are leading to better results.

He earlier revealed that an interim peace agreement is expected to be signed when formal talks resume on June 28.

Both the government and the communists, he said, were expected to announce a stand-down agreement two weeks before that.

“So, by June 14, plantsado na (it’s all ironed out). Of course, I may be proven wrong because everything depends on that joint announcement... there may be some misunderstanding but they can be solved,” Sison added.

The talks fell through in November last year following clashes between government troops and communist rebels.

Duterte claimed the government is winning the war against the New People’s Army (NPA), the communist party’s armed unit, in apparent reference to the arrest of Elizalde “Ka Jinggoy” Cañete who is considered to be the overall commander of the communist guerrillas in Mindanao and successor of Leonardo “Kumander Parago” Pitao, the NPA leader operating in Southern Mindanao.

Presidential adviser on the peace process Jesus Dureza, during a speech at the 22nd National Press Forum of the Philippine Press Institute at the Jen Hotel in Pasay City, challenged the media on Thursday to engage the entire country in the pursuit of peace.

He said the media have a unique role in peace building and that the public will not appreciate the milestones achieved in the peace process if they are informed only after agreements are signed and not while the process is going on.

In Negros Oriental province, the military reported that three more heavy equipment units used to build farm-to-market roads in Mabinay town were burned by the NPA.

Capt. Ruel Llanes, 303rd Infantry Brigade spokesman, said the rebels torched a roller, backhoe and bulldozer in sitios Butokon and Begonia of barangay Bagtic and in sitio Talingting in barangay Luyang.

Senior Supt. Raul Tacaca, Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office in charge, said at least two suspects were arrested for the incident, which cost at least P14 million in damage.

In Quezon province, a soldier was killed while two NPA rebels were captured in last week’s fighting between government troops and communist guerrillas in General Nakar town.

Brig. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, commander of the Army’s 202nd Infantry Brigade, said the rebel’s camp in barangay Umiray fell after almost a week of cat-and-mouse skirmishes.

“More or less 15 NPA rebels abandoned their camp located along the river at sitio Pilipit following almost 20 minutes of fighting,” he added.

In Cagayan province, the rebels killed Allacapan town councilor Ronel Millare while tending to his welding shop last Thursday.

 Lt. Col. Isagani Nato, Northern Luzon police spokesman, condemned the terrorist attack against Millare, a former police officer accused by the rebels of spying. – Jose Rodel Clapano, Jaime Laude, Gilbert Bayoran, Ed Amoroso