No NPA permit to campaign fees — Joma Sison

MANILA, Philippines — Communist rebels do not extort money from candidates, according to Jose Ma. Sison, founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

In a statement posted on the website of the National Democratic Front (NDF), Sison said candidates and political parties are also free to campaign in communist-influenced areas.

”Parties and candidates do not pay for any permit to campaign. It is simply ministerial for the people’s government to allow them to campaign provided they do not enter... with an armed force or sacks of money to buy votes,” Sison said.

However, he admitted that some political parties and candidates offer “donations.” 

“It is purely voluntary for them to make such offer. The revolutionary movement rejects offers of sham help from malevolent forces who oppress and exploit the people,” Sison said.

He said the CPP, New People’s Army (NPA) and NDF adhere to the policy of no permit to campaign.

“The Duterte regime and its military minions are lying when they say that the NPA uses the... campaign period to extort from political parties and candidates by demanding payments for the permit to campaign,” Sison said.

Alway open to talks

Sison said the NDF is ”always open” to resume peace negotiations with the government.

”We can negotiate... only with the party with which we are at war. It is up to (President) Duterte to decide whether he is interested in peace negotiations. He is the one who terminated the... negotiations,” he said.

If peace talks will not resume under the Duterte administration, Sison said the CPP-NPA-NDF would wait for the next administration.