Delusional Joma

“Sison and his National Democratic Front have been demanding the release of 400 plus claimed “political prisoners” even when they have been charged in court with murder and other principal crimes.”

Jose Maria “Joma” Sison, who apparently believes he still has a huge number of communist followers and an army made up of above ground card carrying communists, has issued a statement saying talks with the government peace panel members are all over and that his rebels would rather join movements to oust President Rodrigo Duterte than push through with the stalled peace negotiations.

His years in self-imposed exile and the knowledge he can never return to his homeland must have seriously addled his brain, for him to think that the movements the Reds will be joining to oust Rody are even a force to reckon with.

Said Joma: “So long as he (Rody) heads the government, the Filipino people, especially the oppressed and exploited, cannot expect any benefit from negotiating with the Duterte regime.” He added it would be easier for the communist group to prepare for peace negotiations with the administration after Duterte is ousted.

Drafts of the agreements being negotiated under the Duterte administration could be carried over to talks with the new administration, Sison stressed.

“The agreements and drafts already produced in the GRP-NDFP peace talks can be used by peace advocates and people’s organizations for information and education campaigns among the people and for consultations with them,” Sison said.

Joma has become delusional if he believes that past draft agreements can easily be carried over under a new administration in new peace talks.

What makes Sison, as well as his Reds, think they can get into another round of peace negotiations with the next administration, when they have failed to get anywhere with the previous governments, including the government of then Corazon Aquino?

And which movements are these which Joma says his rebels would be teaming up with for the ouster of Rody? The same yellow groups they didn’t get along with and got nothing in return either? The Catholic bishops, evangelists, businessmen whose firms are victims of the Communist New People’s Army’s extortion racket and the destruction of their properties when they fail to pay up?

The truth is, it was Rody who gave the commies a lot more, such as helping the jailed communist leaders get bail for them to join the peace talks abroad but were not sincere in keeping their promise to the courts to return to their prison cells after the talks.

Sison and his National Democratic Front have been demanding the release of 400 plus claimed “political prisoners” even when they have been charged in court with murder and other principal crimes.

Sison blows hot and cold in his dealings with Rody. He uses threats and calls Rody a dictator and many other names besides.

Then when backchannel talks crop up and the chance of resuming peace talks with the government comes up again, Sison suddenly becomes all too friendly with Rody and speaks well of him, which only proves his insincerity.

When things go his way, he praises Rody, when things go awry, he denounces Rody and his government.

What is really laughable about Sison is even as he issues threats of the commies ousting Rody — plus the NPA rebels and even the aboveground commies, along with other student activists, through “movements” his commies will join in ousting Rody — his calls are no longer heeded.

Whatever orders he claims to give the NPA rebels are ignored.

Just think of the many past agreements where Joma supposedly issued orders to the NPA rebels to hold their fire during the peace talks. These were never obeyed by the NPA rebels, who continued killing soldiers, in the aftermath of which Joma then turned around and lied that it was the military that broke the ceasefire agreement—whether it was a unilateral ceasefire or not.

It is perhaps fairly accurate to say that once, commies and young students who were radicalized by him enough for them to join him on the hills, saw him as their leader and obeyed whatever command he had issued, especially during the Marcos martial law years.

Not anymore. He has outlived his usefulness as a communist leader together with his comrades who have been in exile in a country that can never be their own.

Sison noted the New People’s Army has been fighting the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police while movements to oust Duterte have been growing.

Despite claims of everlasting popularity, the Duterte regime is already isolated and hated by the people because of its brutality, corruption, involvement in the drug traffic, the rising prices of basic goods and services, continuance of contractualization, rising unemployment and low incomes, the treasonous and sell-out of Philippine territory and sovereign rights to China, disrespect for religious beliefs of Catholics and Christians, and so on, Sison said.

Like I said, Sison has become delusional.