Joma says Duterte 'must be crazy' for asking NPA to drop their guns

From GMA News (Mar 14, 2019): Joma says Duterte 'must be crazy' for asking NPA to drop their guns

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria "Joma" Sison on Thursday lambasted President Rodrigo Duterte for calling on New People’s Army (NPA) rebels to drop their guns.

“Duterte must be crazy or clowning in reiterating the preconditions he made so many times before,” Sison said in a statement.

Duterte has urged the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, to drop their arms and cooperate with the government's land reform program, as he acknowledged that decades of war with the communists will never end if they are not given land.

According to Sison, Duterte's "preconditions amount to having the armed revolutionary movement commit political suicide before even going to the negotiating table and submit itself to surrender talks and possible slaughter in the venue offered by Duterte."

Sison reiterated that Duterte is not willing to participate in a serious peace negotiation, noting the escalation of attacks against suspected revolutionaries and government critics.

The self-exiled communist leader also accused the Duterte administration of spending billions of pesos for its propaganda.

He said the administration is paying for “unbelievable poll surveys, fake news by official agencies and troll armies, TV-radio ads, ubiquitous tarpaulins and paid crowds” to give his candidates a winning chance in the May 13 midterm elections.

Sison advised the public to expose the alleged evil character of Duterte’s administration to defeat its candidates in the coming may polls.

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