The police officers were killed in an ambush staged by about sixty (60) armed members of communist rebels group at Magsaysay Village in Guihulngan on July 21, 2017. (Photo grabbed from RTVM video)
(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte dared Jose Maria Sison, his former professor and founding chair of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) to come home to the Philippines, leave the comfortable life he has in Utrecht, and fight the struggle he had lectured about here in his home country.
The 72-year old Duterte called the 78-year old Sison “duwag” and “talawan,” the Filipino and Cebuano term respectively for “coward.”
He said the exiled communist leader lives off the money extorted by communist rebels from the people, and is comfortable living in Europe while his needs are being taken care of by a foreign government.
“If you are truly a revolutionary leader — my God! — Come home and fight here!” he said Thursday night, July 27 when he visited the wake of policemen killed in an ambush staged by New People’s Army rebels a week ago.
“All these years, nandoon ka sa ibang lugar, nagpapagastos ka sa ibang gobyerno, pinapakain ka. Tapos ang mga tao mo dito, yung mga NPA, nangamatay na lang, naanga-biyuda na. Pero inyong leader, talawan, duwag,” Duterte said chiding his former professor who had been living for the past 30 years in Europe.
“Anong klaseng leader yan? Umuwi ka dito. Dito ka mag-istambay. And do not question my absence. It is only God… My destiny tayong lahat na sinusunod. Pag panahon mo na, panahon mo na. Pero ikaw, huwag ka magpasarap dyan. Umuwi ka,” Duterte said.
The President said ordinary people, including the “lumads” or indigenous people who are being allegedly indoctrinated by the communists to believe in their ideology, should see through what the communists and the NPA members are doing.
Communist leaders’ “big” allowances come from extortion, says Duterte
He noted that Sison’s expenses come from the so-called “revolutionary taxes” being extorted by NPA rebels – both from the rich and the poor Filipinos.
“Lahat ng mga gastos mo, galing sa negosyo dito, because of taxation,” he said.
Duterte said he would even be the one to welcome Sison if he comes home.
“Umuwi ka, ako ang magsalubong sa iyo. Yabang!”
He also chided the communist leadership for having big allowances.
“Kayong mga nasa taas sa liderato ng NPA, ang lalaki ng allowance nyo. Ang mga kawawa, yung mga naniwala sa inyo, lalo na yung mga lumad. Kayong mga lumad, huwag kayong maniwala nyan,” the President said Thursday night.
“You don’t even know the dimensions of politics there. Mga pulitika lang,” he said.
Duterte: NPA rebels are “extortionists,” “hold-uppers,” “kidnappers”
He also called the New People’s Army, the communists’ armed group, as nothing but a group of extortionists and kidnappers who rob money and food from both the poor and the rich, to finance the needs of their leaders.
He made the statement on Thursday, July 27, when he visited the wake of the police officers killed in an ambush by NPA rebels at Magsaysay Village in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental on Friday, July 21.
When asked by the media if the killing of more policemen by the NPA rebels had angered him even more, the President said keeps no anger, but admitted this was one of his “heartaches” – that fellow Filipinos are killing each other.
What he wants, he said, is to unmask the communists, including the NPA for who they really are – they kill, they rob, they extort money, and they engage in kidnapping like common criminals, Duterte said.
“Mga kababayan ko, yan ang gusto ng New People’s army — another 50 years tayo ng patayan,” he said.
Duterte called the communist rebels as extortionists and kidnappers who live out of the sweat of others.
“Nabubuhay ng hindi nila pawis. Revolutionary tax? That is extortion. Ako I do not deal with revolutionary tax. That is plain extortion,” he said.
Directs AFP, PNP to file criminal cases vs communists
The President said he was directing the Armed Forces and the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to not use the term “revolutionary tax” when preparing their reports about the NPA.
He said that the government should also file the appropriate criminal charges against NPA rebels under the Revised Penal Code.
“Today, I’m directing the Armed Forces and the police not to use the word revolutionary tax. That’s not the proper word for us to adopt because the government has taxation. So do not use revolutionary tax. Use extortion, hold-upper, kidnapper and we’ll file a case under Revised Penal Code,” he said.