MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte questioned why communist rebels still listen to their exiled leader Jose Maria Sison when they have not personally seen him in years. 

The President attacked the founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) anew in a speech during the distribution of Certificates of Land Ownership Award to agrarian reform beneficiaries in Cotabato on Saturday, December 29.

“Bakit kayo makinig kay Sison? Social justice. Ni hindi niyo nga nakita ‘yang putanginang ‘yan at magpakamatay kayo sa isip niya,” said Duterte.

(Why listen to Sison? Social justice. But you have not even seen the fucker yet you die in the name of his ideas.)

“Nakikinig kayo sa mga lecture, hindi niyo nakita. You have not seen the guy. Hindi ninyo nakita ‘yan. Nandoon sa Amsterdam, doon nagpapalamig. Pati ang bayag niya, matigas na. Naging yelo na,” he added.

(You listen to his lectures but you don’t see him. You have not seen the guy. He’s in Amsterdam, enjoying the cold. Even his balls have become frozen.)

For the President, the armed struggle waged by the CPP-New People’s Army against the government has led to nothing but bloodshed. He said he would heed their demands for land reform, but a proper process has to be followed under a democracy.

“Bakit kayo makinig kay Sison? Ang alam niya, alam ko. At kung sinasabi niyang inferior ako, eh putangina mo, kung mas magaling ka sa akin, ikaw ang presidente ngayon,” said Duterte, who was once Sison’s student. 

(Why listen to Sison? What he knows, I know. And if he says I’m inferior, fuck you, if you were better than me, then you would have been president.)

Duterte then said that if he were the communists’ leader, he would be in the Philippines and not in a foreign country. 

“Kung ako ang lider, dito ako magpakamatay. Pakita ko sa inyo para may monumento ako para makita ninyo, ‘Yon si Duterte. ‘Yon ang tao na tama. ‘Yon ang sundin natin. Magpakamatay tayo.’ Pero hindi naman ninyo nakita. Puro salita lang,” said Duterte.

(If I’m the leader, I will die here. I will show you so that a monument of me will be built. Then you will say, ‘That’s Duterte. He’s the right person. Let’s follow him. Let’s die for him.’ But you don’t see him. He is all talk.) 

The CPP is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018, the same year Duterte cancelled peace talks, declared the CPP a terrorist organization, kicked out the leftists in his Cabinet, and launched an all-out war against the rebels. (READ: The generals’ coup in 2018: Duterte breaks up with the Red)

On December 4, Duterte signed Executive Order No. 70, which institutionalized the “whole-of-nation” approach in ending the communist insurgency in the Philippines.j 

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the government is not keen to resume peace talks with communist rebels for now, unless the insurgents first renounce their armed struggle. – Rappler.com