The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has declared a ten-day period of mourning following the death of its founding chair Jose Maria “Joma” Sison, but this will not stop government troops from going after the armed rebels operating in the Visayas and the rest of the country.
Sison, 83, died Friday after two weeks of hospital confinement in Utrecht, the Netherlands, 10 days before the 54th founding anniversary of the CPP on December 26.
“It does not change our stand on running after the rebels, for as long as they are holding firearms…there will be no ceasefire,” Maj. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, acting head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Visayas Command (VISCOM), said on Sunday, December 16.
“We do not rejoice on any death of a person, may he be bad or evil. What is unfortunate for the Filipino people is that Joma Sison was not able to face the bar of justice for so many atrocities, deaths and destruction that he planned, designed, instigated and perpetrated as the leader and chief architect of the CPP-NPA-NDF,” Arevalo said.
Sison’s death proves that no evil things can last forever, he added.
“If there are those who mourn for his death, let’s not forget to also mourn for the thousands of deaths he caused in the more than five decades of death, violence and destruction he caused our people. His death will surely weaken their organization. We only hope that the CPP-NPA-NDF dies with him for the betterment of our country and people,” Arevalo added.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the death of Sison “should also cause the end of the call for an armed revolution”.
“Philippine society has been in the pursuit of peace for a long time and the moment has come to end the armed conflict in the country so that we can effectively work towards lasting and genuine peace,” Lacson said.
Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said the death of Sison is “a symbol of the decline of the terrorist CPP-NPA-NDF which he established and envisioned to propel him to power”.
“His death deprived the Filipino people of the chance to bring him to justice as he was responsible for the death of thousands soldiers, policeman and innocent civilians because of his quest and greed to grab power through violent means and at the expense of the people. His death offers hope to the country as he is the biggest impediment to peace and progress”, Pasaporte said.
CPP spokesperson Marco Valbuena, in a statement, said the CPP Central Committee has declared a 10-day period of mourning following the death of Sison.
It also said the 54th anniversary of the CPP will be dedicated to the memory of Sison “to celebrate his life and immense contributions to the people’s struggles”.
The CPP ordered all units of the New People’s Army to fall in formation at the break of dawn of December 26 and conduct a 21-gun salute to honor the memory of Sison.
“With Ka Joma’s passing, the Party lost a great leader. Indeed, he is among the greatest of Filipinos of the past century for masterfully and creatively applying Marxism-Leninism-Maoism to the Philippines and the Philippine revolution, and giving the Filipino people the strength to carve the country’s future and attain their aspirations for national freedom and democracy,” the CPP statement said.
“During this period of mourning, the NPA can stage tactical offensives against the rampaging fascist forces to defend the people,” it added.
“The immortal revolutionary spirit of Ka Joma will live on”, Cecil Estrella, spokesman of the NPA’s Roselyn Jean Pelle Command – Northern Negros Guerilla Front, said in a statement.*