(Eagle News)–Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday denied Communist Party of the Philippines’ founder Joma Sison’s claim his group and the Philippine government signed a truce last year.
In a statement, Lorenzana said there was no draft agreement on unilateral ceasefire between the two parties in October.
Lorenzana said Sison’s claim that the defense chief “obscures and denies the fact that against tremendous odds, the NPA has grown and gained strength nationwide from its modest beginnings” was also a “far cry from reality.”
“It proves that Mr. Sison is living in the past. If he doesn’t believe me, why doesn’t he come back and see for himself what happened to his class struggle?” Lorenzana said.
“His Utopian ideology has been reduced to plain and simple banditry and extortion,” Lorenzana added.
According to Sison, both parties have drafted the agreement “to be monitored by a joint ceasefire committee of the GRP and NDFP at the national level.”
President Rodrigo Duterte terminated peace talks with the communist rebels last year, citing what he said were their atrocities.
A resolution calling for the resumption of the same, however, is pending before the House of Representatives.
Over 60 lawmakers signed the resolution.
