MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Tuesday described Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria Sison as a “discredited leader” whom no one believes.
Duterte made this remark after Sison said he has been in comatose since Sunday — a rumor dispelled by the President himself by going live on Facebook on Monday night.
“You are talking nonsense. ‘Yung mga leaders dito, di naniniwala sayo (The leaders here don’t believe you),” Duterte said in his speech during the League of Municipalities of the Philippines Visayas Island Cluster Conference in Cebu City.
“You are a discredited leader…Imagine not going home for 17 years,” he added.
Sison is currently in the Netherlands, where he has been in exile since 1987.
Duterte also called Sison a “rebel that is a freeloader” for benefiting from Netherlands’ health care for free.
“You know Mr. Sison you are a refugee in that country. You do not pay anything, you are staying for free and you are sick with cancer — in and out of the hospital,” Duterte said.
He urged Sison to move to another country such as Belgium or Germany.
“They are footing the bill and you are a rebel that is a freeloader. Stop it, mahiya ka naman (you should be ashamed),” he said.
“You will never win, I assure you. ‘Pag nakita kita sa impiyerno, p*******a sampalin kita (If we see each other in hell, I’ll slap you). Don’t expect to go to heaven,” he added.
He added that if he would have a chance, he would visit Sison in the Netherlands after his trip to Israel to see once and for all who is really in coma.
“Comatose, comatose ka diyan. O sige, tingnan natin. Magpunta ako diyan. Turista lang. Galing akong Israel tingnan natin kung sinong, comatose (Let’s see. I’ll go there as a tourist. I’ll be coming from Israel. Let’s see who’s comatose),” Duterte said.
According to Duterte, Sison’s mind “is really abused by himself, nobody else.” (PNA)
