No alliance with Trillanes, LP for Duterte ouster – Joma Sison

MANILA, Philippines — Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison yesterday belied allegations of a tactical alliance among the CPP, the Liberal Party (LP) and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to oust President Duterte.

Sison said Duterte is again lying for claiming the rebels have forged an alliance with the LP and Trillanes to remove a common enemy.

Sison said there is no need for such an alliance, saying Duterte would be lucky to stay in power beyond 2019.

“There has never been any discussion between me or the CPP with Trillanes or the Liberal Party about ousting Duterte from power,” he said.

Sison, however, admitted it is no secret that the CPP wishes to promote “a broad united front” to oust Duterte from office.

“The broad united front promoted by the CPP against the Duterte tyranny is open to all patriotic forces. But as far as I know, there are yet no talks between the CPP and Trillanes’ group or the Liberal Party. Duterte is lying and bluffing by claiming that there are recorded conversations provided by a foreign government,” Sison said.

Sison challenged Duterte to present evidence on his claims.‎

“I challenge him to present publicly what he claims as recorded conversations. The experts will easily expose the fakery if he dares to present anything. This could be something like his invented foreign bank accounts of Trillanes,” Sison said.

Sison said the moment of ouster of Duterte will occur when the military and police forces withdraw their support.

“Duterte is now worried to death and so desperate as to imagine that he would be ousted this coming October,” Sison said.‎

“At any rate, Duterte will be lucky if he survives 2018 and even luckier if he survives middle of 2019,” he added.

Duterte linked the LP and the Magdalo group of former rebel military officers in talks with the communist rebels in a plot to oust him from office.

Duterte claimed a “friendly” foreign government provided the intelligence on the supposed plot.

He said Sison should face trial for terrorism.

“Sison should face a trial …Sison is a terrorist and as a terrorist, I do not see any leeway or enough elbow room for him to move around,” he said.

Duterte and Sison, his former professor at university, have been at odds as they exchanged barbs over their health conditions following the failure of peace talks between the government and communist rebels. – With Christina Mendez