Government claims obtaining evidence that Joma is sick

MANILA, Philippines — The military has apparently obtained information to back previous claims made by President Duterte that Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison is sick and dying of cancer.

Government troops reportedly obtained Sison’s supposed medical records during an encounter with communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Lobo, Batangas on Sept. 2.

“We recovered documents pertaining to Joma’s medical records. But I wasn’t able to go through it due to pursuit operation at the time,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Manio of the Army’s 1st Infantry Battalion.

Manio said the troops discovered the documents following an encounter with NPA rebels led by aliases Ka Jethro and Ka Janice in Barangay Calumpit.

Some of the rebels, Manio said, were key members of the NPA’s National Health Bureau.

Troops delivered the documents to military intelligence where it learned of Sison’s health concerns.

“One of the documents recovered was a xerox copy containing Sison’s current state of health in the Netherlands that was apparently forwarded and in the possession of the NPA National Health Bureau,” a military intelligence official revealed.

He added the documents are now being examined thoroughly as these indicated Sison is ill with stage 4 cancer. 

President Duterte had claimed the self-exiled communist leader is suffering from colon cancer.

“What’s wrong with Sison is, he is suffering from cancer of the colon, the intestines. He has undergone operation several times but the cancer has spread to his pancreas,” Duterte said in Davao last Aug. 26.

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. also said Sison is ill.

“Look at his face, isn’t he sick? That is expected, but let me not go into details. But he is really ill,” Esperon said in an earlier interview.

Sison has denied being sick. Fidel Agcaoili, chairman of the National Democratic Front (NDF), said Sison has fully recovered from his arthritis last year.