Manila court orders arrest of Joma Sison, 37 others for murder

MANILA, Philippines — A Manila court ordered the arrest of exiled Communist Party of the Philippines founding chair Jose Maria Sison and 37 others accused of killing civilians in Inopacan, Leyte more than three decades ago.

Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 32 issued the arrest warrant for 15 counts of murder dated August 28 against Sison and others. A copy of the document was only released Friday.

Among those ordered arrested were National Democratic Front of the Philippines senior adviser Luis Jalandoni, communist leaders Rodolfo Salas, Leo Velasco, Jose Luneta and Sison’s wife, Juliet. Luneta is already dead.

They are facing murder charges for the so-called Inopacan massacre in 1985. The bodies of the victims were discovered in a mass grave in 2006.

The warrant was addressed to “any lawful officer” to bring the 38 accused before the court “soon as possible.” Copies of the order were given to the police, Bureau of Immigration and the National Bureau of Investigation.

Sison has been on self-exile in the Netherlands since 1987.

The Manila court did not recommend bail for the accused.

‘Stupid, fabricated list’

Sison claimed that at the time of the supposed massacre, he was still under maximum security detention.

“I was not in any position then to go over the head of the leadership of the CPP and revolutionary movement,” he said in a statement Friday.

The communist leader also called the list of accused “utterly stupid and obviously fabricated.”

“It includes the names of those in prison at the time of the alleged massacre. It also includes those who are already dead for various health reasons as well as those disappeared by the reactionary government,” Sison said.

He added that the “fake” charges against them are used to intimidate opponents.

“At the same time, Duterte is apparently trying to carry out his previous threat to make trouble for his opponents and other people who are red-tagged. There is a proliferation of charges against them to indicate that the Duterte regime is preparing for the mass arrest of people who oppose his anti-national, anti-democratic and anti-people policies and actions,” Sison said. — Gaea Katreena Cabico