We should demand from the EU to stop Joma

We read the Philippine STAR news report that the Philippine National Police (PNP) has sought out the Interpol to help arrest self-exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison in Utrecht, Netherlands. As reported by PNP Gen. Oscar Albayalde, they are coordinating with the Interpol for the issuance of a “red notice” for Joma Sison who is facing murder charges over the Inopacan massacre in Leyte.

There is no doubt that the skeletal remains of some 67 people found in a mass grave in Inopacan, Leyte were killed by the CPP/NPA/NDF groups simply because none of these communist groups demanded justice for those found in the mass graves, which usually the CPP demands for their own comrades. But since they did the purging themselves, they are mum about this discovery on Aug. 28, 2006. While 13 years have already passed since the discovery of the mass graves, not a single person has been brought to justice by our courts of law… thank God, finally the Judiciary issued the warrants of arrest of the top ranked officials of the CPP/NPA/NDF.

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo issued a statement saying, “It is Jose Ma. Sison, as founder of the CPP-NPA that aims to destroy the government that should rightfully get the dubious distinction of being the leading ‘abominable violator of human rights. The CCP-NPA was established for the purpose of seizing political power from the constituted government.” I fully concur with Sec. Panelo’s observation and I have already written about this issue so many times in the past. But I guess, the people in our Judiciary believe in the dictum promoted by Russian Dictator Josef Stalin who said, “The death of one man is a tragedy, but the death of millions of people is a statistic!” At this point, surely the CPP thinks that since they killed 67 of their own comrades, it is only a statistic!

Meanwhile, reacting to his impending arrest, CPP chairman Jose Maria “Joma” Sison said, “The CPP and its armed wing, the New People’s Army, continue to lead a “vibrant revolution,” as the country “deteriorates” under President Rodrigo Duterte.” It just makes me wonder where did Joma get the idea that our nation was deteriorating under Pres. Duterte? Joma added in an interview by ANC “The forces that really made Duterte president were all the oligarchy in his own region... and in Luzon, he has the worst kind of people on his side.”

I have no doubt that Joma is clearly misinformed about our current politics and probably sending word to his hard-core NPAs in the mountains that the Philippines was deteriorating and therefore ripe for a communist takeover of the government. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. He also added that when Pres. Duterte scrapped the peace talks with the CPP/NPA/NDF, his real motive was to establish a “full-blown fascist dictatorship through his Charter Change scheme.

So where do we go from here? At this point, it is high time for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to demand from the European Union (EU) to stop being “friends” with Joma Sison and his communist ilk. The EU strictly demands that the Philippines observes the preservation of human rights, yet they allow Joma Sison and the CPP to wage a war against the legitimate Philippine government in the comfort and safety of the Netherlands. Perhaps we should ask the EU if they would allow the top leader of the Taliban to live within the EU while he continues to fight for Afghanistan? At this point, I dare the EU representative here to answer my questions.

*     *    *

One of the traffic problems in the Southern District of Cebu City was when the underpass was constructed in Barangay Mambaling. A few months ago, this project by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was finally opened to the public. I have already passed there once on my way to the Alta Vista Golf course.

However last Sept. 3 when Tropical Storm Liwayway inundated the country, it was only then that we realized seeing the photos of Netizens downloaded in social networks that there was a huge flooding incident that came from the underpass. It was then that we realized that this infrastructure project did not include a drainage plan.

Then during a media conference with the DPWH, underpass project engineer Roy de la Cruz of the Department of Public Works and Highways admitted that they had no drainage plan for that infrastructure project. It was also learned from that press conference that the DPWH proceeded with the work on the underpass even before the road right-of-way could be acquired from the landowners and without working on the drainage system. I don’t know how to call this, but clearly this is the incompetence of the DPWH for making an important underpass structure without creating a plan for drainage. Now water is waist deep in that area. Help!!!

*      *      *

Email: [email protected] or [email protected].