Statement by Prof. Jose Maria Sison
NDFP Chief Political Consultant
July 6, 2018
I thank defense secretary Lorenzana for publicly revealing that Duterte´s assurances of safety and immunity to me should I visit the Philippines are false and malicious and are meant to result in my arrest and detention. Lorenzana´s revelation will certainly be put on record and taken into account by the NDFP National Council.
Despite warnings by comrades and lawyers that I should be careful about trusting Duterte and his military cohorts, I have pledged in good faith to return to the Philippines after the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER) is signed by the principals in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations and the legal and security guarantees for me and other NDFP consultants are satisfactory to the NDFP..
In his statement, Lorenzana reveals that if I return to the Philippines everything will be used against me, including charges that I have previously defeated in court and outright false claims against me.
The manifested position of Lorenzana tends to confirm the veracity of reliable information that were I to return to the Philippines during the tyrannical rule of Duterte, I would be subject to harm worse than detention and persecution.
In fact, Duterte has publicly threatened to kill me far more times than he has assured me of safety and immunity in the course of the peace negotiations. He has a criminal mind. He thinks that his kill threats would be taken as a joke and would clear him as the honest joker after the worst harm is done to me by his agents. ###
