Joma tells Duterte: Be patient, don't expect a quick surrender from the CPP-NPA

President Rodrigo Duterte should give the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) time to study the details and effects of implementing a ceasefire, CPP co-founder Jose Maria Sison said on Friday.

"President Duterte should be patient and not expect quick surrenders from highly principled and experienced revolutionaries who have a growing mass base against the rotten ruling system of big compradors and landlords," Sison said in a statement.

He said the CPP and the National Democratic Front - Philippines (NDFP) should be given time to study the government's ceasefire order.

"It took at least three days for the Duterte government to make clear what is the content of its unilateral ceasefire order, the CPP and NDFP should be given enough time to study the implications and consequences of the GRP ceasefire order and what will soon be the unilateral ceasefire order," he added.

Duterte's declaration of a unilateral ceasefire with the CPP-NPA-NDF was part of his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 25.

However, the New People's Army, CPP's armed wing, ambushed government militiamen in Davao del Norte on July 28, killing one and wounding four others.

The President was dismayed by the attack, and had asked the communist group for an explanation.

"I decided to declare the ceasefire with the NDF-CPP-NPA. Nauna ako. And the many days ago, ang reply ng komunista parang defensive position. Hindi naman stand down. You know, that is not a good response," Duterte said when he visited the wake of the slain militiaman in Asuncion, Davao del Norte.

"Alam naman nila ang sitwasyon. Hindi nila kailangan mag-aral pa. All they have to do is to count the body bags na namatay sa kanila pati sa gobyerno. I was expecting that they will also reciprocate my implorings for peace with a ceasefire on their side. At least iyon sana ang sagot nila," he added.

Sison, however, did not see things the president's way. “President Duterte merely made an announcement of a unilateral ceasefire 'effectively immediately' in his SONA on July 25," the CPP leader said.

"But it would only be on July 26 that the SOMO (Suspension of Military Operations) of the AFP would be issued, with  no clarity about many things, like no end yet of the ongoing AFP national … campaigns against the NPA and also the occupation of Lumad communities, schools, health clinics and barangay halls.

“Only on July 27 did the PNP issue a SOPO (Suspension of Police Operations), which among other things, provided for  the continuance of 'legal offensives' (i.e. the trumping of false charges of common crimes against people suspected of being connected to the NPA)," said Sison, adding that these violate the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL,) and the Hernandez political offense doctrine.

Also on Friday, Duterte announced that financial assistance of P100,000 for the wounded, and P250,000 for those in killed in action will be given to the victims of the NPA ambush in Davao del Norte.

"Eh di sana napakain mo na ang walang kain dito. This is the cost. Hindi naman kayo nagbabayad ng buwis. Kayo nga ang humihingi lahat dito. Huwag tayong magbolahan," he said.

"Ako hindi ako galit. But there's a cadaver there. Alam mo sa totoo, ang ideology ang dapat bumababa, it's not the physical person," Duterte added. — Bernadette A. Parco, GMA News