Duterte is the No. 1 enemy of the state —Joma Sison

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria "Joma" Sison called President Rodrigo Duterte "the No. 1 enemy of the Philippine state" following the chief executive's threat against the armed wing of the communist group, the New People's Army (NPA).

Sison claimed in a statement Tuesday that Duterte threatening to stop accepting NPA rebels who surrender to the military indicated that the localized peace talks he advocated over complete peace talks has failed.

He said Duterte was "inciting his military officers and troops to kill upon sight NPA suspects" and used methods from Oplan Tokhang in Oplan Kapayapaan or the counterinsurgency program.

"Barangay officials are required to list down the names of NPA suspects, relatives and sympathizers under the guise of letting them surrender and clear themselves and even get cash rewards," Sison said.

"But those listed down are subsequently photographed and misrepresented  as 'NPA surenderees' and the military officers pocket the reward money," added Sison, who said the list of surrenderees was also a "death list."

He then said that "a significant number" of military officers also believe that Duterte was the foremost enemy of the state by "inciting arrests without judicial warrant and causing mass murder with impunity" through a police and military turned into his private hit force.

Sison then claimed that the President's lack of decisive action regarding China's action in Philippine territories and heavy tax changes made Duterte an enemy.

"Duterte is unwittingly putting his own life in more serious danger than ever," he said.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday said Duterte may have made his pronouncement about NPA surrenderers out of "frustration."

"Sinabi niya na kung magpatuloy kayo wala nang (surrenderers), but wala namang official announcement siya na sinasabi sa amin na wala nga, kundi sinabi lang niya 'yun sa media. So ang tingin ko dun is patuloy pa din 'yung aming pang-come on sa mga (surrenderers). Puwede pa silang bumaba dahil tuloy-tuloy naman 'yung ating programa," Lorenzana said.

He added that rebels who turned their arms in were sincere in their surrender and that as much as 4,000 NPA members and sympathizers surrendered in March. —Rie Takumi/KG, GMA News