Joma claims US can stage a coup against ‘traitor, coward’ Duterte

Communist Party of the Philippines founder and National Democratic Front of the Philippines Chief Political Consultant Jose Maria "Joma" Sison said on Saturday that the US need not fire the "first shot" against China, as President Rodrigo Duterte had taunted them to do, given that they could just as easily orchestrate a coup against the Philippine president.

In a statement, Sison claimed that the US could easily instruct its following within the Philippine security forces to have Duterte taken into custody as a traitor and have Vice-President Leni Robredo installed as the successor.

And all this accomplished without the US "firing a single shot."

Sison went on the suggest that once in power, Robredo could defend Philippine territory from Chinese intrusion by filing cases in the US and other countries where China had substantial assets "in order to compel China to pay rent for occupying the artificial islands and compensation for the serious damage to the marine environment in the West Philippine Sea."

However, the communist leader claimed that the US had so far not acted against Duterte as it was still trying to use the Philippine president to effect a Charter change that would "allow 100 percent foreign ownership of corporations engaged in the exploitation of land and natural resources and operation of all types of businesses."

Sison went on to ask, "Why does Duterte expose himself so blatantly as a traitor, coward or even a moron? It is because China holds him by the balls."

The CPP leader alleged that Duterte and his comrades were being "bribed" by China via high interest loans, overpriced infrastructure projects, oil and gas exploration, telco contracts, casinos, and tourist projects.

Sison also linked Duterte to Chinese criminal triads involved in the smuggling of drugs and other goods.

Malacanang has long dismissed Sison's myriad of allegations against Duterte, saying his long exile in The Netherlands "has put him in constant state of hallucination." — DVM/KBK, GMA News