Duterte says he was friends with communist leader Joma Sison

President Rodrigo Duterte said he used to be friends with Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison until he opposed armed struggle.

The President made the declaration during the meeting of the ruling PDP-Laban which he chairs. The meeting was aired Wednesday over state-run PTV.

"PDP-Laban is left-leaning, but I have never been a communist. We share the same horizon, itong Left, kaya kami nagkakaintindihan," Duterte said.

"Maski magmurahan kami ni Sison...we are friends. Pero hindi ako sang-ayon sa armed struggle...so I lost them along the way," he added.

(Even if Sison and I curse at each other, we are friends. But I am not in favor of armed struggle ... so I lost them along the way.)

Duterte, as well as the military and police, have tagged communist rebels as terrorists, even if the government petition deeming communists as terrorists is still pending before a Manila court.

Sison lives in exile in The Netherlands. — RSJ, GMA News