Wednesday, September 12, 2007 RP to keep hands off case vs Joma: Dureza By Carlo P. Mallo
THE government of the Philippines is keeping its hands off the case of Communist Party of the Philippines chair Jose Maria Sison who was arrested and detained in the Netherlands late last month.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza said that the Dutch Government is investigating the alleged involvement of Sison on the multiple murders of progressive leaders Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara.
Sison was apprehended by the Dutch police after it was established by Dutch prosecutors that Sison had a direct hand in the murders of Kintanar and Tabara in 2003 and 2004. Sison has denied the allegations.
Moreover, Dureza called upon local government units to pursue peace within their own levels. One of the country's perennial problems is the decades-old armed rebellion of the Communist Part of the Philippines-New People's Army in the hinterlands of the country. The presence of the insurgents has continued to hinder progress and development from taking place in the countryside.
Sison has been the leader of the communist movement in the country and has been on exile since the reign of President Ferdinand Marcos.
