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Thursday, January 30, 2003
Rosal belittles bounty; RP seeks return of Sison
BAGUIO -- The CPP spokesman Wednesday ridiculed the government's P1-million reward for information leading to his arrest claiming it was desperate move.
Malacanang on Wednesday also urged the Netherlands to expel a Communist of Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison who is wanted for the murder of a Cagayan congressman.
"By putting up a bounty and citing so-called intelligence reports about my supposed presence in the scene of the incident, (PNP Intelligence director Chief Supt. Robert) Delfin is desperately trying to hype my supposed personal involvement in the Kintanar murder case," said CPP spokesperson Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal.
"We know Delfin to have the penchant for ridiculously claiming ordinary activists or even ex-Party leaders, including those who have fallen out, as still part of the leadership of the CPP," said Rosal, adding that Delfin is has also requested that the bounty for all supposed leaders of the CPP be revived and raised to about the same level as that of the reward for his capture.
Rosal condemned the rushing of trumped up charges against Sison and himself, saying "that the government is desperately attributing whatever case they can take in line with Malacanang's order."
State prosecutors on Tuesday said they were laying charges against Sison and Rosal in relation to the 2001 assassination of Cagayan Representative Rodolfo Aguinaldo and his police bodyguard.
"With the filing of murder raps against Jose Maria Sison, we now have a serious reason to ask the Dutch government to send him back to the Philippines," presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said in a statement.
"We hope this will convince the Dutch government that Sison is wanted not for political but for criminal acts."
Sison has been living in exile in Utrecht, where the CPP and its National Democratic Front maintain an international office.
Police said Sison and at least seven other members of the CPP were named as respondents in the case, with witnesses and public statements by rebels indicating that Sison, using the pseudonym Armando Liwanag, had ordered the murder of Aguinaldo.
While the Philippines and the Netherlands do not have an extradition treaty, justice officials earlier said a special agreement could be worked out so Sison returned to Manila to face charges.
The Philippine foreign department said Foreign Secretary Blas Ople also obtained assurances from meetings with key German and French leaders that they would keep Sison on their "terrorist" blacklist.
Justice Undersecretary Merceditas Gutierrez said a letter from the Philippine government for the surrender of Sison would be enough to deport the CPP founder.
Gutierrez said as long as the government can prove probable cause on Sison's involvement in the murder of Aguinaldo then his surrender can be demanded from the Netherlands in the absence of a treaty.
As this developed remains of Kintanar were cremated Wednesday at the La Funeraria Paz in Quezon City.
Kintanar's widow Joy said they would bring her husband's ashes to their home in San Francisco Del Monte.
The former rebel leader was shot dead last Thursday at a Japanese restaurant at the Quezon City Memorial Circle. (with Joshua Dancel/AFP) |
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