Former President Rodrigo Duterte expressed hope that the death of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison would mark the end of the revolutionary movement in the Philippines.

Duterte said this after the CPP announced the death of the self-exiled leader after a two-week confinement in an undisclosed hospital in the Netherlands. Sison was 83.

In a Facebook post, the former President expressed his condolences to the family of Sison, whom he has been referring to as his former teacher.

“My sincerest condolences to his family, and I pray that the Lord Almighty grant him and our country peace,” he said.

“Mr. Sison is known for his radical ideas that affected the course of our country’s history and birthed a movement that carries on to this day,” he added.

Duterte said Sison’s death marked the end of an era and hoped the latter’s demise would end insurgencies in the country.

“His death certainly marks the end of an era, and it is my hope that, with it, the end of insurgencies in the Philippines and the revolutionary movement that he has founded as well,” he said.

“As we move on from his passing, let us carry on the work of building a more harmonious and more united country for the present and future generations,” he added.

According to Duterte, while he and Sison did not see each other eye-to-eye, he knew they both wanted the same thing for the Philippines.

“While Mr. Sison and I have had many disagreements—especially in the ways in which he chose to pursue and effect change in the country—I would like to believe that, at the end of the day, we shared the same dream of creating a better future for every Filipino,” he said.

“As we move on from his passing, let us carry on the work of building a more harmonious and more united country for the present and future generations,” he added.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Argyll Cyrus Geducos

If you have any stories or news that you would like to share with the global online community, please feel free to share it with us by contacting us directly at [email protected]