Joma Sison hits ATC’s ‘distortion, lies’

Jose Maria Sison. (Bulatlat file photo)
“Under a regime that takes pride in treason, tyranny, mass murder and plunder, the legal standards are degraded to the level of murderers and the standard of learning is also demeaned when Marxism or communism is merely equated to terrorism.”

By EMILY VITAL
Bulatlat.com

MANILA — National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) political consultant Jose Maria Sison criticized the Anti-Terrorism Council and National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) for red tagging legal progressive organizations.

In a statement, Sison lambasted National Security Adviser Hermogenese Esperon Jr., NTF-ELCAC and ATC for mixing together and equating ‘communism’ to legal social activism of a patriotic and progressive nature, ‘communism’ to ‘terrorism,’ and ‘communist terrorism’ to social activism.

“The conflations are done in a series of non sequiturs and a bizarre kind of factually baseless syllogism. When we listen to someone like Esperon, we understand that military intelligence is truly an oxymoron. We also understand that when morons have so much power and are in charge of Oplans Bantay Laya I, II and III, Kapayapaan, Kapanatagan and now NTF-ELCAC, we are not all surprised by the avalanche of lies and butchery,” Sison said.

Sison was referring to Esperon’s testimony calling him “a master red-tagger” during the oral arguments on the Anti-Terror Law yesterday, May 12. The ATC vice chairman showed a spliced video clip of Sison enumerating legal progressive organizations in the Philippines.

“What I did exactly was to differentiate in fact the open and legal democratic forces in the Philippines from the revolutionary forces of the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines,” Sison explained.

“I am glad that he [Esperon] admits the malice of what he and his cohorts always do: red-tagging, to prepare the arrest and murder of social activists, trade unionists, peasant leaders, religious leaders, lawyers and other human rights defenders,” Sison said.

Today, the ATC issued its list of designated as terrorists, including Sison and 18 other individuals. Earlier, the council also declared the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army as terrorist organizations.

“Under a regime that takes pride in treason, tyranny, mass murder and plunder, the legal standards are degraded to the level of murderers and the standard of learning is also demeaned when Marxism or communism is merely equated to terrorism,” Sison said.

Invalidate the ATA

Sison called on the Supreme Court to invalidate the Anti-Terrorism Act, calling the law, ATC and NTF-ELCAC “instruments of fascism and state terrorism” which “massacre basic human rights and democratic principles.”

He said that NTF-ELCAC and ATC wantonly engaged in red-tagging and making up lists of “communist terrorists,” depriving suspects of their rights, usurping judicial authority and castrating the judiciary.

Sison noted that some Supreme Court justices “seem to notice the bloody consequences of the distorted mentality of those in power.”

During the oral arguments, May 11, Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said it is not wrong to be a communist. “Every person is entitled to their political view,” he said.

Communism is not illegal in the Philippines since the repeal of Anti-Subversion Law in 1992.

In his statement, Sison argued that misrepresenting acts of a revolutionary movement as a case of common crime violates international legal standards and the Hernandez political offense doctrine.

The Philippines is signatory to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, which, among others, recognizes the right to have freedom of thought, and freedom to adopt and express one’s belief.

Sison maintained, “…[a] revolutionary movement of workers and peasants led by the CPP cannot be engaged in any act of terrorism as it cannot victimize and offend the very people it relies on to achieve national and social liberation.” (https://www.bulatlat.com)

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