Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo M. Año said yesterday that exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) leader Joma Sison is “hallucinating” when he claimed that he is absolutely protected from arrest for being a political refugee in The Netherlands.
“A criminal and a terrorist like him can never be considered a political refugee,” Año said.
“Ang isang kriminal ay hindi kailanman puwedeng ituring na political refugee. Ang isang mass murderer ay hindi puwedeng maging refugee. Buking ka na, Joma, kaya panagutan mo ang mga kasalanan mong pagpatay sa mga kapwa mo Pilipino,” he added.
The Manila Regional Trial Court recently issued a warrant of arrest against Joma and 36 of his co-conspirators for the Inopacan massacre, a deadly purge of CPP-New People’s Army members accused by the CPP of various offenses.
The remains of the victims were discovered in a mass grave in Inopacan, Leyte in 2006.
Año described Sison a coward for hiding from the charges against him in a foreign country and living there like a king.
“Duwag ka, Joma. Now that you are in the last few years of your life, do something right for a change, own up to your sins against the Filipino people, and face the charges against you and give justice to the victims of the Inopacan massacre, among many others,” he added.
Año noted the Philippine National Police is closely coordinating with the International Police Organization for the issuance of a Red Notice for Sison’s arrest which serves as a valid request for provisional arrest. (Chito Chavez)
