Despite the rough talks they have said to each other, New People's Army (NPA), Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison said that President Rodrigo Duterte and him are still good friends.
Sison, whose now based in Netherlands said, “Once more I am grateful to President Duterte for his acts of goodwill to move forward the peace negotiations between his government and the NDFP,” on his statement on social media account.
“He has made possible the release of the JASIG (Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees)-protected NDFP consultants from prison and has graciously met the NDFP lawyers and consultants together with his negotiators and other officials,” Sison added, referring to President Duterte.
Sison's statements comes after the release of consultants involved in the peace talks and the president's meeting with NDFP peace panel members.
It started when Duterte declared unilateral ceasefire in the time of his State of the Nation Address (Sona) and the CPP failed to answer the president before his announced deadline.
To recall, Duterte called Sison as an "arrogant", however Sison called him as "hoodlun" (butangero) after the president demanded that CPP should declare ceasefire in the country.
“Despite a previous glitch in our communications, President Duterte and I remain good friends,” Sison said and, “Our friendship has a strong basis in longstanding cooperation and in a common desire to serve the national and democratic rights and best interests of the Filipino people.”
Sison also added that they “have plenty of mutual friends” who have help “maintain” their friendship.
“We are both inspired by the principles and objectives of Kabataang Makabayan and driven by the patriotic desire to continue the unfinished revolution of Andres Bonifacio,” he said.
“BAYAN and the producers of the film TIBAK (Kabataang Makabayan) have notified us of the plan to give us the Gawad Supremo soon in honor of Bonifacio.”
Sison stated that the both of them will be “in touch with each other”the formal peace talks in Oslo, Norway.