Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday reminded Filipinos of the atrocities that Communist Party of the Philippines founding Chairman Joma Sison has perpetuated in the 50 years of existence of the communist movement, including the infamous Plaza Miranda bombing during the martial law years.
Lorenzana said it was Sison who masterminded the Plaza Miranda bombing that left nine people dead and injured 95 others including dozens of prominent opposition candidates during a political campaign rally of the Liberal Party on Aug. 21, 1971.
Two hand grenades were hurled at the stage as a crowd of about 4,000 gathered to listen to the speeches of LP candidates during the campaign rally.
The bombing killed the five-year-old son of Manila Times photographer Ben Roxas and wounded senators Jovito Salonga, Eddie Elarde, Eva Estrada-Kalaw, LP president Gerardo Roxas and several others.
Reports said the attack was carried out by the CPP to provoke the government of President Ferdinand Marcos into declaring martial law, which, in turn, drove thousands of political activists to go underground.
The defense chief also blamed Sison for the purging of hundreds of NPA cadres suspected as government agents.
“Yeah right! Coming from the mastermind of the Plaza Miranda bombing, the killing of hundreds of New People’s Army [NPA] cadres suspected of being agents of the government, as well as assassination/killings of innocent civilians in the past 50 years,” Lorenzana said.
Lorenzana made the statement came after the CPP-NPA pointed to the military as behind the killing of nine sugar farmers in Sagay City last Saturday.
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Carlito Galvez on Wednesday blamed the CPP as behind the killing of the nine newlyrecruited members of the National Federation of Sugar Workers in Sagay City which he said was part of a wider sinister plot linked to the “Red October” ouster plot against President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Come on, Mr. Sison! Don’t be quick to point your finger as your other fingers are pointing back at you. You have been unmasked as the man behind these atrocities by no less that your former comrades,” Lorenzana said.
Sison had blamed the Duterte administration for what he claimed as widespread poverty, which he said affects lowly Filipinos due to the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (Train Law).
But Lorenzana slammed Sison for spreading lies and trying to reverse the current situation, which he said was a desperate attempt of the CPP founding chairman to uplift his tainted image particularly in the CPP hierarchy.
“Your psywar no longer works. Nobody, even your so-called fighters, believe you anymore,” Lorenzana told Sison.
“As I’ve said before, you will be consigned to the dustbin of history as a pathetic revolutionary failure who had achieved nothing of note but who, instead, wrought bloodshed and suffering to the Filipino people,” he added.