MALACAÑANG on Thursday hoped the United States would remove Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison from its list of international terrorists to pave the way for his return to the country.
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said the request for Sison’s delisting was in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s wish to hold peace talks with the leadership of the local communist group.
“The government maintains its position that there is no reason for the US to deny this request, bearing in mind that Mr. Sison is part of the negotiating panel,” Abella told a Palace news conference.
The government, Abella said, will take “all necessary steps” to ensure agreements are made “inclusive, comprehensive and integrated” with stakeholders involved in the negotiation and implementation.
Labor Secretary and government chief negotiator Silvestre Bello III earlier said the delisting of the CPP from the US list of international terrorist organizations would allow Sison to keep his promise to Duterte to return to the Philippines as part of the ongoing peace negotiations.
As an asylum seeker in The Netherlands, Sison could be barred from reentering Europe once he travels outside the continent.
The US, through its control of the International Police, can always have Sison arrested outside the EU, which protects the rights of people seeking political asylum in its member countries.