Rodrigo Duterte on Sison’s death: Marks end of an era, hopefully ends insurgencies

Former President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday said the death of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding Chairman Jose Maria Sison marked the “end of an era” that he also hoped would “end of insurgencies in the Philippines.”

In a statement, Duterte expressed his condolences to Sison’s family, saying that he prayed for peace in the country.

The former President described Sison as someone known for his “radical ideas that affected the course of the country's history.”

“While Mr. Sison and I have had many disagreements—especially in the ways in which he chose to pursue and effect change in the country—I would like to believe that, at the end of the day, we shared the same dream of creating a better future for every Filipino,” he said.

“His death certainly marks the end of an era, and it is my hope that, with it, the end of insurgencies in the Philippines and the revolutionary movement that he has founded as well,” he added.

Duterte also called for building a more harmonious and united country for future generations.

Sison passed away at around 8:40 p.m. (Philippine time) after two weeks of confinement in the hospital, CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena said on Saturday.

Sison, who was an activist and had been in self-exile in the Netherlands since 1987, founded the leftist revolutionary organization CPP in December 1968.

The CPP, along with its armed wing New People’s Army (NPA) and political arm National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), has been waging an insurgency rebellion against the Philippine government for over five decades. — DVM, GMA Integrated News