LUCENA CITY—Exiled rebel leader Jose Maria “Joma” Sison said the spiteful word war between the government and communist rebels was better than a shooting war to advance the cause of peace. “Tit for tat polemics between the two sides can unfold their respective positions,” Sison, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder, said in an interview via Facebook on Tuesday from his base in Utrecht in The Netherlands. ADVERTISEMENT“At any rate, the word war cannot be any more harsher than the shooting war,” he added. “The word war and the shooting war can cool down to the extent that reforms are being agreed upon to address the roots of the armed conflict and the basis for just peace is attained,” Sison explained. Except that you’re bandits,” Mr. Duterte said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 31, 2019 21:33 UTC