Joma Sison: Duterte deflects the blame for managing the COVID-19 crisis

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte’s P2 million reward offer against communist leaders is his way of deflecting blame for the alleged mismanagement of the COVID-19 crisis, communist rebel leader José María Sison said Tuesday.

The founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (PCP) also claimed that this would lead to an increase in civilian casualties.

“Duterte thinks he is smart in offering a cash reward for the murder of NPA commanders as a way to further corrupt his loyalists and divert attention from their serious incompetence and failure to complete tasks to achieve the medical solution. in the fight against COVID-19, ”Sison said in a statement.

“Like his previous order to shoot to death any violator of the blockade, his order to kill NPA commanders will result in the murder of many innocent people,” he added.

Duterte’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, Sison said, has been characterized by inadequate medical supplies, a lack of mass testing and the deaths of health workers.

“Duterte has performed a labyrinthine and idle multimedia broadcast every week during the blockade, but has not come up with any rational plans for using P275 billion. And the disbursement of these funds has not been taken into account, “added Sison, also the main political consultant to the Philippine National Democratic Front (NDFP).

In a recorded public speech, Duterte offered a P2 million reward to anyone who killed or captured a “high commander” of communist rebels.

(If you kill or point out where a commander is, tell me and you will have P2 million as long as he is a senior commander.)

To date, the Philippines has registered 11,350 COVID-19 infections, of which 751 died and 2,106 recovered.

As of May 10, the government has tested the virus for more than 158,000 people out of a population of about 108 million.