Feud between the President and exiled Filipino communist leader heats up

  MANILA – The ongoing verbal exchange between President Rodrigo Duterte and exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) leader Jose Maria Sison has turned ugly. Duterte told Sison to kill himself while Sison suggested that the President see a psychiatrist. The word war came after Duterte announced during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday the cessation of peace talks with the CPP due to their unreasonable demands and attacks made by the CPP's armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA), on Duterte's security convoy and on civilians. Duterte also said in the SONA that Sison has colon cancer, which Sison has denied. Last Wednesday, Duterte said Sison should just kill himself to spare Norway of expenses incurred in treating the communist leader. According to Duterte, the Norwegian government has been taking care of Sison's medical expenses and that it has become a political issue. "That's why you're being asked to leave Norway. You know, in Norway, the party who controls the government now will lose. The issue is because of the expense of letting you live there. And you're not even paying for your hospital bills. Have pity on the Norwegian government. Just kill yourself," Duterte said. Duterte earlier said Sison has colon cancer, which Sison has denied. Duterte made the remarks against during the ceremonial turnover of financial assistance to families of soldiers and policemen killed in battle against Islamic State-linked local terrorists who have taken hold of Marawi City since May 23. In reaction, Sison said in a statement sent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer: "I am amused when Mr. Duterte advises me to commit suicide. I will never give him such an advice. But what I suggest to him is to consult a professional psychiatrist to take care of his mental health." Sison also said: "I pity (Duterte) and I am tempted to just let him go because what he says against me is patently baseless and obviously comes from a sick mind. But I have to answer him to prevent him from misleading the public and rousing them the wrong way." Sison denied that Norway was taking care of his medical expenses. He said a Dutch charitable foundation, which he did not name, is the one paying for his medical treatment "to the extent of more than 98 percent in the last 10 years or so." He also said the foundation had to intervene because he has no medical insurance due to lack of residency. Sison pointed out that he is a "political refugee," a status recognized by the Dutch tribunal. Sison, who was Duterte's professor at the Lyceum of the Philippines, lives in exile in The Netherlands. Sison further said there were a "few minor instances" that Oslo helped him get diagnostic attention and medicines from a clinic and its pharmacy and that the Norwegian government partly paid for his hospitalization, diagnostic attention and treatment at Pope Pius XI Medical Center in Rome during the third round of formal talks after he contracted bronchitis. 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