LUCENA CITY鈥擨f saliva could power homes, probably thousands of houses would be energized in the saliva spit out by Malaca帽ang and self-exiled communist leader Jose Maria 鈥淛oma鈥� Sison in their lengthening war of words which now covers their ages.
Sison was quick to reply to presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo, who is also a lawyer and chief presidential legal counsel, who replied to an earlier tirade by Sison against his former student now President Rodrigo Duterte.
Just like the egg or chicken question over which came first, it appeared that it was Sison who first fired his verbal AK-47 by calling Duterte a 鈥渢raitor and puppet鈥� of China, a country which Duterte said has already turned its back on socialism, embraced capitalism with fervor and serve as a role model for Philippine communist rebels.
And always on cue, Panelo, perhaps imagining delivering that famous movie line about a copycat, called Sison as nothing but an 鈥渁ging, armchair, passe rebel.鈥�
It wasn鈥檛 very clear which of Panelo鈥檚 words鈥攁ging, armchair, passe鈥攈urt most the communist rebel leader but the 80-year-old Sison, just older by six years than Duterte, called Panelo 鈥減olitically and intellectually bankrupt.鈥�
鈥淭he ad hominem remarks against me are stupid, impertinent and devoid of reason,鈥� Sison said in a statement sent from his base in Utrecht in the Netherlands on Monday (Sept 2), just shortly after Panelo made the remarks.
As if to tell Panelo to take a look at the mirror first before calling anyone aging, Sison said he, Duterte and Panelo 鈥渂elong to the same senior age bracket and are not any much younger than I am鈥�.
Sison said Panelo鈥檚 remark was an 鈥渁ttempt to distract attention鈥� from him calling Duterte a traitor for 鈥渢reasonous deals鈥� with China, like a plan to jointly explore gas and oil in the West Philippine Sea.
Panelo said Malaca帽ang is unfettered by Sison鈥檚 tirades.
He said the Duterte administration is 鈥渆ngrossed in its constitutional duty of serving and protecting the Filipino people.鈥�
鈥淚t has no time to waste in responding to the latest anti-Duterte statement of Jose Maria Sison, other than saying that it is another errant raving and incorrigible ranting coming from an aging, armchair, passe rebel whose illusory vision has outsprinted the ticking hands of time,鈥� said Panelo in a statement.
Sison, however, said his view was 鈥渟upported by the broad masses of the people, the revolutionary movement and by the most responsible leaders, organizations and institutions motivated by patriotism.鈥� Delfin T. Mallari/TSB