Joma gears up for next battle vs prosecutors

(Update) With the euphoria of his release now over, Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison is now preparing to do battle with Dutch police again - he plans to contest his detention and eventual release by a Dutch court. Sison said Saturday he is preparing his arguments against Dutch police and prosecutors who will contest his release by a Dutch court earlier this week. “Naghahanda kami. May posibilidad ida-drop ang kaso pero hindi kami maniniguradong ganoon, naghahanda kami ng legal defense. Ang kabila pwede mag-appeal sa court of appeal pero mahina na ang kanilang position," he said in an interview on dzRH radio. (We are preparing for them. There is a possibility the charges against me will be dropped, but I cannot be sure. So we are mounting our legal defense. The other side will likely mount an appeal before the appropriate court but by then, their case would have been weakened considerably because of my release order.) He said the only way for him to be returned to jail is if the Dutch police and prosecutors can present “convincing factual discovery" that will prompt the court to reverse its decision. But he said they will not find any direct evidence as the case they initially built against him was based on circumstantial evidence and hearsay. “No way ... mag-iimbento na sila. Walang direct evidence, puro circumstantial, hearsay, speculation at pagtagpi-tagpi ng story ng obviously fake witnesses," he said. (No way can they nail me. They will have to invent a good story. They have no direct evidence. All their evidence is circumstantial, hearsay, speculation and stories of obviously fake witnesses.) Little evidence vs Sison Sison was freed Thursday after a Dutch court found there was insufficient evidence to hold him on murder charges. He had been arrested Aug. 28 in Utrecht, where he has lived in self-imposed exile for two decades, for allegedly ordering two rivals killed in Manila. Sison was met by his wife and a small group of supporters after his release from Scheveningen prison outside The Hague, where he had been held much of the time in isolation. He was to address reporters at a celebration at his office in Utrecht later. Judges said it was clear the CPP was responsible for the slayings, and that the decision to kill the two men was taken ''within the party structure.'' But there was too little evidence to link Sison directly, the ruling said. ''There is much support in the evidence for the view that (Sison) still plays a prominent role in the Central Committee of the CPP and its military arm, the New People's Army,'' judges at the Hague District Court said in a summary of their ruling. But they said the evidence was insufficient to show that Sison ''had a conscious and close cooperation with those in the Philippines who carried out the deed.'' The ruling also said there was inadequate evidence to prosecute Sison for inciting the killings. Prosecutors disappointed Prosecution spokesman Wim de Bruin said the prosecution planned to appeal the decision to release Sison. ''Obviously there's a big gap between the opinion of the prosecutors and that of the judges, and we're disappointed about the release," Wim de Bruin said. ''In the meantime, the investigation will continue, and Mr Sison remains a suspect.'' Sison was accused of ordering the murder of Kintanar in 2003 and Arturo Tabara in 2004. The Communist Party, which the European Union designated a terrorist group in 2002, issued statements claiming it carried out both slayings. ''We're very happy Joma has been released now after 15-16 days of solitary confinement,'' said his close aide Luis Jalandoni, referring to Sison by his nickname. ''We are thankful to his lawyers, who worked very hard for his release,'' and supporters around the world, he said. In 1992, Kintanar and Tabara broke away from the mainstream Communist Party due to differences over whether to pursue Maoist revolutionary strategy, upon which Sison founded the party in 1968 and its armed wing in 1969. Dutch authorities declined to disclose the nature of the evidence against Sison, but said it originated in both the Netherlands and the Philippines. His lawyers had been instructed not to disclose information from two hearings held since Sison's arrest. National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, who had revealed that the government helped the families of the two murdered men file the case in the Netherlands, said he ordered ''increased protection for the complainants and other individuals who may be the object of (New People's Army) vengeance.'' ''We have received information from a very reliable source the NPA will undertake something major in metro Manila,'' he said. Bayan, the Philippines' largest left-wing federation that staged protests at the Dutch embassy demanding Sison's freedom, cheered his release. ''This is just one small victory against the Philippine, Dutch and US governments, that conspired to persecute Sison,'' said the group's secretary general, Renato Reyes. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo hailed Sison's arrest at the time, and issued an offer of amnesty to any fighters loyal to the communist rebellion who turned in their guns. The Philippine government has long sought to bring Sison home to face charges stemming from his leadership of the rebel movement. But no extradition treaty exists between the Philippines and the Netherlands. Manila removed one obstacle toward such a treaty last year when it abolished capital punishment. Sison describes himself as a political consultant for the National Democratic Front, which has been engaged in off-and-on peace talks with Manila to end the 39-year insurgency. The talks broke down in 2004, and the latest amnesty offer was designed to help restart negotiations. - GMANews.TV