By Chico Conde
InterAksyon.com
02 March 2012

MANILA, Philippines – Jose Maria Sison, the founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), will return to the country but not until a formal and comprehensive peace agreement is signed by the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF), according to President Benigno Aquino III.

“Joma Sison will return home once there is already an agreement…There is ongoing negotiation for the signing of a peace agreement. But negotiations for his return have not yet begun,” Aquino said on Friday.

The President also hinted that Sison could participate in the 2013 elections but did not elaborate.

Earlier, the anti-communist party-list group Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD) claimed that at least four members of Aquino’s Cabinet were convincing the CPP founder to return to Manila to join the government as part of the government’s national unification efforts.

ANAD spokesman Joey Sison named presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles, presidential political adviser Ronald Llamas, Justice chief Leila de Lima, and government chief negotiator for the CPP-NDF Alexander Padilla as among the conduits of the communist leader.

The ANAD official claimed that De Lima is the first cousin of Sison’s wife, Julieta de Lima.

Llamas denied such moves. He said talks between the government and the CPP-NDF were still about peace negotiations and not on Sison’s return.