Military attaché to spy on Joma

An Air Force officer will be sent as military attaché to the Philippine Embassy in The Hague, the Netherlands to monitor the activities of self-exiled communist leaders led by Jose Ma. Sison.

Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes and Armed Forces chief Gen. Diomedio Villanueva had recommended to President Arroyo the posting of the military attaché, who has not yet been identified.

The STAR learned that Malacañang had already forwarded the matter to the office of Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr., who is also secretary of foreign affairs.

Apart from Sison, other communist leaders living in the Netherlands are Luis Jalandoni and Fidel Agcaoili, and several others who have set up residence outside the city of Utrecht.

Except for Jalandoni, who is now a naturalized Dutch citizen, Sison and other Utrecht-based leaders of the National Democratic Front have pending applications for political asylum with the Dutch government.

Military intelligence has been monitoring the activities of Sison and other exiled communist leaders through communications in the Internet with their New People’s Army (NPA) field commanders in the Philippines.

Military intelligence believes that Sison is still calling the shots within the NPA and the Communist Party of the Philippines, including last year’s assassination of Cagayan Rep. Rodolfo Aguinaldo, Quezon Rep. Marcial Punzalan, and Tanauan, Batangas Mayor Cesar Platon.

Although the Philippines and The Netherlands have diplomatic relations, no military attaché is assigned in the embassies of the two countries in Manila and The Hague. – Marichu Villanueva