Sison said "there is no other way to ensure the legal and non-violent ouster of the Arroyo regime" than to "encourage the military and forces of the reactionary government to side with the people and withdraw support from the regime."
His comments, dated Monday but received by AFP here on Thursday, came in a statement to news agencies from the Netherlands, where he is in self-exile.
The call for a coup is surprising because it runs counter to the Maoists’ long-running strategy for a people’s war against state forces with whom they have been fighting a 37-year insurgency.
Sison founded the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in 1968. Its 8,000-member Maoist New People’s Army (NPA) has been waging a protracted, rural-based guerrilla campaign that aimed to eventually encircle the cities.
His comments also appear to confirm information released by the government to justify a state of emergency.
Arroyo declared a "state of national emergency" last Friday to counter what she said was an alliance of communist rebels and "military adventurists" aimed at toppling her.
National police chief Arturo Lomibao said Tuesday night that police had clear evidence of the leftist alliance with military members from materials captured from two members of the communist party and a renegade military officer last month.
Set for February 23 and 24, the plot called for an armed police commando unit and elite military troops to join a civilian rally and announce a withdrawal of support for the government.
The coup attempt was to fall on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the "people power" ousting of dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
In an earlier statement after Arroyo issued the emergency declaration, Sison offered a tactical alliance with opposition forces and soldiers seeking to overthrow Arroyo.
Sison said the communists must adjust tactics to take advantage of the fact that "the Arroyo regime is now far more isolated and far weaker" than its predecessors. — AFP