Article by Kieren Kaal

Kieren Kaal
October 21, 2002

Recognized political refugee, peace negotiator and recently branded as terrorist by the Balkenende government. That is the paradox in the status of Filipino Jose Maria Sison who asked for asylum in the Netherlands in 1988 after nine years of imprisonment under dictator Marcos, but who didn't get any residence permit yet. Sison was accused unjustifiably of leading the Communist Party and the New People's Army. These are important organizations within the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) that has an international office in Utrecht. In the last ten years, there have been peace negotiations between the NDFP and the government of the Philippines, in which Sison was the Chief Consultant of the NDFP. Nevertheless, the US minister of foreign affairs Powell has put the NDFP on the list of terrorist organisations in August. The cabinet Balkenende took over the US disqualification and was responsible for the cancellation of Sison's personal bank account. In the office of the NDFP, the 63 year old Sison tells about his opposition against the criminalization of his person.

"The Dutch authorities try to trick me. They also took my health insurance and my monthly support, even if there was no juridical basis. I depend on this benefit because after fourteen years, I still can't work here. The withdrawal of these essential rights is based on a hastily formulated ad hoc punitive ruling for so-called terrorists. Now, they want to give me back these 'benefits', but within the framework of this ruling that allows an exception for humanitarian reasons. To get my rights back I have to confirm that I am a terrorist. And that while the term 'terrorist' is not a defined judicial concept. It seems that the Dutch government wants to introduce the term in the Dutch law on my back."

According to Sison, who taught political sciences at the University of Manila and who has also quite some knowledge about judicial matters through self-study, the United States have no evidence against him. "My file at the US intelligence services is a compilation of lies from the Filipino government, which are copied without any independent investigation by the Dutch government. There isn't any evidence of terror acts from my side. Here, in the Netherlands, I am punished while there isn't any criminal charge against me, not even in the Philippines. The Philippine administration of Gloria Arroyo, that is a docile satellite of the Bush administration, is using the 11 September attacks of last year to blackmail political opposition. A Filipino functionary has even been threatening me by letter with imprisonment in Guantanamo. That's how they want to impose on us their conditions."

The peace negotiatons, which were also facilitated by the Netherlands in the nineties, are suspended in June 2001 for an indefinite period.

Sison refuses the proposal of the Dutch administration and will fight the punitive ruling on terrorism in a 'kort geding', a summary legal procedure. He expects not much of that, but he considers it as a necessary step to go higher, if needed in the European Court. For his finances, Sison is still dependent on loans and gifts of sympathizers. The pastor Hans Visser of Rotterdam and the Archbishop of Utrecht Vercammen have started a fund to support Sison's legal struggle. "And that while, legally, I don't exist", laughs Sison, who is able to see the irony of the situation. "In 1997, the Ministry of Justice recognized my status of political refugee, and followed the Raad van State and the UN. But I am still only allowed."

As of now, Sison expects no changes in this status quo. He is not afraid of an extradition to the Philippines because European arrangements on political refugees protect him against this because, according to his own words, he would be killed within two months in the Philippines.

Kieran Kaal

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