The vacuum of leadership in the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army
(CPP-NPA) will be very evident in the coming days, following the capture of Benito and Wilma Tiamzon last March 22. There have been reports that CPP chair Jose Ma. Sison and Benito Tiamzon did not see eye to eye when it came to running their organization. Tiamzon does not want to go into peace talks while Sison is inclined to sit down at the negotiating table. Also, Tiamzon is said to be the one who really calls the shots and runs the CPP-NPA.
But it looks like Tiamzon and his wife are living a luxurious lifestyle. They were reportedly in a convoy consisting of a Starex van and an Innova when they were caught. And we all know that Metro Cebu is a bustling city and the standard of living there approximates that of Makati and Metro Manila. The Tiamzons must have thought Cebu would be a safe haven for them. They were wrong. Time, fate and the law
finally caught up with them. It’s time they paid for their various crimes.
—AMANDO JB FLORESCA,
amando.floresca@yahoo.com