MISLEADING: Joma Sison orders Plaza Miranda bombing independently; Elizabeth Principe is new CPP head

A Facebook post by former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) Lorraine Badoy stated that Jose Maria “Joma” Sison ordered the 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing without the knowledge of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It also claims that Sison later ordered Elizabeth Principe to execute Danny Cordero and that Principe is now the CPP head.

CLAIM:

The post claims Sison secretly ordered the Plaza Miranda bombing, ordered Cordero to carry it out, and later ordered Principe to execute him.

RATING:

Misleading

CONCLUSION:

There are historical accounts linking Sison and CPP leaders to the Plaza Miranda bombing. However, the post presents disputed details as established facts, particularly the claim that Sison acted without the CPP’s knowledge and that Principe is now the CPP head.

THE FACTS:

• The Plaza Miranda bombing killed nine people and injured 95 in August 1971. The Marcos government blamed communist groups, while the CPP has consistently denied responsibility.
• Testimonies have linked Sison and other CPP leaders to the bombing. A 2022 court decision also cited testimony that Cordero participated in the bombing under Sison’s directive.
• However, the evidence does not establish that Sison acted without the knowledge of the CPP. Accounts, which are still being disputed, instead point to involvement of Sison and other senior CPP figures.
• Elizabeth Principe has been tagged by the government as a CPP Central Committee member, but there is no reliable evidence that she is the organization’s current head,

BOTTOMLINE:

The claim is misleading. The statement attributed to Badoy overstates what current evidence suggests.