Interview with Prof. Jose Maria Sison, NDFP Chief Political Consultant
By Delfin T. Mallari, Jr.
May 10, 2019

1. What is the role of the revolutionary forces in the coming elections?

JMS: It is a given fact that the revolutionary forces (CPP, NPA and NDFP) are prohibited from participating in the elections staged by the ruling system. But they can clarify and disseminate to the people why it is wrong to vote for the parties and candidates that support the tyrannical, treasonous, mass murdering, plundering and swindling crimes of the Duterte regime.

They can also allow and encourage their revolutionary mass base to vote for parties and candidates that stand for national sovereignty, democracy, social justice, economic development through genuine land reform and national industrialization, job tenure and fair wages, expanded social services, patriotic and progressive culture and independent foreign policy.

2. Do you still stick to your prediction that opposition bets could still pull a surprise? But for sure the Duterte administration would not allow that.

JMS: I reiterate my prediction that the opposition bets in the Senate race will surely win because of their outstanding patriotic and progressive character and their record of serving the people, and because the people condemn and reject the crimes of the Duterte regime as well as the criminal record of corruption of many of the Duterte candidates and even butchery in the case of two candidates. The broad masses of the people, the patriotic and progressive forces and the Catholic and other Christian churches are supporting the opposition candidates.

But unfortunately, Duterte has the overwhelming power and malicious character to rig the elections. He has control of the Comelec and its computer machines, the military and police. He wants to gain at least two-thirds control of the Senate in order to railroad charter change to a bogus kind of of federalism, establish a full-blown fascist dictatorship, plunder the country and prevent his arrest, prosecution and trial for the grave crimes that he has committed.

Even before election day, Duterte has been rigging the elections by placing the whole of Mindanao under martial law and so-called trouble spots in Luzon and the Visayas under de facto martial law. He and his military and police running dogs have used red-tagging, so-called matrices and death threats to intimidate the critics, the opposition parties and candidates and the people at large.

3. Have you a last minute election message?

JMS: I urge the electorate to vote against the candidates of the Duterte regime, especially in the senatorial race, and prevent Duterte from realizing his scheme of fascist dictatorship, unbridled corruption and sell-out of the sovereign rights and national patrimony of the Filipino people. The people must make conspicuous the overwhelming victory of the opposition senatorial candidates and expose effectively all the dirty tricks of Duterte in rigging the elections.

The voters must vote for candidates opposed to the Duterte regime to exercise and demonstrate their sovereign will and to strengthen their moral and political conviction and will to oust Duterte from power by direct democratic action should he rig the elections, as expected. Remember that Marcos rigged the elections of 1986 but his fake electoral victory roused the Filipino people to overthrow him.