The people will frustrate GMA's dreams of holding on to power beyond 2004

Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal
Spokesperson
Communist Party of the Philippines
January 06, 2004

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo dreams of holding on to power beyond 2004. The Filipino people will frustrate her.

Even if a big miracle happens and Arroyo leads in the counting of votes, no one will believe that she won the elections. Arroyo's maneuvers and defrauding of the elections will be followed by a situation similar to February 1986. Marcos raised his hands in victory, fooling no one.

In the upcoming elections, in addition to the old methods of fraud such as vote-buying, the manufacturing and switching of ballots, switching and doctoring of election canvass and tally sheets and other manual and brazen methods of dagdag-bawas, there will be more subtle and devious methods such as diskette-switching and vote-hacking or the manipulation of the Comelec's new computerized system of counting.

Arroyo's forseeable out-and-out fraudulence of the upcoming elections will set forth a new intensified level of the political crisis of the ruling system. As a result, a broad coalition of anti-Arroyo forces can be built lead by national-democratic forces and supported by the broad masses of the people, elements of the reactionary opposition and even of disgrunted military forces.

The current political turmoil signifies the depth of the social crisis which the ruling system finds itself in. This is made worse by the unsurpassed rottenness, puppetry and fascism of the Arroyo regime.

The Filipino people can no longer stand the Arroyo regime. It must continually be exposed, isolated and opposed as the principal target of the people's struggles. The overthrow of the Arroyo regime is the only just punishment for its acts of puppetry to US imperialism, oppression and repression of the people.

The level of guerrilla warfare, the mass movement and united front is being vigorously raised by the revolutionary forces. Victories in the past years will be surpassed. The Filipino people will make the Arroyo regime pay for its attacks and trampling of their rights and welfare.

In the coming year, the New People's Army will further intensify the armed struggle. This will be the principal contribution of the revolutionary armed movement towards the overthrow of the Arroyo regime and the struggle against any reactionary puppet who may replace her. The NPA will further strengthen, there will be more fighters and more weapons, and tactical offensives will become bigger and more frequent; as it expands and consolidates guerrilla fronts and advances agrarian revolution. It will deal strong blows against the regime and on the entire reactionary system and state.

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