Translations: Pilipino | Bisaya

The Duterte regime is now set on surpassing all previous reactionary regimes in terms of corruption, abuses, oppression and treachery in just a span of four years. Under his tyrannical reign, vast amounts of wealth and power have been accumulated by the monster Duterte, as well as by his bureaucrat capitalist minions, bourgeois compradors and their imperialist monsters.

While those in power fatten themselves, the Filipino people wallow in intolerable hardship and sacrifices. The lives of the people—workers, peasants, the semiproletariat, petty-bourgeoisies and national bourgeoisie—have nosedived since 2016. Policies dictated by foreign big capitalists and banks have brought misery and agony. The toiling masses suffer the most. They are oppressed by widespread unemployment, low wages and income, landlessness, rising prices, onerous taxes, homelessness, disease and the decrepit state of health and social services.

A few accumulate wealth while the entire economy is prostrate and unable to recover. While the country drowns in an ocean of debt, profits of big bourgeoisie compradors and big foreign capitalists soar. The exploiters and plunderers are insatiable; even as the country lie wasted with its backward agricultural production and without much needed industries.

Philippine national sovereignty continue to erode as its rights are surrendered in the face of heightened plunder and military maneuvers by rival imperialists US and China. In exchange for the promise of a few billion dollars loans, bribes and personal and political favors, Duterte has surrendered the Philippine’s sea and land territory, allowed China to plunder marine resources and deny Filipinos their fishing grounds. In exchange for continuing military and political support, Duterte ended peace negotiations and promised to crush the revolutionary movement. He took back his threat to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement and continue to pursue the anti-people counterinsurgency campaign.

On top of the suffering people, the monster Duterte seats on his throne. Under his four year reign, the country has suffered from the crime and corruption of the ruling bureaucrat capitalists. They have pocketed people’s funds and made money from government infrastructure contracts. They have favored the oligarchs who know how to “go along” while aggravate those who refuse to bow to their evil power. Duterte has surrounded himself with favored military officers to guard against his rivals.

In the past four years, he has destroyed the country with a relentless terrorist war against the poor and oppressed. Tens of thousands have been murdered in his fake “war on drugs” to force syndicates to kneel and obey. Tens of thousands were ravaged by the war of destruction and military occupation of Marawi City and the continuing war against the Moro people. All over, people are being intimidated and bulldozed, and their democratic rights suppressed in the war against the people in the name of anti-communism. He successively implemented Mindanao martial law, Memorandum Order 32 and Executive Order 70 to impose military rule over the people.

By signing the “Anti-Terror Law,” Duterte has crowned himself dictator. He now holds the power to use the full terrorist might of the state to intimidate, suppress and crush any critic or rival. Through this law, Duterte has claimed powers beyond the limits set by the 1987 constitution. This law tramples on basic civil and political rights.

Duterte has busied himself with his scheme to impose a fascist dictatorship while the entire people face the Covid-19 pandemic. The failed militarist response of his government to threats on public health has resulted in continuing and accelerating spread of the virus across the country. After failing to respond promptly, prepare and strengthen the health system, Duterte imposed his military lockdown to control the entire population as his leading solution to the pandemic and as dress rehearsal for restrictions under his new fascist normal.

Duterte wasted the people’s sacrifices and hardship as he failed to take measures for mass testing and extensive contact-tracing, strengthening laboratories and free treatment of Covid-19 patients. Instead, he plundered billions of pesos in anomalous purchases of overpriced equipment, caused widespread hunger and devastated their lives. It is now crystal clear that Duterte is the biggest threat to their health and safety amid the pandemic.

In the face of widespread sufferings and repression, the people’s anger against Duterte are boiling over. They strongly seek to crush the monster and end his evil rule. They are determined to end Duterte’s reign as soon as possible and make him pay for all his crimes against the people and against humanity.

The time to be quiet and timid is over. The people are overcoming their fear and gathering courage to collectively act and resist. They are becoming even more undaunted in speaking up and asserting their demand for Duterte’s resignation or ouster. A broad front of various democratic forces are now linking arms against his tyranny. While greater powers and wealth are gobbled up by the monster, the more he becomes isolated from the people. However cruel and powerful, the ogre is no match to the power of a united people.

The Party urges all democratic classes, sectors and groups to rise up, organize and build the broadest unity to fight for their rights, resist state terrorism, corruption, oppression and treachery of the Duterte regime. They must mount street marches and demonstrations in large numbers and wage different forms of resistance in order to gather the people’s strength and power to change the course of history.

In the face of worsening terrorism of the reactionary state, the New People’s Army (NPA) must defend the people against the terrorist attacks against their rights. While the NPA prioritizes extending health and economic services to the people amid the Covid-19 pandemic, its units must also address the people’s aspirations for justice and punish the fascist terrorists and make them pay for their crimes against the people.

The unprecedented sufferings of the people under the Duterte regime manifests the chronic crisis of the moribund system in the Philippines. It underscores the need to wage national democratic revolution in order to end the rotten semicolonial and semifeudal system, achieve national freedom and people’s democracy, and establish a free, progressive and prosperous future.