Editorial

Strive for greater unity to fight the US-Marcos regime II

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The Filipino people’s unity must be further broadened to fight with determination the incoming US-Marcos regime II that will be established on the foundations of a rigged elections, ill-gotten wealth and historical revisionism.

Although not yet in power, the ruling Marcos-Duterte clique is already grossly isolated due to the Filipino people’s extreme hatred of tyranny, corruption and oppression under their dynasties. The broad anti-Marcos-Duterte movement during the last elections must be more firmly united, expanded, strengthened and mobilized.

Marcos Jr.’s regime is set to be weak and unstable amid the worsening socioeconomic crisis, the people’s heightening grievances, and intensifying rivalries among the ruling factions. As a result, it is bound to resort to political repression using the state’s armed forces.

Thus, the Filipino people must strengthen their determination to stand and resist however difficult or long the coming struggle might be. The ranks of the different sectors, especially of the toiling masses who will serve as the unconquerable fort in the likely prolonged resistance.

Marcos Jr. will occupy the seat in Malacañang and lead the US neocolonial state. He will serve as the chief executive and defender of the ruling system and the interests of imperialist banks and companies in the Philippines, and those of the colluding ruling classes of big bourgeois compradors and big landlords, and their bureaucrat capitalist agents.

The ruling reactionary state is set to be ruled by Marcos Jr., son of the former dictator, whose gluttony was boundless under 14-years of plunder and corruption by his father and mother Imelda, is an indication of the ruling semicolonial and semifeudal system is worsening. Marcos Jr. is in partnership with Sara Duterte, daughter and perpetrator of the dynasty of the tyrant Rodrigo Duterte. Together with Gloria Arroyo, their clique represents the most fascist and insatiable of the ruling class factions.

The return of the Marcoses to power will undoubtedly bring greater suffering to the Filipino people. The estimated $10-billion wealth plundered by the Marcoses under martial law will forever be taken away from the people. The Marcoses will bring bureaucrat capitalist corruption to the hilt in their rush to accumulate greater wealth in the form of bribe-taking and pocketing a percentage from government infrastructure projects. The Marcoses seek to perpetuate and expand their dynasty.

Marcos will take over power amid a grave crisis of the ruling system. After six years of rule, Duterte will leave a mountain of debt and a government bankrupted by corruption, military and police overspending and tax cuts for foreign corporations. Even now, there is talk of imposing new taxes to pay the debts that provided no benefit to the people. These plans bring greater burden on the people who already are suffering from rising prices, low wages and lack of income.

Wielding power, Marcos will continue and heighten the campaign to distort history to cover up the crimes and plunder of the Marcoses under martial law and perpetuate the myth that these were “golden years” in the country’s history. On September 21, exactly 50 years since martial law was declared, tens of thousands of people are bound to protest Marcos Jr.’s scheme to completely wipe away from the people’s consciousness all memories of the dark days of fascist dictatorial rule.

Marcos Jr.’s reign is set to be a continuation of Duterte’s tyranny and a return to his father’s dictatorship. Behind the veil of “unity,” Marcos Jr. aims to have absolute control of government and eliminate all forms of resistance to his rule. He also wants oligarchs and rival factions of the ruling classes to bow to him. The senate and congress is expected to be under Marcos Jr.’s supermajority control, and like under Duterte, will serve as rubberstamp to his dictates.

Marcos Jr. authoritarian rule will be established under the signboard of “unity.” Those who will not “unite” will be denounced as “unFilipino” or “enemies of the state” and will be targets of state suppression. Red-tagging by the NTF-Elcac is heightening against those who question the results of the last elections and against those forces who seek to keep the memories of abuses and corruption under the US-Marcos dictatorship I. Being targeted are democratic mass organizations of various sectors, as well as academics, cultural groups, church people, lawyers and others critical of the looming Marcos rule.

The Party is determined to fight the forthcoming rule of Marcos Jr., to defend the people’s interests and advance their struggles for genuine democracy and freedom. The Party is keenly aware how Marcos’ rise to power creates conditions favorable for advancing the revolutionary armed struggle because it exposes the rotten core of the ruling system, and because legal forms of expression and resistance are being curtailed.

Just as under martial law, the Party is resolute in leading the struggles against fascism and corruption under Marcos. There is a broad range of forces which the Party can march along with in this path of struggle, thus it must strive to unite with all positive forces to isolate Marcos Jr. and make him a narrow target of a broad protest movement and other forms of struggle.

The Party will further strengthen itself to serve as the strongest core in the fight against the US-Marcos regime II. It will continue to lead and strengthen the New People’s Army to serve as the principal instrument in fighting the ruling fascist regime and to further advance the people’s democratic revolution for national and social liberation.

Strive for greater unity to fight the US-Marcos regime II