In a show of gross hypocrisy, Marcos hosted the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Makati City last August 11-14. In front of representatives from various countries, Marcos pretended to be meek and obedient to the principles and rules of IHL. He brazenly lied to cover up his regime’s bloody record of unleashing state terrorism and waging a relentless war against the people.

While the conference was being held in Makati, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) flew jetfighters on the early morning of August 13 and dropped several 500-pound bombs in the province of Bukidnon. These bombs shook the mountains and nearby communities of Lumad and peasants in Barangay Dumalaguing in the town of Impasug-ong.

Just a few days prior, heavy bombs also shook the ground in Barangay San Isidro, in Las Navas, Northern Samar, dropped by the AFP at 2 a.m., in the proximity of a community of indigenous Mamanwa people. On August 2, at dawn, the AFP also dropped heavy bombs in Barangay Maguibay in Tagkawayan, Quezon, not far from the community of farmers.

The aerial bombing using heavy explosives is a blatant violation of IHL by the Marcos fascist regime. It directly endangers the lives of civilians. It destroys and poisons the land and forests that are the source of livelihood and resources of indigenous people. It brings deep trauma and fear to communities. It is also against the law prohibiting the use of excessively destructive weapons that cause widespread damage.

International Humanitarian Law or the laws of war is a set of rules and protocols that govern the conduct of armed conflict. These laws primarily focus on respecting the rights, and protecting the welfare and well-being of people who are not participating or no longer taking part in the hostilities: civilians, as well as the wounded, sick, and prisoners of war, who are no longer able to fight.

In addition to the aerial bombing, the AFP’s violent control of civilian communities, imposing food blockades and restrictions on commerce, forcible removing people from their homes and concentrating them in evacuation centers, declaring villages as “no man’s land,” prohibiting people to work on their fields and swidden farms, imposing curfew, conscription into the CAFGU, forced labor (including water fetching), using civilian infrastructure, and other measures of imposing military power are also violations of the laws of war.

In an attempt to prevent people from uniting, expressing their grievances, and fighting back, the AFP imposes martial law in villages and communities. Violations of democratic rights are relentless. The military dismantles the people’s own organizations, forces them to “surrender,” and intimidates them into joining organizations created by the AFP. Those who disobey the AFP’s orders are considered supporters of the CPP and are targeted with endless threats and assassinations. Since Marcos took office, the AFP has been killing and massacring civilians left and right, and then dressing up their corpses as NPA fighters.

The deliberate killing of revolutionaries and hors de combat (fighters no longer taking part in hostilities) is also a blatant violation of the laws of war. Among the victims are the couple Benito Tiamzon and Wilma Austria and seven of their companions. They were arrested while traveling in Catbalogan, Northern Samar, subjected to torture before being killed, and blew up their bodies in the middle of the sea. Since Marcos took office in 2022, his armed forces have brutally killed close to 80 while in captivity. Many have also been arrested, illegally imprisoned in secret jails in military camps, to force them to renounce their beliefs.

All of these heinous crimes in violation of IHL were carried on Marcos’ orders by his officials and fascist minions in the military and police. All of these serve the sordid aim of crushing the Filipino people’s armed and unarmed resistance. Marcos’ recent declaration that “there are no more guerrilla groups” in the Philippines is a signal of an even bloodier campaign of suppression against the people, and of even more heinous crimes.

The imperialist US instigates, funds, and arms this bloody war of suppression against the Filipino people’s struggle. The US imperialists earn massive profits through the sale of large bombs, artillery, jetfighters, attack helicopters, drones, and other weapons and military equipment. The US aims to crush all patriotic and progressive forces so that foreign capitalist investors can “peacefully” and without resistance seize land and plunder the country’s natural resources, and establish its military power in the country.

Marcos’ hands are stained with blood due to the numerous crimes he has committed against the laws of war. His false claims cannot cover up the numerous cases of military abuses and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. Everything possible must be done to hold Marcos and his minions accountable, and to fight for justice for all the victims of their atrocities.

The intensification of the US-Marcos regime’s fascist assault is a reflection of the deepening crisis of the ruling semicolonial and semifeudal system. To maintain and defend the oppressive and exploitative system, the ruling regime is simultaneously using brutal suppression and deception to try to crush the Filipino people’s struggle for revolutionary change.

However, no matter how brutal and widespread the US-Marcos regime’s atrocities may be, the people will continue to rise up to defend their welfare, rights, lives, and livelihood. Under the leadership of the Party, and along with the New People’s Army, the people will not be intimidated in their struggle. Their determination to advance the struggle for national democracy will never wane.