All pronouncements that come out of the butcher Duterte’s mouth are all agunyas – declarations of death. Death declarations that he never fails to exact through his anti-drug campaigns, laws such as the Anti-Terrorism Act and orders such as MO 32 and EO 70. One of his most recent agunyas is his declaration that he will not hesitate to use the military for the upcoming national elections.

Since the beginning, the dictator’s uniformed executioners and punishers have been ensuring that terrorism shall fully shroud the communities through their Retooled Community Service Program (RCSP), Focused Military Operations (FMO) and Simultaneous Anti-Criminality and Law Enforcement Operations (SACLEO). As with Bikol’s experience, these directives resulted to nonstop violence and terrorism against the Bikolanos. From the moment Duterte claimed his seat, thousands upon thousands of human rights violations have been reported in the region. He caused the death of 204 victims of extrajudicial killings and the rise of massacre cases which reached up to 11 cases with 38 victims.

In Bikol, Masbate is one of the provinces battered by torrent after torrent of Duterte’s abhorrent agunyas. State violence is very rampant in the province especially during election season and rivalries between traditional bureacrats go unabated. Politicians collaborate openly with AFP-PNP-CAFGU officials who each has their own interest in bagging positions they vie for within their agencies.

Now, even though politicians are not done yet with filing for candidacy, Duterte has already ordered to intensify police and military presence in the province. Masbate is currently cordoned by companies of the 31st IBPA, 22nd IBPA and the whole 2nd IBPA. PNP’s units such as the 9th SAF Bn, RMFB and PMFC deployed in Masbate are also currently under the command and control of the army’s 903rd IBde.

From April to June this year, the AFP and PNP also deployed a total of 1,400 elements, through the RCSP and FMO, to occupy communities. Throughout the region, Masbate holds the most number of extrajudicial killings which ballooned to 79 victims and seven massacres with 23 victims.

The killing frenzy in the name of greed for power is aggravated by Duterte’s desperation to stay in power. This shall cause the escalation of violence in the coming days. It must be expected that as the fascist directives, campaigns and laws, which are all agunyas to the people by the murderer Duterte, continue to exist, the scale of terrorism in the region shall also worsen.

It is rightful for the Bikolano masses to struggle. They must flood the streets and fight the terrorist state. More than this, they must take arms to further strengthen the revolutionary movement that shall bring about the semicolonial and semifeudal society’s upheaval along with the power hungry Duterte and his minions. The bell tolls of struggle and the thunder of the people’s rifles shall drown out all the agunyas and threats of the murderer regime.