The National Democratic Front – Eastern Visayas (NDF-EV) honors and celebrates today the victory of our forefathers who fought the US colonial army in the 1901 Balangiga uprising. “We mark the 121st anniversary in salute to the people’s courage and creative power, invincible strength and unyielding will against foreign domination as we denounce the blatant puppetry of the US-Marcos regime to US imperial powers,” the NDF-EV said.

The NDF-EV forewarned that on commemoration day, the US-Marcos II regime will perpetuate the insulting narrative of US-Philippine friendship through the token return of the Balangiga bells. It will continue to water down the Balangiga uprising as an “encounter” or “massacre” to obscure the important fact of the people’s uprising and victory against the predatory war of US.

“This blatant coverup of US war crimes against the Filipino people is unsurprising as the deep ties between US imperialism and the Marcos family are well-carved in history,” NDF-EV noted. It is important to remember that the US provided sanctuary for the Marcoses after the 1986 EDSA uprising and is instrumental in installing Marcos Junior as the 17th puppet president of the republic through the fraudulent automated electoral system.

“For his part, Marcos Junior has openly allied himself with the US during his recent state visit, with the latter turning a blind eye to the former’s criminal convictions ruled by its own courts. He boasted himself as ‘salesman’ of Philippine sovereignty for the benefit of US monopoly capitalists who promised investments and loans. He dangled the neoliberal policies of the country that skirt through constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership, reduce taxes to foreign investors, set the artificial need for agricultural importation, and market our labor force for overseas enslavement,” NDF-EV said.

Militarily, the NDF-EV said the Mutual Defense Treaty and other lopsided military agreements between the Philippines and the US are bound to continue. The positioning of US troops, tanks, and missiles and the conduct of joint military exercises within the country will continue to threaten our people and territories amid heightening US-instigated inter-imperialist conflicts and proxy wars.

Fascist terrorist attacks are also set to escalate under the dictate and support of US imperialism. Similar to General Jacob Smith’s declaration to turn Samar into a “howling wilderness,” the people of Samar now confront large-scale, focused, and sustained fascist operations consistent with the US counterinsurgency guide and aided with US modern war machines and other weapons of mass destruction.

“But the people take refuge in the lessons of the Balangiga uprising against imperialism and reaction,” the NDF-EV said.

“The locals of Balangiga applied guerilla tactics to triumph over a much superior military force. The historic event serves as a reminder that the principal factor deciding war is the people and not weaponry, and that modern armaments do not decide the outcome of battle but the collective strength and determination of the people to overcome their fascist oppressors,” NDF-EV ended.