The claim against Isko Moreno that he is a communist is a brazen lie by the propaganda agents of some of his political rivals. It is unfair and unjust to both Isko who denies being a communist and the Communist Party of the Philippines which has a high ideological, political and organizational standard for membership.

Isko does not become a Communist by merely having a photo-op with me in the course of the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations. I had such photo-ops with other GRP officials. When Duterte has a photo op with Mocha Uson, it cannot be interpreted that they are partners in bed because in the first place Duterte is often seen as having difficulty standing erect.

Let us respect Isko’s declaration that he is not a communist because in the first place he is not qualified to be one. We should look at him as a high bureaucrat capitalist dedicated to preserving the present anti-national and anti-democratic ruling system and serving the exploitative interests of foreign monopolists, big compradors and landlords, unless he becomes enlightened and proves himself otherwise.

As of now, Isko is far beyond the integrity, calibre and dignity of the great anti-imperialist patriots and democrats like Claro Mayo Recto, Lorenzo Tañada and Jose W. Diokno who upheld their patriotic and progressive principles and who did not have to attack the Communist Party to prove that they were not communists.

Communism is not the issue now in the Philippines. It is not even socialism. The Philippines cannot become socialist because the Filipino people have not yet succeeded in achieving full national independence and democracy against foreign monopoly capitalism, domestic feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism.

The quality of the current presidential candidates can be determined by how much they expose and oppose the Duterte regime’s crimes of treason, tyranny, state terrorism, mass murder and plunder; and the rapid deterioration and worsening of the socioeconomic, political and health crisis as a result of wrong policies, bureaucratic corruption, military overspending and other anti-people transgressions.

Moreover, the presidential candidates must present what is their program of government. The broad masses of the people demand full national independence, genuine democracy, social justice, economic development through genuine land reform and national industrialization, expansion of social services, a national, scientific and mass-oriented culture and independent foreign policy.

Red-tagging progressive and patriotic organizations and individuals as communists or terrorists will not deflect the people’s attention from the grave crimes and anti-people policies of the Duterte regime. The campaign of red-tagging and worse forms of anti-communism and state terrorism is being carried out to enable the tyrant Duterte to rig the 2022 presidential elections or even postpone these as Marcos did when in 1972 he declared nationwide martial law.

At any rate, it would be beneficial to the people if there is an effective broad united front of legal patriotic and democratic forces to counter the Duterte regime’s scheme of rigging the 2022 elections or even postponing these indefinitely. If the regime commits fraud and terrorism in the elections or calls off the elections,the broad masses of the people will rise up more quickly and successfully than ever before.

The Filipino people are already fed up with the many grave crimes of the Duterte regime, the bankruptcy of the government and economy, the high rate of unemployment, mass poverty and inflation. They are eager for revolutionary change.

And they have the revolutionary forces to rely on, such as the revolutionary party of the proletariat, a people’s army, revolutionary mass organizations, alliances and the local organs of political power that constitutes the people’s democratic government.