Read in: Pilipino

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) denounces the push by Duterte’s minions to amend the 1987 constitution which forms part of the schemes to perpetuate the Duterte political dynasty.

With just more than 500 days left in his official term, Duterte is now fast-tracking efforts to put his schemes into place. The charter change scheme was launched yesterday with a resolution filed before the Senate calling for the convening of a constituent assembly and with the announcement by House of Representative officials of intentions to put charter change into its agenda.

Based on how Duterte measures were recently accelerated in the Senate and House, there is high probability that charter change train will be railroaded using his supermajority control of the rubberstamp congress.

The ruling clique wishes to amend the 1987 constitution to either extend Duterte’s term of office in the guise of transitory provisions or to remove restrictions against him running for a second term. The rotten Duterte politicos are riding on this opportunity to push their self-serving aims of extending their own terms of office to give them more time to accumulate wealth and power.

They also aim to push for complete economic liberalization to remove restrictions in the 1987 constitution in order to allow foreign capitalists 100% ownership of land and business operations in the country. Complete liberalization will give foreign big business interests full rights to plunder the country’s human and natural resources.

The complete liberalization of the Philippine constitution was a promise Duterte gave to US President Donald Trump in 2017 in exchange for more military support to Duterte’s bloody anti-communist war of terror. By pushing charter change, Duterte can also secure more US fighter jets, drones, helicopters, bombs, rockets and other war matériel to boost his cruel and horrific war against the people.

The fascists also want charter change in order to redefine the bill of rights and remove the universality of human rights in the constitution. Its aim is to erode bourgeois democracy and give the state unprecedented powers to restrict people’s rights in the guise of defending “national security.”

Having committed innumerable and unspeakable crimes while in office, having surrendered the country’s patrimony and economic sovereignty, and driven by an insatiable greed for wealth and power, Duterte is increasingly fearful of leaving Malacañang in 2022 and facing the possibility of criminal prosecution and punishment for mass murder, corruption and treason.

The CPP calls on the Filipino people to act with urgency to resist Duterte’s charter change scheme for perpetuating his political dynasty. We call on all democratic and patriotic forces to unite and put up a broad united front and strongly oppose these schemes. They must also resist efforts to silence them through the Anti-Terror Law.

The CPP calls on the people to raise their vigilance and oppose Duterte’s other dynastic schemes including declaring a “revolutionary government” to establish a fascist dictatorship and efforts to secure the 2022 elections to ensure that his equally fascist, ambitious and power-hungry daughter Sara will inherit his throne.

The CPP urges the Filipino people to derail Duterte’s “chacha” train. They must amplify their urgent demands for them to survive the pandemic and severe economic crisis. They must oppose “chacha” and push for wage increases, emergency economic aid, jobs, free vaccines, free testing and treatment of Covid-19 patients, cancellation of peasant debt, suspension of plans to impose new taxes.