On the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power, we are reminded that the struggle for national democracy and liberation remains unchanged. With the toppling of the Marcos Sr regime in 1986, we have witnessed the rise of neoliberal regimes that employed much of the same fascist state terror and maintained the same semi-colonial and semi-feudal system subservient to US imperialism. Corruption in the reactionary government is also at its highest level. Today, Marcos Jr is the king of corruption. As the chief architect of plunder, he is directly responsible for the hundreds of billions of pesos in budget insertions, massive pork barrel funds, and “allocables”.

Marcos Jr himself received confidential and intelligence funds amounting to ₱4.5 billion under the Office of the President. His office also received ₱150.9 billion in Unprogrammed Appropriations. He oversaw and approved the national budget including all the anomalies, kickbacks, and discrepancies that were later discovered. Sara Duterte, on the other hand, is the queen of corruption, in partnership with Marcos Jr. Under the Office of the Vice President and during her tenure as secretary of the Department of Education, the misuse of the confidential and intelligence funds was exposed. This includes the spending of ₱125 million under her office within only 11 days in December 2022.

Both Marcos Jr and Sara Duterte ran under the “Uniteam” ticket in 2022, until their falling out due to political ambitions and greed. Bureaucrat capitalism is further exposed more than ever. The comprador bourgeois and landlord class are now scrambling to shield themselves from accountability in their involvement in the massive corruption scandal. This is further seen in the dismissal of impeachment complaints filed against both Marcos Jr and Sara Duterte. The US-Marcos regime is also intensifying its fascist attacks, with the backing of US imperialism, to quell people’s protests who are justly outraged and frustrated with the state of corruption in the country. We witnessed this repression on September 21 of last year, and again in November, not counting the many other cases of State repression and harassment unleashed against activists, human rights defenders, and the toiling masses. Days ahead of February 25th, commemorating 40 years since EDSA, the US-Marcos regime once again is attempting to block people’s protests by insisting on the lack of permit for the planned demonstrations.

Recently, Sara Duterte announced her early bid to run for president in the 2028 national elections. On the other hand, there is also already talk about a possible Marcos endorsement for a Leni Robredo presidential candidacy to run against Sara Duterte. Certain political forces who opposed a Marcos government earlier are now finding themselves aligning with the pro-Marcos camp. This has all the hallmark of a US-backed intervention to groom the next puppet regime to serve its own imperialist interests in the region. Meanwhile, there are also some individuals who want the victims of Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, who have sought out the ICC to arrest and try Bong Go, Bato dela Rosa, and other co-conspirators of the fascist Duterte regime, to seek justice in Philippine courts; despite the fact that justice remains elusive in the corrupt system that has remained prevalent in the country. While the Filipino people are clamouring for accountability, justice, the removal of both Marcos Jr and Sara Duterte, and the establishment of a National Transition Council, the puppet bourgeois comprador class is already reorganising itself to divert the issue and ensure the political survival of the ruling elite and the whole rotten bureaucrat capitalist system.

40 years ago, a people’s uprising brought a regime change. However, the rotten semicolonial and semifeudal system persisted and its crises worsened. It is clearer than ever that revolution, and not just regime change nor constitutional reforms, is the answer to the Filipino people’s sufferings. Nor should the Filipino people rely on reactionary and corrupt elections that are controlled by the ruling elites and their imperialist masters. We, overseas Filipinos, must continue to arouse, organise, and mobilise to broaden and strengthen the struggle against corruption and oust the US-Marcos-Duterte regime. We have to contribute to the advance of the national democratic revolution through people’s war to solve the roots of massive forced migration, trafficking of our workers and the continuing misery and poverty in our motherland.

Oust the corrupt US-Marcos fascist regime!

End Bureaucrat Capitalism! End Imperialism and Feudalism!

Fight for National Freedom and Democracy!

Overseas Filipinos, join the revolutionary struggle back home!

Advance the National Democratic Revolution with a Socialist Perspective!