The National Democratic Front-Southern Tagalog condemns Duterte’s threat of suspending the writ of habeas corpus which is equivalent to preparing to declare Martial Law across the nation. Meanwhile, he blatantly endorsed the military to develop their ‘assassination skills’ to escalate their extra-judicial killings spree against the people. Duterte even threatened to form sparrow units of mercenary troops to counter the NPA’s offensives against his terrorist rule.

He aims to impose military rule not just in Mindanao but also in Visayas and Luzon where mass struggles are gaining momentum to silence his crtiques and all those who try to go against his fascist regime. Duterte is threatening not only his critiques but the toiling masses who suffer worse under his tyrannical rule.

The true revolutionary war of the people will defeat Duterte’s so called ‘revolutionary war’, his unjust all-out war. In Southern Tagalog, the New People’s Army together with the people is launching its offensives against the fascist Duterte regime through victorious tactical offensives hitting mercenary troops of the AFP-PNP-CAFGU and businesses of foreign entities and big bourgeois compradors. These offensives weaken the truculent domination of big bourgeois compradors, landlords and bureaucrat capitalists which amplifies the poverty-stricken countryside. After the raid of SCPC in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro and the raid of the Northern Builders Corporation in Infanta Quezon, NPA-ST is pursuing even more victories with continuous offensives upholding revolutionary justice for the people.

In Mindoro, the Lucio De Guzman Command launched offensives against the mercenary 203rd Infantry Brigade to counter its campaign of forced surrender and harassment against the Mangyan and the peasantry. Recently, the LdGC captured an active CAFGU personnel at Bgry. Malu, Bansud, Oriental Mindoro and is currently held as a prisoner of war. The unit of NPA-Mindoro also arrested the barangay chairman and two other barangay police of Brgy. Malu who are active agents of the 203rd Brigade of the Philippine Army. They were released on humanitarian grounds after being prosecuted for their crimes of surveillance leading to endangering the welfare of the people.

The NPA, with the help and support of the people are pacifying those who are active assets, informers and intelligence agents of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in revolutionary bases to make them pay for their crimes against the people and serve revolutionary justice to armed state agents guilty of grave human rights violations.

Duterte’s attempts to scare the people will only fail miserably. The people already faced regimes worst than his and proved that the people’s war is more superior. The people’s war weakened the tyrannical rule of Marcos that later led to the downfall of his dictatorship and martial law. They will face Duterte’s unjust war head on through its national democratic revolution. The people’s aspiration for national democracy and genuine peace inspires them to advance the struggle to overthrow the fascist US-Duterte regime and persecute the fascist US-Duterte regime for all crimes and atrocities against the people. ###