The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) foresees another resurgence in its revolutionary struggle following the Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) third rectification movement launched last December.
In a message to members and supporters on the occasion of its 51st founding anniversary today, April 24, Luis Jalandoni, NDFP chief international representative, said they remain confident of complete victory in the struggle for national and social liberation.
“On the firm foundation of the 51 years of glorious revolutionary struggle and the resurgence that inevitably follows rectification we are confident of winning more battles in the years to come,” he said.
In his statement, Jalandoni also urged NDFP allied organizations as well as the “fighting Filipino masses” to continue “resist[ing] imperialist wars and confront chronic crises.”
Jalandoni said Filipinos are facing the real threat of “inter-imperialist armed confrontation” between the United States and China, made worse by the ongoing Balikatan war exercises “intent to transform the Philippine archipelago into a forward military base where the US can station is military personnel, warships, anti-aircraft weapons and other war materiel.”
A weakling amid bullies
For the ongoing exercises, the US Army for the first time has deployed new ground-based missile launchers, in Northern Luzon capable of supporting Tomahawk cruise missiles and other projectiles against China.
US Naval News said the mid-range capable launchers, known as the Typhon Weapon system were created to address “the wide range of threats” from both China and Russia.
China for its part condemned the Balikatan, saying it will only lead to greater insecurity in the South China Sea.
China warned that the Philippine government should be “sober enough to realize” that allowing external countries to hold war games is a provocation that will only aggravate tensions and undermine regional stability.
“Attempts to bring in external forces to safeguard its so-called security will only lead to greater insecurity for itself,” People’s Republic of China foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing in Beijing.
Jalandoni said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is serving the Filipino people on a silver platter to its US imperialist master is dragging the Philippines in a brewing hot war with China.
Reasons to resist
The former NDFP chief peace negotiator said that while Philippine sovereignty is being undermined by both the US and China, Filipinos are also subjected to worsening economic conditions under Marcos Jr.
He pointed that farmers are subjected to systematic and criminal neglect by not providing substantial air and support during El Nino.
Jalandoni added that the working classes suffer from varying schemes of labor exploitation as wages remain depressed amid sky-rocketing prices of basic goods and services.
“Despite the consecutive onslaughts of economic crises and the threat of war, the Filipino fighting masses remain persistent in the struggle for national liberation and democracy,” he said.
Jalandoni said the NDFP persists in uniting the peasants and the working class in their struggle for national and social liberation.
An underground organization composed of revolutionary groups such as the CPP and the New People’s Army, the NDFP is engaged in peace negotiations with the Manila government for more than three decades. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
The Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government maintains its designation of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) as so-called terrorist organizations and declared two National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultants as alleged terrorist individuals.
On separate resolutions passed around the time when Malacañan Palace announced efforts to resume formal peace negotiations with the NDFP, the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) said that based on evidence gathered by law enforcement agencies, the basis for the designation on the CPP and NPA still exists.
ATC Resolution 54–approved last December 6 but only uploaded only last Wednesday to the Manila government’s Official Gazette website–alleges that both the CPP and the NPA committed 268 “atrocities” from December 2020 to August 2023.
The ATC first designated the CPP and the NPA as “terrorist organizations” in its Resolution No. 17 passed in 2021.
ATC Resolution 53, also approved last December 6 but only uploaded last April 17, designated NDFP peace consultant Elizabeth Principe as a so-called terrorist individual.
Earlier ATC Resolution 52, approved last October 25 but only uploaded to the Official Gazette last January 9, also declared Ma. Concepcion Araneta-Bocala as a so-called terrorist individual.
The ATC alleges that both Principe and Araneta-Bocala are CPP Central Committee members and are thus qualified for the designation.
Resolution 53 also alleges the elderly Principe has participated in NPA attacks in Cagayan Valley as late as March 2023, such as in the burning of heavy mining and dam construction equipment in Isabela Province.
Principe has attended a formal round of peace negotiations between the Benigno Aquino Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the NDFP in Oslo, Norway January 2011 while Araneta-Bocala has repeatedly attended formal peace negotiations with the Rodrigo Duterte administration throughout Europe from 2016 to 2017.
Both peace consultants are GRP-NDFP Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees documents of identification holders and included in a reconstituted list of protected peace talks personnel submitted to the Old Catholic Church Patriarch in The Netherlands in 2017.
The GRP already included Araneta-Bocala in an earlier list of so-called terrorists under the Human Security Act of 2007.
The ATC resolutions were signed by Marcos’ executive secretary, Atty. Lucas Bersamin, as chairperson of the ATC as well as other council officials.
The council was created by the passage of Republic Act 11479, otherwise known as the Anti-Terror Act of 2020.
‘Talking to terrorists?’
ATC’s approval of its resolutions 53 and 54 came mere days after both GRP, NDFP and Royal Norwegian Government, Third Party Facilitator to the peace process, simultaneously announced that dialogues between the parties have resumed to try to revive the stalled formal talks last November 28.
ATC’s uploading of both resolutions to the Official Gazette also came at a time when further dialogues between both parties were expected.
The parties’ simultaneous press conferences last November 28 said that further dialogues may be expected in the first quarter of the current year.
The CPP, NPA and NDFP dispute the designation and were affirmed by a September 2022 Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) decision junking their attempted proscription by the GRP as “terrorists”.
In a 135-page resolution penned by Presiding Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar, the Manila RTC said a perusal of the CPP-NPA’s program shows that it is organized not for the purpose of engaging in terrorism.
NDFP Negotiating Panel Chairperson Julie de Lima earlier told Kodao that the retraction of the terrorist designation of the revolutionary groups shall be among the issues to be discussed in further dialogues with the GRP as part of efforts to resume formal peace negotiations.
“They can’t be negotiating with parties they allege to be terrorists, can they?” de Lima said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBM-1.jpg9461928Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2024-04-21 09:11:322024-04-21 09:25:02When peace dialogues should be ongoing, Marcos gov’t pronounces revolutionary groups as ‘terrorists’
The New People’s Army (NPA) has “wholeheartedly welcomed” the third rectification movement recently launched by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the revolutionary Left reported.
In its traditional NPA founding anniversary statement published today, the CPP’s Central Committee said all of the guerrilla army’s regional commands have responded positively to the rectification movement launched last December 26 on the occasion of the Party’s own 55th founding anniversary.
“They have responded positively and are presently carrying out summing-up conferences and study meetings to identify the errors and shortcomings in order to rectify these, and steadily and comprehensively carry forward all revolutionary tasks,” the CPP said.
In a nearly eight thousand word statement entitled “Set to blaze the revolutionary armed struggle for national democracy! Carry out the critical and urgent tasks to rectify errors and advance the revolution!” the CPP said the NPA and all other revolutionary forces are in the process of identifying and getting rid of the ideological roots of “past errors, weaknesses and shortcomings.”
The Party said the NPA had been stalled by military conservatism in recent years resulting in fewer tactical offensives against Manila government’s armed forces.
The CPP also acknowledged the loss of veteran NPA commanders in the ongoing total war that started after former President Rodrigo Duterte terminated peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, a strategy that is continuing under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
NPA defeat ’wishful thinking’
The underground Party said their third rectification movement is frustrating government plans to annihilate the NPA however, similar to how its Second Great Rectification Movement has salvaged their revolution from total self-destruction in the 1990s.
This report is in stark contrast to Marcos Jr.’s announcement last January that the NPA has suffered “strategic defeat,” citing Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) claims that there are no more active Red guerrilla fronts left in the country.
The CPP dismissed the new (AFP) deadline of June 2024 as the date for the destruction of all Red guerrilla fronts and the end of this year as the annihilation of the entire NPA.
Last Tuesday, March 26, Chinese outfit XinhuaNet reported national security adviser Eduardo Ano’s reiteration of AFP’s claim of the NPA’s strategic defeat and total annihilation by year-end.
On the same day, however, the NPA in Quezon province announced it ambushed a 30-man unit of the 85th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army in Barangay Doña Aurora, Calauag town.
Three government troopers were wounded in the attack, Apolonio Mendoza Command-NPA spokesperson Cleo del Mundo reported.
The Manila government has declared Quezon province as “insurgency-free” and was put under the so-called Stable Internal Peace and Security category only last June.
All NPA regional commands intact
In today’s statement, the CPP Central Committee said that all 14 NPA regional commands remain intact and is starting to arrest its reverses through intense ideological activities such as the study of Marxist, Leninist and Maoist writings as well as those of its founding chairperson Sison.
The CPP said the NPA is in the process of correcting its military conservatism and directed the guerrilla army to launch attacks to regain strengthen and defend the people from widespread human rights violations resulting from intense government military operations.
“In response, the enemy poured even greater amounts of funds and resources to its counterrevolutionary war and has further intensified its campaign of encirclement and suppression,” the CPP said.
“This has now taken the form of relentless and widespread campaigns of armed suppression against peasant communities, aerial bombing and artillery shelling and large-scale combat operations in scores of guerrilla fronts across the country.”
Acknowledged as the army engaged in the longest armed revolution in Asia, the NPA was founded on this day in 1969 in Barangay Sta. Rita in Capas, Tarlac, a few months after Sison and several others re-established the CPP in neighboring Pangasinan province a few months earlier in December 26, 1968. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
Detained National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultants welcome reported dialogues to revive stalled formal peace negotiations with the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP), expressing hope to join the talks if efforts succeed.
Long-time NDFP consultant Vicente Ladlad said they welcome efforts to resume formal peace talks with the GRP and the start of its policy changes regarding negotiations with the revolutionary Left.
“It is good they (GRP) decided to elevate peace talks to the national level once again and reverse former president Rodrigo Duterte’s policy of so-called localized peace talks,” Ladlad said.
The 30-year veteran of the GRP-NDFP talks noted that Duterte was of the “mistaken” belief that the GRP shall have eliminated the NPA by the end of his term in June 2022.
“Apparently, they realized that under Marcos Jr., they realized that the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA (New People’s Army)-NDFP is still a viable force. That is why they are going back to negotiating with the NDFP,” Ladlad added.
Following Duterte’s cancellation of formal negotiations in mid-2017, no local CPP, NPA and NDFP formation has also officially engaged the GRP in so-called localized peace talks, the groups clarifying they have only authorized the NDFP Negotiating Panel to negotiate with the Manila government.
Outstanding issues
Ladlad said that one of the hurdles in efforts to revive the talks is Vice President Sara Duterte’s open opposition to the policy change on negotiations with the NDFP.
He said the vice president’s statement on the peace efforts was “very hostile and belligerent” to her president, Marcos Jr.
In an interview after the simultaneous announcement by the NDFP, GRP and the Royal Norwegian Government—Third Party Facilitator of the peace talks–of ongoing dialogues to revive negotiations last December, Vice President Duterte said it was “an agreement with the devil.”
NDFP peace consultant Adelberto Silva for his part said another hurdle to the success of the ongoing dialogues is the insistence of other officials in the Marcos Jr. cabinet to do away with previously signed agreements such as The Hague Joint Declaration and the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).
Silva said that The Hague Joint Declaration should remain as the framework of the negotiations as it had already been signed and reaffirmed by both parties numerous times.
“The GRP must also guarantee the safety of the consultants the NDFP wishes to join in the revived peace talks under the JASIG,” Silva said.
Both consultants added the Marcos Jr. GRP must remember that the negotiations are not just about ending the armed conflict but addressing its root causes.
“Otherwise, that’s just surrender talks,” they said.
In an interview with Kodao, NDFP Negotiating Panel chairperson Julie de Lima said there have been at least five dialogues with GRP emissaries since early 2022 when NDFP chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison was still alive. (Sison died of illness in December 2022.)
The first four dialogues happened in The Netherlands and the fifth was in Oslo where the November 26, 2023 Joint Communique was signed between GRP officials and the NDFP Negotiating Panel.
De Lima said it was former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Emmanuel Bautista who initiated the dialogues who was later joined by Presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. and Special Assistant to the President Antonio Lagdameo Jr. at the fifth round of dialogues in Oslo, Norway. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/vic3.jpg664934Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2024-03-27 16:57:172024-03-29 12:47:53NDFP consultants welcome return of peace talks to national level
Sa ika-apat at huling episode ng panayam na ito, sinagot ni National Democratic Front of the Philippines Negotiating Panel Chairperson Julie de Lima Sison kung ano ang kabuluhan ng ikatlong kilusang pagwawasto ng Communist Party of the Philippines sa usapang pangkapayapaan. Mangyayari ba ang pagpapasuko ng administrasyong Marcos Jr. sa rebolusyonaryong kilusan? Ano ang epekto sa pagkawala nina Prof. Joma Sison, Fidel Agcaoili, Benito Tiamzon, Wilma Austria at iba pa sa negosasyon? Ano ang panawagan niya sa mga kasapi ng NDFP at mamamayan kaugnay sa usapang pangkapayapaan?
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JDL-4-cover.jpg10801920Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2024-03-27 15:54:102024-03-27 15:54:11PANAYAM KAY JULIE DE LIMA SISON (Huling Bahagi)
Sa episode na ito, ano ang masasabi ni National Democratic Front of the Philippines Negotiating Panel Chairperson Julie de Lima Sison sa mga pahayag ng mga opisyal ng pamahalaang Marcos Jr. kung ano ang gusto nilang katangian ng sinusubukang buhayin na usapang pangkapayapaan? Bakit nga ba nakikipag-usap ang NDFP sa isa na namang gubyernong Marcos? Ano nga ba ang tunay na interes ng gobyernong Marcos Jr. sa mga diskusyon sa posibleng pagbuhay ng usapang pangkapayapaan? Paano kapaki-pakinabang ang usapang pangkapayapaan sa mga maiinit na isyung pambayan?
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JDL-Part-3-Cover.jpg10801920Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2024-03-26 11:53:352024-03-26 11:55:23PANAYAM KAY JULIE DE LIMA SISON (Ikatlong Bahagi)
Sa episode na ito, ibinahagi ni National Democratic Front of the Philippines Negotiating Panel Chairperson Julie de Lima Sison ang kwento kung paano nagsimula ang kasalukuyang pag-uusap sa posibleng pagbuhay ng negosasyong pangkapayapaan sa pagitan ng kanilang panig at ng Gubyerno ng Republika ng Pilipinas sa ilalim ng administrasyong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Sino ang unang lumapit? Ano ang mga isyung kanilang pinag-uusapan? Ano ang talagang nais ng gubyernong Marcos Jr? Ano ang tugon ng NDFP? At ano ang estado ng mga dayalogo sa kasalukuyan?
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/JDL-Part-2-cover.jpg10801920Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2024-03-25 12:51:512024-03-25 13:04:49PANAYAM KAY JULIE DE LIMA SISON (Ikalawang Bahagi)
United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion Irene Khan said the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration’s decision to open peace talks with the revolutionary Left is a positive signal but urged however for the abolition of the government’s anti-insurgency task force.
Among her recommendations in her exit press briefing last Thursday, February 2, Khan said the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) should be abolished “to allow for more inclusive peace-building platforms.”
“The tone of the new Administration, coupled with its decision to open peace talks with insurgents and a renewed engagement with the international community, are positive signals,” Khan said.
“But addressing the serious and deep-seated human rights issues will require more fundamental and sustained reforms,” she added.
Khan said the NTF-ELCAC is “outdated” and stressed that “does not take into account the ongoing prospects for peace negotiations.”
The government, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and the Royal Norwegian Government simultaneously announced ongoing discussions for the possible resumption of formal peace negotiations.
Immediate rejection
Khan’s recommendation was however immediately rejected by Marcos administration officials, even accusing the UN expert of blindsiding the government with her preformed opinions before arriving in the Philippines.
National security adviser Eduardo Año, Peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr., interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., National Security Council assistant director Jonathan Malaya and media security task force head Paulino Gutierrez in unison rejected Khan’s recommendation of Khan to abolish the NTF-ELCAC.
“Please take note that this is a 55-year old running insurgency. Now that we have reached this stage in the campaign, we feel it is improper to call for its abolition,” Malaya said, again claiming the government is about to defeat the New People’s Army (NPA).
Año for his part said the NTF-ELCAC “does not encourage red-tagging.”
Sen. Imee Marcos also mocked Khan’s call to abolish the task force as “supremely presumptuous,” belittling the length of time the UN expert spent in her in-country investigations.
“After a mere 10 days in the Philippines, during which she never visited the NTF barangays but only met a chosen few witnesses, she has the knowledge and the right to tell the Philippine government what to do?” Marcos said in a statement.
Ignorant response
Rights group Karapatan however labeled the Senator as ignorant, saying she should be schooled on international human rights mechanisms like the UN and the International Criminal Court.
“They cannot just sign human rights treaties, conventions and go to town saying that we have a ‘vibrant’ democracy, without being held accountable for the Philippine government’s obligations and commitments in this global rights system,” Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said.
Palabay pointed out that it was the government that invited Khan into the Philippines and her recommendations must be respected as part of the government’s obligations to the international community.
“What they fail to see is that it is simply game over for the NTF-ELCAC, despite all the lights and sounds show, parties and meetings they put up during SR Khan’s official visit,” Palabay said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
No end to armed conflict without solving root causes, CPP insists
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) denounced claims made by GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) security officials the November 23 Oslo Joint Statement is an agreement for the surrender of the New People’s Army (NPA) and an effective end to the 55-year civil war in the Philippines.
Reacting to statements made by National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya in an online press briefing last January 3, the CPP said the official misrepresented the joint statement to deviously undermine efforts to revive peace negotiations between the GRP and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
In its own statement issued Thursday, the CPP said Malaya’s claims also seeks to prevent discussions from taking place that should tackle the socioeconomic and political issues that are the root causes of the armed conflict.
The CPP also criticized claims by other government officials that the joint statement was signed with the aim of ending the CPP-led armed struggle.
In a primer on the Oslo Joint Statement last Friday, December 29, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict quoted both Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro as saying the communiqué does not signify the resumption of the peace talks.
There is no guarantee of peace talks, both officials reportedly said.
The primer further quoted Bersamin as saying, “The peace talks are over and done…The communiqué that was mutually agreed upon communicates to the people of the Philippines, and to the world, that both parties now want to end the hostilities.”
The CPP however clarified that the GRP officials are intentionally misreading the joint statement that while it includes the phrase “ending the armed struggle,” it is accompanied and preceded by the phrase “resolving the roots of the armed conflict.”
“This entails thoroughgoing negotiations that should be undertaken with a clear agenda that comprises (a) human rights; (b) social and economic reforms; (c) political and constitutional reform; (d) disposition of forces under The GRP-NDFP Hague Declaration signed in 1992,” the CPP explained.
Both parties have already signed a Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) under The Hague Joint Declaration in 1998 by the NDFP and the Joseph Estrada GRP.
The CARHRIHL has since been reaffirmed by the NDFP and subsequent Gloria Arroyo, Benigno Aquino and Rodrigo Duterte GRP governments.
The revolutionary group added that should peace negotiations again take place with the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government, these should address the widespread problems of landlessness, poverty and hardships, political repression and tyranny, as among the issues that drive the people to take up arms against the Manila government.
“Indeed, the CPP and the NDFP consider peace talks as an additional battlefield, albeit unarmed, alongside revolutionary armed struggle, to advance the people’s national democratic cause, to assert across the negotiating table the people’s demands: for genuine land reform and national industrialization, social justice and true democracy,” the CPP statement said.
While several GRP officials have issued varying statements on the signing of the Oslo Joint Statement, mostly in disagreement with the NDFP-NPA-CPP position, President Marcos himself has yet to clarify his official position on whether to resume negotiations or to simply ask the underground Left to surrender. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/oslo-2.png7761536Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2024-01-04 17:01:102024-01-04 17:01:11Reds tell Marcos officials to quit sabotaging efforts to revive talks
Solidarity and resistance were the key themes of the year 2023. Collective struggle was our response to the worsening crisis in the Philippines and in the world. Many offered the supreme sacrifice so that freedom and democracy could be achieved. The mass struggles waged by oppressed peoples remain our hope and inspiration.
Here are some of the mass movement moments that made their mark in 2023.
1. #FreePalestine
The Philippines was part of the global protests against the US-backed Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza. The mass actions were staged in Manila and various parts of the country especially in Mindanao. Filipinos abroad also joined the global protests in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Belgium, The Netherlands among others. Defying Philippine police forces, various sectors marched to the Israeli embassy in BGC and the US embassy in Manila to denounce the killings of Palestinians and to demand a #FreePalestine, from the river to the sea. The global movement exposed the depravity and moribund character of the US war machine, the utter bankruptcy of the Zionist project and the justness of armed resistance for national liberation against colonial occupation. In Manila, various groups and the University of the Philippines hosted Filipino-Palestinian refugees from Gaza who were repatriated by the Philippine government but lacked state support to be able to settle and integrate here. Palestine continues to fight even as the year ends, and will continue to fight for freedom well into the new year.
2. #NoToJeepneyPhaseout
The most sustained mass campaign this year was against the profit-oriented PUV modernization program which aimed to phase-out traditional jeeps, allow for the corporate takeover of local routes, and squeeze more profits from commuters. Strikes were staged in March, November and December of this year. During the March strike, government conceded that it would not phase-out traditional jeeps that are still roadworthy. The government however insisted on the forced consolidation of jeepney routes and franchises to allow the corporate takeover of local routes, and then force the use imported “modern” jeeps that favor foreign manufacturers. So long as the PUVMP remains, the livelihood of drivers and operators would remain threatened. The biggest political victory of the campaign was the tremendous support it garnered from the public who sympathized with the plight of the jeepney drivers and who rejected the profit-oriented modernization scheme. The fight is not over though as the December 31 deadline looms.
3. #AbolishConfidentialFunds, #NoToMaharlikaScam
Fighting corruption was a major campaign for 2023 as groups opposed the Maharlika Investment Fund and the confidential and intelligence funds of top government officials. Protests greeted the signing of the Maharlika Investment Fund as workers and economists expressed concern over the huge allocation, questionable returns, and potential for misuse of the so-called sovereign wealth fund. Makabayan lawmakers meanwhile exposed the questionable rapid utilization of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President in 2022. The OVP did not have any confidential funds allocated under the GAA of 2022 yet somehow obtained P125 million from a fund transfer authorized by the Office of the President. Public outrage, amid the intensifying contractions among the factions of the ruling elite, made possible the removal of the confidential and intelligence funds of the OVP and the DepEd. The confidential and intelligence funds of the President remained untouched by Congress. Presidential travel funds also significantly increased by 58%, bringing it to a whopping P1.408 billion in 2024.
4. #NeverAgain
Fighting historical revisionism and fascism are our sworn duties under a second Marcos regime. This year saw efforts at “rebranding” the Marcos dictatorship with DepEd proposals to remove “Marcos” from “diktadurang Marcos” and the official use of “Bagong Pilipinas” as a call-back to the “Bagong Lipunan” of Martial Law. No amount of “rebranding can hide the crimes of the dictator and cover-up the fascist character of the current Marcos regime. A huge march was held in Manila on September 21 to mark the 51st anniversary of Marital Law. Upon reaching Mendiola, thousands of candles were lit as protesters sang Bayan Ko.
5. #SahodItaas #PresyoIbaba #MahalSaPilipinas
The economic crisis was a key issue throughout the year as we saw inflation quicken, and “shrinkflation” take hold of basic commodities. The first quarter of the year saw rising prices of agricultural food products while the Marcos regime further liberalized importation of agricultural products, instead of supporting local production and clamping down on cartels. The second quarter of the year saw a huge May Day demonstration that brought together various labor groups for the common call for a nationwide wage increase. June 30 meanwhile marked the first anniversary of the Marcos regime with groups marching to Mendiola with a parody of the Tourism Department’s “Love the Philippines”. “Mahal sa Pilipinas” was what many poor Filipinos were saying.
6. #EndImpunity #StopTheKillings
Tyranny and impunity are not forever. This year saw the first criminal case filed against former President Rodrigo Duterte by teacher-lawmaker France Castro of ACT Teachers’ Party. There now seems to be a different government attitude when it comes to cooperating with the ICC, with some quarters saying that ICC prosecutors have indeed been allowed into the Philippines to probe the Duterte drug war. SMNI is no longer untouchable, is the subject of a congressional inquiry and has received a suspension order from both the MTRCB and NTC. Bayan leaders and a journalist have filed civil cases against two of SMNI’s host. Meanwhile, trumped-up cases of “terrorism” vs Southern Tagalog activists have been dismissed at the level of the prosecutors.
7. #SurfaceJhedAndJonila
One of the most riveting incidents of 2023 was a presscon supposedly presenting “rebel surrenderees” Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro. But instead of the usual government gloating, the two young environmental activists turned the tables on the NTF-ELCAC and exposed that they were actually abducted by the military, held against their will in a safe house, and coerced into signing documents that claimed they were rebels. It was a moment of great courage that shook the military establishment. The fascist abductors scrambled for an explanation and then decided to charge the youth activists with “perjury”. Jhed and Jonila have filed a writ of amparo before the Supreme Court and remain active in their environmental advocacy. Many victims of abductions, like Dexter Capuyan and Bazoo de Jesus, remain missing to this day.
8. #SONA2023 and the Doble Kara effigy
For Marcos’ second SONA, a broad range of political forces marched along Commonwealth Avenue to press for higher wages, lower prices and an immediate response to the worsening economic crisis. Bayan brought out the Doble Kara effigy which showed the duplicitous character of the Marcos regime – one that claims to be different from previous puppet regimes but is fundamentally the same. The effigy was burned during the protest, the first for a Marcos SONA. For this act of protest, Bayan artist Max Santiago was slapped with trumped up charges such as violations of the Clean Air Act and the Solid Waste Management Act. Both cases were eventually dismissed by the QC prosecutor.
9. #HindiMagagapi
Last April 24, progressive organizations paid tribute to revolutionary heroes in the struggle for genuine freedom and democracy over the last 50 years. Many of them were victims of extrajudicial killings and summary executions, while others died in battle with the fascist forces. More than a thousand people attended the outdoor event that recognized the contributions of Jose Ma. Sison, Benito Tiamzon, Wilma Austria, Fidel Agcaoli, Antonio Zumel, Jorge Madlos, Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal, Ericson Acosta, Kerima Tariman, Kamil Manangan, and many others. In the event, speakers asserted that revolutionaries are not terrorists but freedom fighters who loved the masses and wanted a just and lasting peace for the Philippines.
10. #JustPeace
On November 23, the GRP and NDFP signed the Oslo Joint Statement signifying the intent of both parties to pursue peace negotiations to address the roots of the armed conflict. The move was welcomed by various democratic forces and even the political parties in Congress. Human rights groups sought the release of political prisoners including the NDFP peace consultants and the removal of the terrorist designation against the NDFP and the CPP and NPA. Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte openly opposed the resumption of the talks, calling the Oslo Joint Statement “an agreement with the devil.” The fascist mindset drew widespread criticism from the people and pushback from her political foes. With guarded optimism, we await the results of the possible meetings that will take place next year, even as we continue to fight for a just and lasting peace in the framework of the national democratic struggle. #
https://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mm2.jpg12001600Kodao Productionshttps://kodao.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/kodao.pngKodao Productions2023-12-29 14:02:262023-12-29 14:03:33Top 10: Mass Movement Moments 2023
