By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
NDFP Chief Political Consultant
January 17, 2018
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) order to close down Rappler and the railroading of bicameral Resolution No.8 of both Houses of Congress to constitute themselves as the Constituent Assembly and to carry out charter change are part of the chain of events to impose the fascist dictatorship of Duterte on the Filipino people.
Prior events in the chain include the escalation of all-out war under Oplan Kapayapaan, frenzied extrajudicial killings in both urban and rural areas, extension of the duration of martial law in Mindanao until the end of 2018, the threat of martial law nationwide, the termination of peace negotiations with the NDFP and the labelling of the CPP and NPA and suspected supporters as “terrorists.”
Duterte is hellbent on imposing fascist dictatorship on the Filipino people and is flagrantly using basically the same strategy and tactics of mass murder, intimidation, corruption and charter change as the late fascist dictator Marcos used.
Duterte´s pretense to change the unitary form of government to that of a federation is akin to Marcos´ pretense to shift to the parliamentary form of government. As in the case of Marcos, the real objective of Duterte is to concentrate powers in his hands as fascist dictator, to prolong his rule and serve his imperialist masters and fellow oligarchs and warlords through the transitional and regular provisons of a sham constitution.
Upon the ratification of a pseudo-federal constitution, Duterte will assume the powers of both the President and the Prime Minister. Elections next year will be canceled, with Duterte´s super majority in control of Congress and rewarding themselves with extended terms at higher salaries and bigger pork barrel benefits. He will be able to rule like an absolute monarch during the transition period, the end of which is not stipulated.
Charter change is not really to establish a federal government but a fascist dictatorship on top of a new layer of extremely expensive regional goverments ruled by big compradors, landlords, corrupt bureaucrats and warlords like Duterte. Duterte and his ilk want to do away with the restrictions on foreign investors, deliver to them cheap labor and the natural resources of the country, prevent national indutrialization and land reform and bury the people under mountains of foreign and local debt and heavier taxes on consumption goods as the trade and budgetary deficits grow.
Duterte´s reign of greed and terror is inflicting intolerable suffering on the Filipino people and is driving them to wage various forms of resistance. There is now a broad united front of antifascist, anti-imperialist and antifeudal forces moving to isolate and overthrow the Duterte regime.
Unwittingly, this tyrannical rule is inciting the revolutionary forces and broad masses of the people to intensify the new democratic revolution against the entire semicolonial and semifeudal ruling system.###
