Impunity in the Philippines Must Be Ended

Worldwide Opposition to Extra-Judicial Killings

Toronto

Actions were carried out April 10 in the Philippines and around the world, including Canada, to condemn the brutal killing by the Philippine state of 14 unarmed farmers on the island of Negros in the central Visayas region of the Philippines on March 29.

A fact-finding investigation conducted by local human rights and farmers' organizations, which included interviews with family members and eye witnesses, concluded that police officers in full combat gear barged into the victims' houses, displayed false warrants and then shot their victims in cold blood. Another dozen or so people were taken into custody. The organizations are calling for a full investigation into the murders and that those responsible be brought to justice. This is the latest act in a brutal campaign of state violence and terror committed by the U.S.-backed Philippine state, which has been stepped up since the Duterte government took power in June 2016. It is aimed at destroying the leadership of the revolutionary movement of the Filipino people at a time when the movement of the people under the leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the armed struggle waged by the New People's Army is gaining in strength.

Acts of state violence are increasing in the Philippines. The U.S.-backed regime of President Rodrigo Duterte has been responsible for the killing of more than 200 peasant and Indigenous leaders since coming to power in June 2016. An additional 7,000 people, including many political activists, have been summarily executed as part of Duterte's "war on drugs."

These acts of state terror are being carried out with impunity at a time when the situation in the Philippines is becoming increasingly complex with the U.S. and China challenging each other for domination of the strategic East Sea (also known as the South China Sea). Russia is also getting involved. In the midst of the annual Balikatan U.S.-Philippines live-fire military drills April 1-15, three Russian battleships arrived in Manila for a five-day visit to "improve navy-to-navy relations." This is the sixth time Russian battleships have visited the islands since President Duterte came to power on June 30, 2016.

Duterte stands at the head of a small group of wealthy and powerful and their state, keeping the nation in the hands of outsiders. Within this dangerous situation, the workers, peasants, youth and women of the Philippines, organized and inspired by the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People's Army, are engaged in struggle -- armed, parliamentary and extra-parliamentary -- to put an end to this state of affairs.

Since coming to power, the Duterte regime has been a further betrayal of the Filipino people, selling out the Philippine economy to U.S. and foreign monopolies including Canadian mining companies. Indigenous people face displacement from their lands. Filipino workers are faced with continued outward migration to Europe, Asia, and Canada and the U.S. where they are denied their rights and become among the most exploited sections of the working class. The remittance funds they send home have increased to record levels and help keep the Philippine economy afloat, while wage freezes and other measures at home deteriorate the living standards of the people throughout the country. Political persecution of those who resist has also markedly increased.

However, the Filipino people remain steadfast in advancing their nation-building project of ridding their homeland of U.S. imperialism and all foreign domination and those who facilitate it. They have been steeled in battle after battle since they fought for independence against first Spain and then the U.S. imperialists. Their revolutionary struggles over the last 50 years since they founded their communist party guide their attempts to liberate their country from the clutches of the U.S. imperialists and end the foreign domination of their economy and achieve a comprehensive and just peace.

The political imprisonments and extrajudicial killings by the Duterte regime are desperate attempts to maintain the status quo, that will not succeed and have only strengthened the people's resolve to achieve victory in their long struggle. The Filipino people demand a just and comprehensive peace as a stepping stone in their nation-building project of creating a new, democratic and independent Philippines.

This article was published in

Volume 49 Number 14 - April 20, 2019

Article Link:
Impunity in the Philippines Must Be Ended: Worldwide Opposition to Extra-Judicial Killings

    

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