CPP/Ang Bayan: Wage all-out resistance against Aquino’s chacha and term extension scheme

Propaganda statement posted to the CPP Website (Aug 21): Wage all-out resistance against Aquino’s chacha and term extension scheme

CPP Ang Bayan

 

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) urgently calls on the Filipino people to meet the Aquino clique’s moves to extend its stay in power through Marcos-style measures.

 

The Aquino clique is targeting the amendment of the 1987 constitution (cha-cha) in order to clip the Supreme Court’s power to stop Aquino from doing as he pleases. Like Marcos, Aquino wants the other branches of the reactionary government to become his rubberstamps and mere facades to conceal his dictatorial conduct.

 

The Aquino clique, especially its minions in Congress, is likewise focused on amending the constitution to allow Aquino to extend his current term or run for a second term. Its members are now in a mad scramble to create the illusion of mass support for Aquino in order for him to stay in power after Aquino stated that he was open to such a possibility if it was in accordance with “his bosses’ wishes.”

 

Aquino’s backpedalling on the cha-cha issue demonstrates desperation in the face of the worsening political crisis faced by the ruling regime. He wants to consolidate his own power out of fear that he and his cohorts would be removed from power on or before 2016 and made to account for stealing, plunder and other crimes against the people.

 

Aquino’s statements blatantly manifest his dictatorial bent, his desire to monopolize political power and dismantle all obstacles and questions to his “righteous” rule. His statements have further stoked the fires of the people’s anger and spurred a blitz of brickbats from the people who have had enough of Aquino’s policies that have brought nothing but skyrocketing prices of goods and services, very low wages, widespread landlessness and landgrabbing, massive unemployment and unprecedented hunger and poverty. On top of these burdens is brutality militarization and other grave violations of human rights.

 

The people have long hated Aquino because of the stench of corruption that his regime has been reeking out. Bureaucrat capitalism has worsened under the Aquino regime because of its efforts to consolidate its power through the use of the nation’s coffers to favor cronies and contributors to Aquino’s election kitty.

 

They detest his use of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), Development Acceleration Program and other pork barrel programs allotting billions of pesos of government funds according to Aquino’s prerogative and caprice. Aquino has arrogated the power to decide which programs or projects would suffer budget cuts or be deprived of funds altogether for the use of his businessman-cronies and politicians loyal to his clique.

 

Despite widespread criticism of the pork barrel, Aquino insists on maintaining tens of billions of pesos under Malacañang’s direct control. There have been recent exposés of how Aquino concealed from the public the system of providing funds for various government agency programs “nominated” by senators, congressmen and local officials as a means of buying their loyalty and support.

 

Thus, in realit, Aquino has long been running his government like a dictatorship. He is able to get everything he wants from Congress and the Senate which are both rules by his minions and apologists. Aquino now plans to obtain even greater power through cha-cha. When he is able to realize his avowed goal of clipping the powers of the Supreme Court, he will have enthroned himself as a dictator.

 

With the continuing exposés of corruption, repression and puppetry, Aquino has grown increasingly isolated from, and despised, by the people. It is no wonder that Malacañang officials and Aquino’s propagandists have been straining to portray the fiction of growing support for Aquino to justify measures to extend his power. All of Aquino’s gimmicks on the internet and in the media have been contemptuously ignored by the public.

 

Aquino’s statements baring his objective of attaining greater powers have likewise further driven various pettybourgeois forces, groups and personalities to join forces with entities opposed to the ruling regime. They have grown more active in expressing their opposition to Aquino’s rotten rule.

 

The struggles of the broad masses of the people to oust the Aquino regime must be fired up even more. Aquino must not be allowed to use cha-cha or any other political maneuver to extend his stay in power and the people’s verdict and punishment.

 

The Filipino people must likewise be vigilant of reactionary politicians who want to amend the constitution to do away with provisions that impose limits in foreign ownership and control of Philippine industries.

 

Driven by US imperialism, they are likewise targeting the removal of, or amendments to, provisions prohibiting the construction of foreign military bases and facility. This has no other purpose than to ratify the newly signed Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) which allows the US military to build facilities in various parts of the Philippines.

 

The people must go all-out in holding Aquino accountable for his sellout of national sovereignty, for raiding the nation’s coffers and for his onerous and repressive measures against the people.

[Ang Bayan is the official news organ of the Communist Party of the Philippines and is issued by the CPP Central Committee. It provides news about the work of the Party as well as its analysis of and views on current issues. Ang Bayan comes out fortnightly and is published in Pilipino, Bisaya, Ilokano, Waray, Hiligaynon and English.]

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