CPP/NDF-Eastern Visayas: Int’l indictment of Duterte’s drug war one of the reasons why his criminal regime treads the path of defeat

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Jun 21, 2021): Int’l indictment of Duterte’s drug war one of the reasons why his criminal regime treads the path of defeat

NDF-EASTERN VISAYAS

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT OF THE PHILIPPINES

JUNE 21, 2021

Read in: Waray

The National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas welcomes with the Filipino people the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Office of the Prosecutor to request investigation into Rodrigo Duterte’s mass murder in the name of his drug war. This is a step towards achieving justice for the families of up to 30,000 victims of the state-sanctioned Oplan Tokhang. It is a scathing indictment of the vicious Duterte regime by the international community. It is also a step towards holding Duterte accountable for one of his many crimes against the people, for which he must be ousted from power.

The ICC serves as a court of last resort for victims of states that are unwilling to prosecute those who have committed crimes against humanity. Relatives of drug war victims in the Philippines have resorted to seeking legal redress from the ICC because the local courts that are under Duterte’s bidding have failed to, and because the state through Duterte’s “kill everyone” remarks have sanctioned the mass murder against alleged drug peddlers.

Duterte with his spokesperson Harry Roque inadvertently show themselves stupid by playing up the “specter” of communism to defend Duterte against widespread public condemnation. Duterte is doing everything he can so that he will stay in power and not be sentenced by the ICC as a murderous, genocidal, fascist, and morally-bankrupt tyrant. This includes more killings, all-out war, bribery, charter change, manipulating the 2022 elections, and staging a “no-election” scenario.

Oplan Tokhang is only one of the many crimes which the Filipino people hold Duterte accountable for. The people accuse him of grave human rights violations in connection to his drug war and to his all-out war against the revolutionary movement. He has made a private army out of the AFP-PNP to kill and intimidate his critics, and to eliminate his family’s rivals to monopoly of the illegal drug trade.

Duterte has betrayed the country twice over by kowtowing to Chinese interests, especially by giving way to China’s occupation of the West Philippine Sea and by continuing the Philippines’ economic, political and military subservience to US imperialism. He terminated the peace negotiations with the NDFP and perpetuated the exploitation and oppression of the people under the big landlords, compradors and foreign capitalists.

Duterte has allowed the spread of Covid-19 into the country by letting in 500,000 Chinese nationals despite the threat of the virus. He emaciated budget allocations for health measures against the pandemic and for economic aid for the poor, while swindling billions of public funds to line his, his loyalists’ and his generals’ pockets. He has plunged the national economy into further debt amounting to almost P11 trillion in the name of pandemic response, but to no avail as cases continue to rise in the provinces.

By turning himself into an international pariah, Duterte is becoming all the more isolated and the Filipino people have more than enough reasons to fight his regime. Duterte’s schemes to remain in power will certainly fail.

The people must exhaust all means, both legal and illegal, to hold him accountable for his crimes and to put an end to his regime’s exploitation and oppression of the people through his corruption, treachery, fascism, and plunder. They must arouse, organize, and mobilize millions to fight the fascist terrorist Duterte, remove him from power, and pursue a path towards genuine democracy and justice.

https://cpp.ph/statements/intl-indictment-of-dutertes-drug-war-one-of-the-reasons-why-his-criminal-regime-treads-the-path-of-defeat/