Cordillera People's Democratic Front
National Democratic Front of the Philippines
February 11, 2022
It appears that his family’s history is not the only thing Bongbong Marcos Jr. cannot and will not talk about during substantial interviews with respected journalists. He also cannot discuss his own platform because he has none.
It appears that his family’s history is not the only thing Bongbong Marcos Jr. cannot and will not talk about during substantial interviews with respected journalists. He also cannot discuss his own platform because he has none.
The Marcos Way
Bongbong should take a leaf out of the Red fighters’ book. The New People’s Army gets things done driven by a clear program of action within a timeline and based on basic principles such as class line (starting with the basic alliance of peasants and laborers), mass line (synthesizing ideas from the masses and returning it to them), primacy of armed struggle (protracted and originating from the countryside), among others. And the people’s army all but operates in the interior parts of the provinces. Marcos Jr. wants to become president of this country but all he ever says is ‘unity.’ In fact, in his roughly 15-minute speech, he uttered the word more than 20 times. How well he understands it is anyone’s guess.
The truly revolutionary way subjects unity to class line, as well as to mass line. Was Marcos Jr. referring to unity among the ruling class? But other cliques of traditional politicians, especially the Liberals, would fight it out with him this season of power-grabbing and division of power and influence. Or was he talking about uniting his plundering and murderous family with the basic masses? The ruling class in which his family belongs to only remembers the majority during elections. No time like the present to prove that.
Then there’s the mass line. What majority of a nation can forget a dictator’s rule that summarily executed no less than 3,200 individuals, tortured 34,000 and illegally imprisoned 70,000? Their regime plundered an estimated Php530 billion. No matter how hard the Marcoses work their dark magic to erase these numbers and the corresponding stories of the victims, the facts remain. Dismissing the people’s collective trauma, refusing to apologize, evading legal rulings that found them guilty and just barefacedly denying the truth—these only further distills the Marcos legacy in the collective memory of the Filipino people. Unity cannot happen without accountability. And with their family’s history of looting the public coffers for their immorally extravagant lifestyles and their kneejerk reaction to repress opposition through state violence, the untold campaign promise of Marcos Jr. becomes clear: further impoverishment and fascism.
Bongbong should take a leaf out of the Red fighters’ book. The New People’s Army gets things done driven by a clear program of action within a timeline and based on basic principles such as class line (starting with the basic alliance of peasants and laborers), mass line (synthesizing ideas from the masses and returning it to them), primacy of armed struggle (protracted and originating from the countryside), among others. And the people’s army all but operates in the interior parts of the provinces. Marcos Jr. wants to become president of this country but all he ever says is ‘unity.’ In fact, in his roughly 15-minute speech, he uttered the word more than 20 times. How well he understands it is anyone’s guess.
The truly revolutionary way subjects unity to class line, as well as to mass line. Was Marcos Jr. referring to unity among the ruling class? But other cliques of traditional politicians, especially the Liberals, would fight it out with him this season of power-grabbing and division of power and influence. Or was he talking about uniting his plundering and murderous family with the basic masses? The ruling class in which his family belongs to only remembers the majority during elections. No time like the present to prove that.
Then there’s the mass line. What majority of a nation can forget a dictator’s rule that summarily executed no less than 3,200 individuals, tortured 34,000 and illegally imprisoned 70,000? Their regime plundered an estimated Php530 billion. No matter how hard the Marcoses work their dark magic to erase these numbers and the corresponding stories of the victims, the facts remain. Dismissing the people’s collective trauma, refusing to apologize, evading legal rulings that found them guilty and just barefacedly denying the truth—these only further distills the Marcos legacy in the collective memory of the Filipino people. Unity cannot happen without accountability. And with their family’s history of looting the public coffers for their immorally extravagant lifestyles and their kneejerk reaction to repress opposition through state violence, the untold campaign promise of Marcos Jr. becomes clear: further impoverishment and fascism.
The Marcos Deception
Unity is not even a real platform. This presidentiable utters the concept thoughtlessly and frantically in lieu of one. Instead, what he has is his memories of heyday during the senior Marcos’ dictatorial regime. The family is desperate to score a victory now because only he can carry the surname and another six years of waiting for a chance could render Junior much too old to mount any presidential campaign.
But then again, perhaps Marcos Jr. does not even need to bother with a platform if there is an electoral commission already protecting him. Despite the guilty conviction regarding his tax evasion case (a 1995 ruling upheld in 1997), the Commission on Elections dismissed the petition to disqualify his candidacy. Commissioners Aimee Ferolino and Marlon Casquejano decided that it is not a case of moral turpitude because failure to file tax returns is not ‘inherently wrong in the absence of law that punishes it.’ If there is nothing wrong with a presidential candidate not filing his tax returns, then income tax should be matter of individual preference. Also, legislators can now abolish consumer tax and all other tax levied on the masses. In the first place, even before Marcos Jr.’s tax violations, big corporations already enjoy various forms of tax incentives. The same favor should be extended towards the majority of taxpayers.
The dismissal and the basis for it is so absurd that it begs the question: How impartial will the Commission be come elections and tallying? Bourgeoisie elections is fraught with fraud and is hardly truly democratic. The national democratic movement has had a long experience with vote-shaving regarding progressive partylists. Computerization of ballot-casting and counting only further eased vote manipulation. Dennis Uy, known ally of Rodrigo Duterte, will provide logistical support in May. The numbers seem to add up now but it is doubtful that they will still be come tallying.
Another basic principle of the revolutionary movement: armed struggle is the only way towards genuine systemic change. The proletariat must grab and wield political power through protracted people’s war. While parliamentary struggle does have its advantages, any victory will be harder to score and defend against reactionary forces. To counter this, the legal mass movement must show its strength in numbers while producing timely propaganda. The Marcos-Duterte tandem is still a formidable foe because of its incumbent position but this position is also what exposed its rottenness. And despite its underdog status, the Filipino people has the unwavering spirit to ensure that this dynastic partnership should eventually pay for its crimes. ###
Arouse, organize and mobilize against the Marcos-Duterte tandem!
Expose the crimes of the Marcos family and demand accountability
Advance the people’s war and reaffirm its superiority over the parliamentary struggle!
https://cpp.ph/statements/marcos-is-without-platform-just-desperation/
Unity is not even a real platform. This presidentiable utters the concept thoughtlessly and frantically in lieu of one. Instead, what he has is his memories of heyday during the senior Marcos’ dictatorial regime. The family is desperate to score a victory now because only he can carry the surname and another six years of waiting for a chance could render Junior much too old to mount any presidential campaign.
But then again, perhaps Marcos Jr. does not even need to bother with a platform if there is an electoral commission already protecting him. Despite the guilty conviction regarding his tax evasion case (a 1995 ruling upheld in 1997), the Commission on Elections dismissed the petition to disqualify his candidacy. Commissioners Aimee Ferolino and Marlon Casquejano decided that it is not a case of moral turpitude because failure to file tax returns is not ‘inherently wrong in the absence of law that punishes it.’ If there is nothing wrong with a presidential candidate not filing his tax returns, then income tax should be matter of individual preference. Also, legislators can now abolish consumer tax and all other tax levied on the masses. In the first place, even before Marcos Jr.’s tax violations, big corporations already enjoy various forms of tax incentives. The same favor should be extended towards the majority of taxpayers.
The dismissal and the basis for it is so absurd that it begs the question: How impartial will the Commission be come elections and tallying? Bourgeoisie elections is fraught with fraud and is hardly truly democratic. The national democratic movement has had a long experience with vote-shaving regarding progressive partylists. Computerization of ballot-casting and counting only further eased vote manipulation. Dennis Uy, known ally of Rodrigo Duterte, will provide logistical support in May. The numbers seem to add up now but it is doubtful that they will still be come tallying.
Another basic principle of the revolutionary movement: armed struggle is the only way towards genuine systemic change. The proletariat must grab and wield political power through protracted people’s war. While parliamentary struggle does have its advantages, any victory will be harder to score and defend against reactionary forces. To counter this, the legal mass movement must show its strength in numbers while producing timely propaganda. The Marcos-Duterte tandem is still a formidable foe because of its incumbent position but this position is also what exposed its rottenness. And despite its underdog status, the Filipino people has the unwavering spirit to ensure that this dynastic partnership should eventually pay for its crimes. ###
Arouse, organize and mobilize against the Marcos-Duterte tandem!
Expose the crimes of the Marcos family and demand accountability
Advance the people’s war and reaffirm its superiority over the parliamentary struggle!
https://cpp.ph/statements/marcos-is-without-platform-just-desperation/
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.