AS THE Philippines celebrated its 120th Philippine Independence Day on Tuesday, June 12, President Rodrigo Duterte led his first Araw ng Kalayaan ceremony as chief executive at the Aguinado Shrine in Kawit, Cavite.
Our president arrived almost two hours late, but you know who was early for the rites and chatting with Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana at the very balcony Aguinado first waved the Philippine flag? No less than Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua.
When Duterte finally arrived, he was heckled by a group of protesters, shouting “Duterte, traydor!” Security enforcers promptly confiscated the rallyists’ posters and placards, and arrested one demonstrator.
This begs the question: “Is the Philippines really truly free?”
I’m ceding the rest of my column to the official statement of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) on the supposed “Huwad na kalayaan (fake freedom)” we have under the Duterte administration.
***
President Rodrigo Duterte said in his speech during the Independence Day rites in Kawit, Cavite that the Constitution guarantees freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. But a 20-year old activist was arrested on Friday for supposedly causing disturbance for shouting “Huwad na kalayaan (fake freedom)” during Duterte’s speech.
Francis Couichie Rafael, who is now under police custody, was said to have violated Article 153 of the Revised Penal Code (tumults and other disturbance of public orders; tumultuous disturbance or interruption liable to cause disturbance).
“If there is someone who has caused a tumultuous disturbance of public order, it is the Duterte regime – the leading purveyor of deceit, corruption, roguery and terrorism,” said Jose Mari Callueng, national president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines.
“There is no actual democracy in the country. The Filipino people fight for their democratic rights everyday to live: farmers struggle for land, workers struggle for a living wage, students fight for a genuine free education, and several more,” the youth leader added.
The College Editors Guild of the Philippines condemns the arrest of the youth activist and the continuing fascist attacks of the US-Duterte regime against the Filipino people.
***
CEGP: Independence for Duterte is subservience
Progressive groups held protest actions across the country to slam the fictitious and sham independence of our country due to the continuing foreign intervention and plunder of imperialist countries like the United States and China which have burdened the Filipino people for a long time.
“Filipinos have long been deceived by its own government that it is truly free and independent. Under Duterte’s brutal administration, state-sponsored attacks against the Filipino people are combined with neoliberal policies that continue to harrow the nation,” said Callueng.
“As a full-blown and self-admitted fascist, Duterte has been a rigorous puppet on heeding to the demands of other countries. Perhaps, independence for Duterte means a never ending subservience to imperialist powers,” Callueng added.
Currently, the Philippine government heightened economic and military intervention of the United States which have resulted in state-sponsored violence. Under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, Mutual Defense Treaty and Visiting Forces Agreement, Filipinos especially those in far-flung areas have been subjected to harassment, imperialist plunder, militarization and even displacement from their communities and lands.
Since assuming the presidency, Duterte has strongly sided with oligarchs and foreign capitalists, leaving Filipinos in an impoverished condition with his broken promises of ending contractualization and passing a genuine agrarian land reform.
“While playing dirty with US, he is scrounging as a fanatic of China’s government for added financial aid to further his despotic plans of a dictatorship. Duterte cannot fight for the dignity of his people, so what more with the country’s territorial integrity?” said Callueng.
The Duterte regime has done nothing good for the Filipino people. He is waging wars of suppression in the face of Oplan Tokhang, Oplan Kapayapaan and martial law in Mindanao. In addition, he is worsening the already deleterious conditions of the Filipino people through his bogus tax reform law.
“Duterte’s plan of a radical change will only worsen his wars against the Filipino people. Putting the country under a state of emergency will only hasten his dictatorial ambitions,” Calling said.
Duterte is also doing his best to supply the labor demands of his imperialist bosses. Under the K-12 program, the Filipino youth are manufactured to be sent as an added cheap and docile work force of other countries.
“With all of these fascist and despotic attacks, Duterte is only creating a favorable condition for the resistance of the Filipino people to intensify. It is becoming more clear to millions of Filipinos that there is no other path to tread but the path of struggle against an impending and brutal dictator,” Callueng ended. (maverhick.blogspot.com/PN)
