Topic: AFP

Sison, now chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, claimed that some AFP officers are concerned that President Rodrigo Duterte is a “traitor” who is “selling out” what has been won by the country in the 2011 arbitration case against China.

It is not true that the CPP has a three-year plan to oust Duterte by October 2018 since 2016. The militarists Lorenzana, Año and Esperon are obviously misrepresenting the 3-year plan of the CPP Central Committee to strengthen the CPP ideologically, politically and organizationally.

He has no economic program different from that of his reactionary predecessors: retention of the semifeudal character of the economy along the neoliberal line.

Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency has been nothing short of controversial. Ever since he was elected as the 16th President of the Philippines two years ago, he has drawn criticism from activists and leaders the world over. Most recently, Duterte was condemned for forcibly kissing an overseas Filipina worker on the lips during a live event.

The desperate and futile strategy of Duterte and the AFP is the following: Carry out the AFP campaign plan to destroy the NPA before the end of 2018 by launching offensives and using Tokhang methods in communities. At the same time, using the peace pretense, Duterte tries to dictate to the NDFP to negotiate in Manila and come under the control, manipulation and intimidation of Duterte and the military.

Revolutionaries do not negotiate under the terms and conditions “of an emergent fascist dictatorship and in a place where mass murders are occurring with impunity,” said Sison, chief political consultant to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), the CPP’s political arm that is negotiating with the government.

“The stand down agreement creates a favorable atmosphere for the resumption of the formal peace negotiations and the interim peace agreement to be signed in Oslo, hopefully on June 28,” Sison explained.

Passing on the tax burden to the impoverished people is supposed to assure the government of revenues to pay for the rapidly excalating costs of military, police and intelligence operations, budgetary and trade deficits and servicing of the local public debt and foreign loans.

Tumitindi ang krisis panlipunan at pampulitika sa bansa, gayundin ang krisis sa karapatang-pantao. Hindi malayong ang mga sitwasyong ito ang nagtutulak sa administrasyong Duterte na pana-panahong pasulputin ang pagpapatuloy ng usapang pangkapayapaan, kundi mismong ituloy ang muling pagbubukas nito.

At least 22 party-list representatives and 40 district representatives signed House Resolution 1803 on March 22, urging President Rodrigo R. Duterte to return to the peace table with the communist group and continue discussions on Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER), dubbed as the “heart and soul” of the peace talks, and Comprehensive Agreement on Political Reforms (CAPCR)