THE imminent presidency of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is a resounding rejection of outgoing President Benigno Aquino III’s claims of good governance, inclusive growth, and his slogan “Tuwid na Daan” (straight path), the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said.
Duterte, the CPP Central Committee said in a statement, attacked the Aquino administration and presented himself as “an anti-thesis of the oligarchic and cacique rule, keenly aware of the Filipino people’s profound hatred for the Aquino administration and its six years of corruption, mendacity, and failure to address the needs of the Filipino people.”
His rise to the presidency, the group added, is a reflection of the deepening and aggravating crisis of the “semi-colonial” and “semi-feudal” system that he was able to draw broad support from the people for presenting himself as sympathetic to the people's discontent and deep desire “to put an end to the oppressive and rotten ruling system.”
“Duterte’s election also reflects the deepening factional strife among the ruling classes. He polarized the political elite with his cuss-filled bluster,” the CPP said, although it added many of the huge business owners had supported Duterte in his campaign.
And for the first time, it said, “the Philippine client-state is to be headed by one who is not completely beholden to the US imperialists” citing an incident where Duterte railed against the US and the [Central Intelligence Agency] for whisking away its agent Michael Meiring who accidentally exploded the improvised bomb he was preparing inside a Davao hotel during the height of the alleged 2003 US terror bombings in Mindanao.
He [Duterte] opposed the use of the Davao airport as a base for US drone operations and spoke unfavorably] against the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca), the group said.
CPP added that if Duterte “seriously and vigorously pursues his promise to eradicate criminality, especially widespread drug trade within three to six months, he will likely drive a wedge deep into the ranks of military and police generals and bureaucratic capitalists who are protectors, operators and associates of criminal syndicates.”
On peace talks, the CPP and revolutionary forces welcome Duterte’s plan to seriously pursue the National Democratic Front of the Philippines-Government of the Republic of the Philippines (NDFP-GRP) peace negotiations as well as his plan to visit The Netherlands to meet NDFP senior political consultant Prof. Jose Ma. Sison and the Utrecht-based NDFP peace panel.
“The CPP fully supports the NDFP proposal, put forward by [Sison], to pursue NDFP-GRP peace negotiations under the Duterte government with the aim of forging an agreement to establish a government of national unity, peace and development,” it added.
Among the first measures that need to be carried out by the Duterte administration to boost peace negotiations, the CPP said, would be the release of all detained NDFP consultants and facilitation of their travel to a neutral territory where negotiations can be conducted. They were treacherously arrested in violation of earlier agreements and made to suffer unjust prolonged imprisonment.
By intensifying their struggles, the Filipino people are bound to attain more and more victories in the years to come. The people’s war is set to press forward under the Duterte administration, the group said.
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