Professional activist and Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. feared that President Rodrigo Duterte’s planned crackdown on left-leaning groups for allegedly conspiring with the communist movement is a “Marcosian mindset.”
Reyes said that Duterte may use the “imagined” conspiracy as justification for the declaration of a revolutionary government.
“Duterte’s threat of a crackdown is intended to eliminate the most effective resistance to fascist dictatorship, human rights abuses, anti-people economic impositions and increased US intervention. Indeed we have seen this scenario before in our history,” he said.
“If that happens, it will be 1972 all over again,” Reyes added.
“The people however will resist such a plan. Never again,” he said.
Duterte said he will study the possibility of launching a crackdown on left-leaning groups in a press conference in Davao City on Saturday night.
“Now it’s a great conspiracy between itong mga BAYAN, pati ano… We will study and maybe, we will have a crackdown here somewhere. Nagsasawa na ako dito sa kalokohan nila,” he said.
The President made the remark as he revealed his plan to issue a proclamation order, branding the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army, as terrorists.
In the same speech, Duterte clarified that he will only declare a revolutionary government if a revolution by certain groups actually happens.
“Revolutionary? Then we should have a revolution first then I will… Until there is a revolution ‘yung ma-ano, malabo… Sinabi ko noon, and I repeat now, and I know it would not be taken into account again. I said, if things go out of control at tumagilid ‘yung gobyerno, ‘yun ang predicate ko,” he said.
He also said he doesn’t like martial law because of the restrictions that come with it.
Meanwhile, Reyes said that Duterte should raise his issues with the communist movement through the peace negotiating table.
“All the issues Duterte against the NPA are best addressed through the peace talks. He knows who he needs to talk to,” BAYAN Secretary-General Renato Reyes said in a text message.
“However, threatening the NPA with a terrorist label… will not accomplish anything, only intensified attacks on the people,” he added.
THE WARNING
Describing them as a “bunch of criminals” and that he was fed up with their depredations and killings, President Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte said he would issue a proclamation declaring the communist New People’s Army (NPA) as a “terrorist organization” similar to what the US had done.
“Before, we recognized them as legitimate rebels. But with the continued depredations, killing innocent people even an infant, I’ll be issuing a proclamation. I will remove them from the category of a legal entity, placing them – same as in America – (in the category of terrorists),” Duterte told media in an interview in his hometown of Davao City in Mindanao.
But a few hours before the Duterte announcement on Saturday, police reported that two motorcycle-riding NPA rebels lobbed a grenade into a government building in the town of Cayawan, Masbate province in the Bicol Region, wounding two soldiers.
Also in Bicol, police said the insurgents shot and killed on Saturday morning a soldier inside a public market in the town of Daraga, Albay and immediately fled with his service firearm and money.
In Davao City, meanwhile, Duterte said that henceforth, he would order government prosecutors to charge arrested NPA insurgents for murder and arson instead of rebellion.
Duterte explained that murder and arson are non-bailable criminal offenses under Philippine laws as compared to rebellion in which those indicted could post bail for their temporary liberty.
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