Reaction to pro-Duterte “Rev-Gov”: Gat Andres Bonifacio is turning in his grave

BMP Press Release

November 30, 2017

The socialist labor group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) criticized pro-Duterte groups who planned to mobilize today, November 30 to call for a “revolutionary government” that would change the Constitution in favor of federalism and opening up the local economy to compete foreign ownership. 

BMP president Leody de Guzman said, “It is the height of poetic injustice that pro-Duterte groups would commemorate Bonifacio Day by going against ideals that the plebeian hero fought and died for. He would be turning in his grave for such antics that would ultimately serve the interests of foreign monopolies, warlords and political dynasties, and the lust for wealth and power of the pro-Duterte clique of the ruling elite”. 

Charter Change for foreign monopolies

De Guzman added, “The clamor for Chacha by certain factions of the ruling classes has always existed since the Ramos administration. They favor the dismantling the protectionist provisions to fully liberalize the economy in order to entice foreign investments. 

This means the recolonization of our country not through bullets and cannons but through capital and commodities. These business interests now hide behind the cloak of federalism but they know all to well that Duterte’s Cha-cha would not limit itself to changing political provisions of the 1987 Constitution”. 

Federalism for warlords and political dynasties

The labor leader explained, “Pro-duterte rev-group adherents say that by decentralizing the national government into federal states, taxes and public funds collected from the countryside would be benefit the rural poor. This argument is a sham. We know all too well that each province and region are controlled by warlords and political dynasties that rule over their territories with iron gloves without an iota of respect for due processes of law. 

They are the Singsons and the Marcoses, the Enriles and the Dys, the Arroyos and Pinedas, the Duranos and Osmenas, the Dutertes and the Ampatuans, etc. Federalism means a decentralized Philippines under warlords and political dynasties”. 

RevGov is still elite rule, through fascism not liberal demoracy

“A truly revolutionary government means genuine social transformation by dismantling the long-standing rule of the elite. The pro-Duterte “RevGov” is its complete opposite. How can we believe that the people are indeed calling on Duterte to lead a revolutionary government, when these assemblies are organized by the same elite – governors, mayors, representatives of congress, and trapos, who benefit from the present rotting and unjust social order? 

They exploit the desperation of the impoverished majority. They offer positions to lowly barangay officials, aside from free food and allowances to the hungry masses, for their attendance to these pro-RevGov rallies. Duterte’s revolution is a poor copy of the Marcosian ‘revolution from the center’, which ended up in fascism and tyranny,” de Guzman asserted. 

Not in defense of 1987 Constitution

Meanwhile, the BMP clarified that its position against the pro-Duterte Rev-Gov is not tantamount to a mere defense of the 1987 Constitution. “There are groups that call for the defense of the 1987 Constitution but want to create an Edsa Dos scenario with Robredo assuming the presidency via constitutional succession. 

The existing charter is not only teeming with defects. It is inherently defective. It fosters the illusion of equal rights of separate individuals. It does not hold the primacy of the rights and interests of the whole over individuals, of the right to decent lives over property rights, the welfare of the toiling majority over the privileged elite. It is the unity and struggle of the Filipino people, led by the working class, not the elitist “RevGov” – that will change the Charter in accordance to the democratic and just ideals of Andres Bonifacio. #

Manggagawa, pangunahan ang laban! Labanan ang Kontra-mamamayan at Pasistang Rehimeng Duterte Isulong ang Gobyerno ng Masa

NANANAWAGAN tayo sa lahat ng kasapi ng ating Bukluran: FULL MOBILIZATION tayo sa Nobyembre a-trenta. Sa halip na tayo ay magpahinga sa piling ng ating mga mahal sa buhay o mag-obertaym para sa double-pay sa isang pyesta opisyal. 

Mangalsada at magmartsa tayo. Hindi lang upang gunitain ang araw ng dakilang manggagawang si Gat Andres Bonifacio, ang Supremo ng Katipunan na namuno sa anti-kolonyal na pakikibaka laban sa mga Kastila. 

Higit dito, ipakita natin ang pwersa ng mamamayang tumututol sa pakanang “Rev-Gov” na isinusulong ngayon ng mga pwersang maka-Duterte. 

Ano ang isinusulong ng maka-Duterteng Rev-Gov?

Ang “revolutionary government” ay isa sa bagong pauso para ipatupad ang Cha-cha at pederalismo, na diumano’y kongkretong anyo ng islogang “Change is coming” na pinasikat nila noong halalang 2016. 

Ayon sa mga nagsusulong ng “RevGov”, kailangan daw bigyan ng absolutong kapangyarihan ni Duterte dahil hindi raw sapat ang balangkas ng Saligang Batas para masugpo ng pangulo ang kapangyarihan ng “oligarkiya”, “mga trapo”, at ng “narco-politics”. 

Ito ay imitasyon ng “revolution from the center” na katuwiran diktadurang Marcos para diumano’y isalba ang bansa mula sa Kanan (oligarkiya) at Kaliwa (komunistang rebelyon), ngunit nauwi sa pandardambong sa kaban ng bayan at sa ating ekonomya ng pamilya Marcos ang kanilang mga kroni. 

Ano ang layunin ng Cha-cha ni Duterte?

Ang pang-ekonomikong layunin ng Cha-cha ay ang paglalansag sa mga proteksyunistang probisyon na nagtitiyak na ang ekonomya ng bansa ay nagsisilbi sa mga Pilipino, imbes na sa mga dayuhan. Ilan dito ay ang limitasyong 40% ng dayuhang pag-aari sa anumang korporasyon na magnenegosyo sa bansa. Ito rin ang limitasyon sa pag-aari sa likas-yaman ng bansa. 

Ang Cha-cha ni Duterte ay ekonomya ng Pilipinas para sa dayuhan. Matagal na itong adyenda ng mga kapitalista para lalupang hikayatin ang dayuhang pamumuhunan – mula pa sa rehimen ni Ramos, Erap, GMA, at Noynoy Aquino.

Tinututulan natin ang ganitong disenyo ng pag-unlad. Sapagkat nangangahulugan ito ng “muling pananakop o rekolonyalisasyon” ng mga dayuhan sa ating bansa, ngunit hindi sa pamamagitan ng bala at kanyon kundi sa paraan ng kapital at kalalakal. Ang iskemang ito ng kaunlaran ay sumusunod sa interes ng mga transnasyunal na monopolyo. 

Ang pampulitikang layunin ng Cha-cha ay ang paglalansag sa sentralisadong gobyerno tungo sa pagpapalakas ng kapangyarihan ng mga warlord at dinastiyang pulitikal sa kanya-kanyang mga “kaharian”. 

Sa pederalismo, sinasabing mas makikinabang na ang mga mamamayan, laluna sa mga probinsya, mula sa pondo ng gobyerno dahil ito ay hindi na isesentralisa sa pambansang gobyerno. 

Kalokohan! Sino ang makikinabang dito? Ang mga gaya ni Singson at Marcos sa Ilocos, ang mga Pineda at Arroyo ng Pampanga, ang mga Dy ng Isabela, ang mga Enrile ng Cagayan, ang mga Romualdez ng Leyte, ang mga Durano ng Cebu, ang mga Duterte ng Davao, atbp., atbp. 

Ang mga warlord sa kanayunan ang pinakareaksyonaryo sa hanay ng mga naghaharing uri sa bansa. Naghahari sa bawat teritoryo na tulad ng mga pyudal na monarkiya. Umaasa sa dahas at walang pakundangan kung lumabag sa mga “due process” ng batas. Ang mga angkang ito ang may track record sa pagtatakbo o pagbibigay-proteksyon ng jueteng, droga, malakihang sugal, atbp. sa kanya-kanyang mga lugar. 

Ang tanging interes nila ay ang habambuhay na paghahari ng kanilang mga angkan nang walang hinahangad na “pambansang pag-unlad”, na makauring interes sana ng lokal na burgesya, kung nanatili itong independyente sa dominasyon at kontrol ng imperyalismo. Kung gayon, ang Cha-cha ni Duterte ay Pilipinas para sa mga pamulitikang angkan.

Paano nila babaguhin ang Konstitusyon? 

May dalawa nang nakahain. Una ay ang Constituent Assembly o CON-ASS. Sa paraang ito, ang lehislatura (senado’t kongreso) ang bibigyan ng kapangyarihan bilang mga kinatawan ng mamamayan. Sinumang may tapat sa sarili at tumitindig sa tama at totoo ay mapapasinungalingan ito. Ang mga bulwagang ito ay pinamumugaran ng mga representante ng mga bilyonaryo’t milyonaryo. Sila ay mga parasitikong hindi kalahok sa paglikha ng yaman ngunit nagpapasya kung paano mapunta sa kanilang mga bulsa ang kaban ng bayan! Kung sila ang magpapasya sa Cha-cha, maisasalaksak sa lalamunan ng taumbayan ang klase ng pagbabago sa Konstitusyon na nagsisilbi sa dayuhang kapital at mga pampulitikang angkan. 

Dahil ang Con-Ass ay halatadong palspikadong porma ng pagbabago ng Konstitusyon dahil ang mga magdedesisyon dito ay pawang mga representante ng kapitalista’t asendero, nagpauso si Duterte ng tinawag niyang Constitutional Commission, isang panel ng mga “eksperto” at mga kinatawan mula sa iba’t ibang sektor ng lipunan na appointed ni Duterte. Subalit ito ay “consultative” lamang at walang kapangyarihan kundi magpayo lang sa Con-Ass ng mga trapo.

Sa ngayon, ang bagong paraan ng pagbabago ng Constitution ay sa pamamagitan ng “RevGov” at magmumula sa mga asembliya ng organisadong taumbayan. Mainam sana kung ito ay wastong-wasto at totoong totoo. Pero hindi! Nagsisimula na itong magtipon sa iba’t ibang lugar sa bansa. Sino ang nagpapatawag ng pulong? Ang mga pulitiko – mga gubernador, mayor, atbp. – gamit ang makinarya ng mga barangay (na naghahabol ng pwesto sa tinaguriang “RevGov”! 

Paano ito magiging rebolusyonaryong gobyerno kung ang nagsusulong nito ay ang mismong nakikinabang sa umiiral na bulok na kaayusan at humahadlang sa tunay at totoong pagbabagong panlipunan? Isang panlalansi! Hindi kailanman magpapaloko ang taumbayan sa disenyong ito ng ganap na panunumbalik na diktadura at paggawad ng absolutong kapangyarihan sa iisang tao. Sawa na tayo sa dilim at lagim ng Batas Militar! 

Ipinagtatanggol ba natin ang 1987 Constitution? 

Hindi. Ang kasalukuyang konstitusyon ay depektibo. Umaasa ang mga pwersa ng mga Dilaw sa pagtatanggol nito dahil ang hinahangad nilang maulit ang senaryong Edsa Dos, nang magsalubong ang pangangalsada ng taumbayan – kalakhan ay pwersa ng panggitnang-uri – at ang pagbaliktad ng pulis at militar, at nauwi sa panunumpa ng dating bise-presidente na si Gloria bilang “constitutional successor”. Nais nilang maulit ang ganitong senaryo sa katauhan ni VP Leni Robredo. 

Subalit, higit dito, ang tuwirang depekto ng 1987 Constitution ay ang ilusyon ng “pantay na karapatan” ng burges na demokrasya. 

Pinagpantay ang karapatan ng nagsasamantala at pinagsasamantala sa lipunan, bilang hiwa-hiwalay na mga indibidwal. Halimbawa, ang iilang kapitalista ay may property rights na salalayan ng kanyang “management prerogative”; ang masang manggagawa ay may karapatan sa paggawa (labor rights). 

Dahil ito ay “pantay” lamang sa papel, ang nagaganap ay ang pagsandig ng estado sa minoryang nagsasamantala sa mayoryang walang yaman at kapangyarihan, imbes na hayagang ideklara nito ang kanyang pagkampi sa mahihirap sa ngalan ng hustisyang panlipunan.

Ano ang konsepto natin ng karapatan? Ang interes ng indibidwal ay nakapailalim sa interes ng kabuuan. Ang interes ng nakararami ay mas higit sa interes ng iilan. Ang karapatang mabuhay ng disente’t marangal ng masang anakpawis ay higit sa karapatan sa pag-aari ng mga kapitalista. Sa ganitong balangkas natin nais na ipundar ang bagong konstitusyon, na maisasabatas lamang ng isang matagumpay na rebolusyon ng masang Pilipino sa pangunguna ng uring manggagawa. 

Kung gayon, nananawagan tayo sa ating Bukluran na simulan ngayong Nobyembre hanggang sa 2018 ang pagpapatawag ng mga pagpupulong ng taumbayan – hanggang sa antas-pabrika at komunidad – para ilahad ang ating tindig laban sa Cha-cha at pederalismo, na isinusulong ngayon sa paraan ng “Rev-Gov”. 

Ibulgar na ang Cha-cha at pederalismo ni Duterte ay hindi kalutasan sa mga problemang kinahaharap ng manggagawa’t mamamayan sa kanilang pang araw-araw na hirap na pamumuhay – ang kontraktwal na empleyo, ang kawalan at kakulangan sa trabaho, ang kawalan ng serbisyo sa mura at dekalidad na pabahay, edukasyon at kalusugan, ang sumisirit na presyo ng bilihin. 

Sapagkat ang ating paglaya ay wala sa mga elitistang manunubos gaya ni Duterte kundi nasa ating mga kamay. Nasa pagkakaisa’t pakikibaka ng manggagawa’t mamamayan. At iyan ang makasaysayang aral mula sa buhay ng isang Gat Andres Bonifacio. # 

Pahayag sa Sentenaryo ng Rebolusyong Oktubre 1917

Sa Sentenaryo ng Rebolusyong Oktubre 1917 sa Rusya:

IPAGBUNYI ANG SENTENARYO NG TAGUMPAY NG REBOLUSYONG 1917 AT ANG PAGTATAYO NG SOSYALISTANG REPUBLIKA NG URING MANGGAGAWA!

Ipinagdiriwang ng manggagawang Pilipino, kasama ang uring manggagawa ng buong daigdig, ang sentenaryo o ika-100 taon ng matagumpay na pag-aalsa ng manggagawa na nagbagsak sa kapitalistang estado at nagtatag ng gobyerno ng manggagawa sa Rusya.

Tinagurian itong “rebolusyong sobyet” dahil sa pagtatayo ng mga konseho (soviet) ng mga kinatawan ng mga manggagawa, mahirap na magsasaka, at mga sundalo, na siyang pundasyon ng pampulitikang kapangyarihan na hindi lamang nagtatakda kundi nagpapatupad din ng batas. Ito ang pagkakaorganisa ng manggagawa bilang naghaharing uri.

Ang Rebolusyong 1917 ang ikalawang matagumpay na pagtatangkang itayo ang gobyerno ng manggagawa. Ang una ang ang Paris Commune, na itinatag ng mga manggagawang Pranses sa sentrong lungsod ng kanilang bansa subalit tumagal lamang ito ng dalawa’t kalahating buwan noong Marso hanggang Mayo 1871.

Malaki ang naging papel ng kababaihan dahil sila ang nagsindi ng mitsa upang maging matagumpay ang Rebolusyong Oktubre. Naglunsad ng malawakang pag-aaklas at pagkilos ang mga manggagawang kababaihan noong Marso 8, 1917 (Gregorian Calendar) o Pebrero 23, 1917 sa lumang kalendaryo. Hiniling nila noon ang Kapayapaan at Tinapay (Peace and Bread). Kumalat sa iba’t ibang pabrika ang kilusang welga at sumiklab bilang Rebolusyong Pebrero at napatalsik ang Tsar at mga kaalyado nito, at itinayo ang isang probisyonal na gobyerno o pansamantalang pamahalaan.Isa itong malawakang proseso na tumungo sa Rebolusyong Oktubre 1917 nang pinamunuan na ang pag-aalsang ito ni Vladimir Lenin at ng mga Bolshevik (salitang Ruso sa “majority”), pinatalsik ang probisyunal na gobyerno, itinayo ang unyon ng mga konseho (soviet) at nagpabago sa kalagayan ng mamamayan. Nagsimula ang matagumpay na pag-aalsang ito noong Oktubre 25, 1917 (Julian Calendar) o Nobyembre 7, 1917 (sa kasalukuyang Gregorian Calendar). 

Sa unang pagkakataon sa kasaysayan, ang lipunan ay pinamahalaan para sa benepisyo ng lahat, para sa lahat ng manggagawa, ng mga maralita at inaapi. Ang prosesong ito ng pagkakamit ng rebolusyon ang siyang naglatag din ng daan upang unti-unting kilalanin ang karapatang pantao, at magkaroon ng pagkakapantay-pantay sa lipunan. Sa gabi ng tagumpay ng Dakilang Sosyalistang Rebolusyon ng Oktubre at pagkakatatag ng gobyernong Sobyet, agad na ipinatupad nina Lenin ang pagwawakas ng paglahok sa daigdigang digmaan, pagkumpiska ng mga lupain mula sa mga panginoong maylupa, at pamumuno sa mga pabrika.

Isang inspirasyon sapagkat itinuturo nito sa mga manggagawa ng daigdig ang kakayahan ng uring manggagawa na mamuno at pangasiwaan ang isang pamahalaan. Kaya niyang ibagsak ang kapitalistang estado. Kaya niyang itatag ang sarili niyang gobyerno. Inspirasyon ang Dakilang Rebolusyong Oktubre ng 1917 sa manggagawa at uring api na nagnanais kumawala sa gapos ng mapagsamantalang sistemang kapitalismo.

Isang inspirasyon ang Rebolusyong Oktubre upang kumilos at magkapitbisig ang mga manggagawang Pilipino at mga manggagawa sa ibang bansa at isulong ang pakikibaka upang maitayo ang kanilang sariling pamahalaan - o gobyerno ng uring manggagawa, hanggang sa ganap na maitayo ang lipunang sosyalismo.

Iminarka ng Rebolusyong Oktubre ang tagumpay ng mga Bolshevik sa pagtatatag ng gobyerno ng manggagawa, sosyalistang konstruksyon, kolektibisasyon at mekanisasyon ng agrikultura, pag-unlad ng edukasyon at kultura ng anakpawis. Ang tagumpay na ito ang nagdala sa Rusya (na sa kalaunan ay naging USSR o Unyong Sobyet ng mga Sosyalistang Republika) sa rurok ng sosyalistang pag-unlad noong unang bahagi ng ikadalawampung siglo. Bagamat ganap na nawasak ang Unyong Sobyet noong taong 1991, ang Rebolusyong Oktubre ng 1917 ay nananatili at nagsisilbing aral at inspirasyon sa uring manggagawa sa kasalukuyan na naghahangad ng pagbabago at paglaya mula sa pagsasamantala ng kapitalismo, at sa mga nagmimithing maitatag ang lipunang sosyalismo at mawakasan na ang pagsasamantala.

Ang karanasan ng uring manggagawa sa Rusya ay tanglaw sa mga manggagawang Pilipino at sa buong sangkatauhan upang lumaya sa pagsasamantala. Ang masusing pagsusuri at pag-aaral ng tagumpay na ito ay gabay sa praktikal na pagkilos ng mga manggagawa upang lumaya mula sa kahirapan at pagsasamantala ng tao sa tao. 

Gawin nating pagkakataon ang selebrasyon ng sentenaryo ng Rebolusyong Oktubre upang palalimin at ipalaganap ang mga aral ng kasaysayan, at ilunsad ng malawakang pakikipag-ugnayan sa lahat ng manggagawa. Magpunyagi tayo at panghawakan ang mga aral at mga karanasan mula sa Rebolusyong Oktubre! 

Salubungin natin at ipagdiwang ang diwa ng Rebolusyong 1917! Mabuhay ang pakikibaka ng uring manggagawa sa lahat ng bansa! Mabuhay ang Dakilang Rebolusyong Oktubre 1917! 

Nobyembre 7, 2017

All Resist Movement of the Workers (ARM the Workers)

THE power balance is shifting. The previous advantaged position enjoyed by the popular Duterte regime is in peril. 

The War on Drugs with its patent wanton disregard for due process has taken its toll on the public. Thousands, with some estimates having a running balance of 13,000, have been killed; nearly all of them poor and underprivileged. The slaughter of the innocents, which was highlighted by the celebrated murder of 17-year old Kian delos Santos, has put into question the “kill, kill, kill” pronouncements of Malacanang, along with its P6.85 million bounty, in 2016, for the police in pursuit of alleged pushers and users of illegal drugs. 

More revolting is the gall and arrogance of Duterte’s rubber stamp in Batasan; for previously awarding a measly budget of P1,000 for the human rights commission before it backtracked, and has railroaded controversial anti-worker and anti-poor measures such as the excise taxes on petroleum products and sugar sweetened beverages, and is now toying with the impeachment of a co-equal branch of the state in the persona of Chief Justice Sereno. 

The Martial Law in Mindanao is dangled like a sword over the entire archipelago, a not-so-veiled threat against legitimate dissent and human rights, even as the city of Marawi is smashed to smithereens not to crush a handful of terrorists but to provide the backdrop for a historic land grab by property development firms of oligarchs such as the Sys, the Gokongweis, the Ayalas, etc. 

The oligarchy, which was subject to verbal attacks by the Duterte, was not alarmed. The neoliberal policies of liberalization, deregulation, privatization, and labor flexibilization – which reaped in billions of profits for them and concentrated social wealth in the hands of the richest 40 families – remains fully in force. 

The oligarchs know that they would cash in from the “build, build, build” thrust of Duterte-nomics, not only through their construction firms but also with their private banks that would lend capital to the planned infrastructure projects. Furthermore, these urban landlords expect to profit from the rise of land values in sprawling megacities with the development of transport and communication networks. 

Even though the previous Noynoy Aquino administration is constantly subject to presidential ridicule, the economic policies of the current regime have not changed. As such, global capital and transnational capital remain confident in the so-called “economic fundamentals”, followed to the letter by the Duterte government. 

Despite the harsh anti-US rhetoric by Duterte, diplomatic ties with the American government are not severed. The military treaties that traditionally bind the country to the interests of the United States – the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the 2002 Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA), the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement – are untouched. In the continuing assault against the miniscule Maute group, American troops have even joined Filipino soldiers in the “War on Terror” in Malacanang. 

These agreements inevitably pushes the country in the middle of the brewing conflict between the United States and China – the world’s fastest growing economy – for economic hegemony and global dominance.  

Amidst the local and international turmoil, the Filipino people have spoken in the 2016 national elections. They want change. Lamentably, 16 million were fooled into believing that the warlord-thug who now sits in Malacanang is their champion. But they grasped an iota of truth in their wholesale rejection of the Yellow forces, whose dominance since Edsa 1986 has only led to a three-decade disappointment under the Liberal elite. 

The imperative is to build an alternative that is not only different from the stalwarts of elite democracy but also dissimilar in programmatic content for meaningful and sweeping reforms to ultimately change society and the state. 

Such alternative could only be proposed, with credibility and integrity, by the workers movement. The working class – more than any class in Philippine society – is most oppressed by the lack of democratic rights and by perpetual economic want. They form the majority in plantations, factories, offices, and workplaces. Yet, “majority rule” is non-existent. What prevails is the dictatorship of the owning few in the guise of “management prerogative”. It is the prevalence of property rights of the minority over the right to decent lives of the toiling majority. 

The working class not only comprises the majority in Philippine society. They are also the most organized. Out of more than a hundred million Filipinos, almost 23 million are wage and salaried workers. They are dwarfed only by the millions of informal workers in a backward capitalist economy. But all in all, their collective toil form the assembly line and distribution network for the production and distribution of goods and services, linked with the global economy. Organized across Philippine society as a profit-making machine but whose collective will remain as a disorganized mass of individual dreams and aspirations. 

Despite such formlessness, in terms of self-organization, the workers are among the most organized sectors in the country. The trade union movement is at almost 2 million, decimated by economic restructuring brought by globalization, but remaining as a formidable force, but only if the unionists would transcend craft and factory-level concerns by learning how to link these experiences with how society and the state are organized to favor the propertied few. 

The time has come for the working class to awaken from its slumbers. Its combined strength that now moves the levers of the economy must become a self-conscious force to change society. The powerful only appear high and mighty when one is on its knees. Arise!

Let every Filipino – who truly desires genuine and meaningful change, particularly those who marched against the arrogant impunity of the powerful as they trample upon the human rights of the poor on this fateful anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law – take as duty and responsibility the critical task of awakening the potential of the working class. Go among the workers; go to the toilers! Expose as a false prophet this murderous thug who serves the capitalist class! Join them in the immediate struggles against contractual labor, low wages, high prices, new taxes, lack of social services, etc. Teach them the inextricable link of these gut issues to ‘politics’ and the ‘state question’, on which class controls the state apparatus. 

In 1975, the deafening silence at the height of Martial Law was shattered by the La Tondena strike. It was soon followed not only by a strike wave in other factories but by a resurgent parliament of the streets. “Sobra na, tama na, welga na!” was the precursor of the “sobra na, tama na, palitan na”, which reverberated across the country during the revolutionary tide of 1983 to 1986. 

Now, in the face of an aspiring dictator, the imperative is for a resistance movement of the working class – the embryo of a plebeian-led upheaval that should be the culmination of the failures of the elite-led Edsa revolts. ARM the Workers! #

National Executive Committee, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP)

September 21, 2017

Metro workers chide P21 wage order as “loose change is coming”

Workers belonging to the National Capital Region (NCR) chapter of the militant Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) held a picket in front of the offices of the NCR wage board today to protest the P21 wage order, which the group described as a “pittance that mocks the dignity of labor”. 

Loose Change is coming

Warren Bartolome, BMP-NCR vice chairperson and leader of the LBC workers union said, “It seems that the NCR wage board has a different interpretation of the so-called mandate of the Duterte administration. To them, it is ‘loose change is coming’ because Wage Order 21 of the RTWPB-NCR is a mere pittance. It is a mockery of the dignity of labor”. 

Bartolome clarified, “Wages are falling due to inflation. Prices are expected to rise even more with the coming passage of the new excise taxes on petroleum products and sugar sweetened beverages. Yet, the NCR wage board could only add half a kilo of rice to workers’ wages”. 

“The latest wage order is insulting for NCR workers who contribute most of the country’s economic growth,” he added. The labor leader then cited statistical data that shows that the largest share of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) was from Metro Manila, at 36.6 percent. “If the wage board truly wants to enhance labor productivity, it should have ordered a substantial increase that would make wages approximate the daily cost of living of P1,200 for a family of six”. 

Abolish the wage boards

Meanwhile, BMP national president Leody de Guzman declared that the Wage Order 21 of the NCR wage board provides another evidence for the demand to abolish the wage boards and to thoroughly reform the country’s wage fixing mechanisms. 

He said, “It has been almost three decades (28 years) since the passage of Republic Act 6727, which created the wage boards and its criteria for wage fixing. Still, the new NCR minimum wage, which is the highest in the country, is not even half of the living wage”. 

De Guzman concluded, “The living wage should be the sole determinant of the minimum wage. It follows the law of value and prices, which says that prices should be determined by the cost of production. Commodities are priced at cost of production plus profit. The cost of production of labor power, which workers sell in exchange for wages, is the cost of living. Workers do not expect to profit from their labors. We work in order to provide a decent life for ourselves and our families. Worse, workers are not only wage slaves under the present capitalist system; we are more so underselling our labor-power at only half its real value. #

Dialogue and rally at Labor Department

Workers push for compliance of employers found guilty of labor-only contracting in DOLE inspections

MANILA. Some 100 members of the BMP Southern Tagalog chapter, along with leaders and supporters of the Dusit Thani supervisory union, will hold a rally in front of the DOLE offices in Intramuros tomorrow to urge the labor department to consummate its inspection processes by compelling employers to regularize workers. 

“DOLE, huwag naman kayong maging banderang kapos,” said BMP-ST chair Domeng Mole. “Employers do not follow the compliance orders of the labor inspections on labor-only contracting. Not only do they employ delaying tactics by submitting their appeal to the said findings,” he clarified. 

“More so, using the threat of unemployment, they tell casual employees not to demand their regularization. Local unions at inspected workplaces are also dissuaded from including the now regular workers into their bargaining unit. If the DOLE would not compel management to regularize its workers, then its inspections only created more confusion at the shop-floor level, which will lead to the further detriment to labor rights and standards,” Mole added. 

The BMP Southern Tagalog chapter has documented 9 DOLE inspections in the industrial Calabarzon region, which ordered the regularization of 2,369 casual workers (see data below). The list included the Asia Brewery Inc. plant in Cabuyao, Laguna, where the management was ordered to regularize 351 workers. The ABI casual workers are scheduled for a dialogue with Sec. Bello at around 11:00 a.m.

Also joining the protest are supervisory workers from Dusit Hotel, who protest the termination of its union president, Crisanto Ami. Ami was dismissed on trumped up charges. The union believes that the heavy-handed reaction is a retaliatory action to a DOLE investigation on labor contractualization practices by the Dusit Thani management last May 16, 2016. 

As the result of said inspection, the management was ordered to regularize 309 out of 382 casual employees and to pay P48 million to compensate for its underpayment to the aggrieved workers.  The inspection was requested by Mr. Ami. 

Meanwhile, BMP national president Leody de Guzman challenged the DOLE to show proof that Duterte’s stance against contractualization is real. He concluded, “After more than a year in office, the contractualization of ‘usually necessary or desirable’ work continues. Tuloy ang endo! Even with the DOLE inspections, employers still resort to labor-only contracting to keep wages low and their workers docile. If there is truth to Duterte's harsh words against contractualization, DOLE Sec. Bello, as his alter-ego, should go after these abusive capitalists and their labor-only contractors”. #

BMP Rally at Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati

Workers’ Picket at Dusit Hotel against Union Busting and Contractualization

MEMBERS of the militant Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) held a picket-protest in front of the Dusit Hotel in Makati to express solidarity to the hotel supervisory union, who are preparing to go on strike in response to the dismissal of its president, Crisanto Ami. 

Crisanto Ami was dismissed on trumped up charges of theft, involving a piece of Ferrero Rocher chocolate. The supervisory union, however, asserts that the management decision is an attempt to bust the union by removing its union president. 

BMP national president Leody de Guzman said, “The dismissal of Mr. Cris Ami does not commensurate to his alleged transgression, if there was any, since the supervisory union president said that he followed company rules on provisions left by hotel guests”. 

“The BMP and the hotel supervisory union alludes that the heavy-handed reaction is a retaliatory action to a DOLE investigation on labor contractualization practices by the Dusit management last May 16, 2016. In fact, as a sign of negotiating in bad faith, the management dismissed Mr. Ami on the same day that it concluded the collective bargaining negotiations with the supervisory union,” the labor leader added. 

As the result of said inspection, the management was ordered to regularize 309 out of 382 casual employees and to pay P48 million to compensate for its underpayment to the aggrieved workers. Cris Ami requested for the said DOLE inspection.  Several contractual workers, who have also been sacked, joined the picket and are calling for immediate reinstatement and payment of backwages. 

The BMP challenges the Duterte administration and DOLE Secretary to prove their anti-contractualization stance in the Dusit case. 

De Guzman expounded, “It has been more than a year since Duterte took oath as the most powerful man in the country. Yet his promise to end contractualization is yet to be realized. Action speaks louder than words. The Dusit case provides him the opportune moment to show his real position towards contractualization by compelling the management to reinstate Cris Ami, president of the hotel supervisory union and to regularize and reinstate the contractual employees”. 

He concluded, “The inspections transpired before the Labor Advisory 10 and Department Order 168, which granted more power to DOLE labor standards inspections under the helm of DOLE Secretary Bello. Nonetheless the labor department must take full responsibility for its actions, which has caused the loss of livelihood of unionists who simply sought the help of DOLE in enforcing labor standards at the workplace”. #

Workers picket at Senate: “No new taxes to a fascist government that slaughters poor youths!”

BMP PRESS RELEASE

August 24, 2017

As the Senate conducts hearings on the controversial murder of 17-year old Kian delos Santos by elements of the Caloocan police and on the Tax Reform for Acceleration for Inclusion (TRAIN), members of the militant Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) held a picket in front of the upper house today to condemn the “war on drugs” and proposed tax measures, which they both dubbed as “anti-poor”. 

BMP president Leody de Guzman said, “No new taxes to a government that slaughters poor youths like Kian delos Santos! Workers demand justice for Kian as much as we demand tax justice. Tax the rich, not the poor”. 

Anti-Poor TRAIN

The labor group is calling on the Senate to reject House Bill 5636, which will “exempt the middle class and the rich from personal income taxes while raising excise taxes on products that are consumed by the poor majority and the general public”. 

De Guzman clarified, “Minimum wage workers, who are at the seventh decile of family income distribution – according to DOF estimates, are already exempted from withholding taxes. The proposed increase on personal tax exemption to P250,000 a year would only benefit the middle class, professionals, chief executive officers and affluent celebrities”.

“The increase in estate and donor taxes would only benefit the propertied few. Its inclusion in HB 5636 means that our legislators in Congress are concerned more with the inheritance to be received by their heirs. While it is true that the impact of excise taxes for petroleum products and sugar sweetened beverages, including the broadening of the VAT base, is across-the-board, its proportion to household income is higher for poorer sections of society,” he added.

“There are tax reforms and there are tax reforms. The proposed TRAIN would wreck the lives of the majority poor. We need to introduce reforms that would pass the tax burden to those who have more in life. The top ten richest Filipinos are not the BIR’s top ten taxpayers. Clearly, something is rotten in our taxation system. Higher consumption taxes should be placed on luxury goods. Higher tax rates should be placed on wealth and property”. 

“War on the Poor”

“Workers are likewise enraged at a fascist government, which seeks new taxes on the poor, but is also waging a war against them in the so-called ‘gyera laban sa droga’. Almost all of the estimated 13,000 dead come from the poor. Due process is reserved to those who have economic power and political connections. The murder of Kian delos Santos should serve as a wake-up call to those who blindly support the bloody war against illegal drugs. No one would be spared, not even the innocents who, like Kian, have associated themselves with the so-called DDS. Stop the killings now,” he concluded. #

TRAIN ni Digong: Pahirap sa masa, pabor sa kapitalista

Workers call on BIR and Congress to stop corruption, plug tax leaks, remove incentives

PRESS RELEASE

July 31, 2017

“Most tax compliant sector” proposes its own version of tax reform:

Workers call on BIR and Congress to stop corruption, plug tax leaks, remove incentives

As the Duterte administration pushes the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion or TRAIN – a series of amendments to the country’s taxation system, members of the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) staged a picket in front of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) main office in Agham Road in Quezon City today, to call for a pro-labor, pro-poor version of tax reform.

Duterte’s TRAIN is on the wrong track

Leody de Guzman, BMP national president said, “The proposed TRAIN is anti-poor and anti-labor. Its proposed increase in personal tax exemptions would only benefit less than 30% of the population since minimum wage workers – who are at the 7th decile of family income distribution – are already exempt from withholding taxes”. 

“Worse, it would make up for the loss revenue in increasing income tax exemptions by imposing higher excise taxes on goods that are directly and indirectly consumed by the public such as sugared beverages and petroleum products, while lowering taxes that weighs down the privileged elite such as estate taxes. It is a train that is not only on the wrong track but also run over the workers and the poor,” the labor leader added. 

“The president must be reminded of the Constitutional mandate for a progressive taxation system. Taxes on consumption, such as excise and the VAT, are generally regressive. Even if the majority poor consume less that the affluent few, higher consumption taxes would mean a bigger portion of their low income would go to taxes, especially because most, if not all, of their income are spent and have no propensity for savings. We propose more taxes for the rich, primarily based on income and property. Tax the rich; not the poor,” he clarified. 

Pro-worker, pro poor tax and fiscal reforms

“We call on the BIR and Congress to stop corruption by punishing corrupt BIR officials, to plug tax leaks caused by legal but immoral tax avoidance, and to remove incentives enjoyed by multinational corporations,” de Guzman furthered. 

The BMP cited the plunder case against Internal Revenue Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay and 17 other officials and personnel for allegedly reducing the tax liabilities of Del Monte Philippines Inc., causing the government to allegedly lose P29 billion in potential revenues. 

The labor group also pointed to the P103 billion tax evasion case against cigarette manufacturer Mighty Corporation in 2016 and its suspected counterfeited of BIR stamps in 2017.  It also mentioned the billions lost in government coffers due to tax incentives to entice investors. In 2011 alone, the government gave away P144 billion in tax incentives to foreign corporations. In 2013, tax incentives to seven (7) mining firms amounted to P4.5 billion.

“Wage workers are the most tax compliant sector, as compared to professionals, and to VAT collections from corporations. We are already overburdened by taxes. But instead of pursuing the wealthy to increase its revenue, the government wants to put add more of the tax burden to the workers and the poor. If Duterte wants to have billions for his golden age of infrastructure, he should get from the billionaires, not from the millions who are poor. After all, it is the richest 1% of the population – along with the top echelon of the bureaucracy – who would benefit from construction contracts and project financing of the government thrust to ‘build, build, build’. Simply put, those who have more in life should have more in taxes,” he concluded. 

Flurry of protests to highlight Duterte’s 2nd SONA

Press Release

23 July 2017

Militant groups vowed to to make protests synonymous with President Rodrigo Duterte’s second State of the Nation’s Address (SONA) by staging multiple demonstrations to assert that the president’s promise of change has not been realized.

Contingents of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Sanlakas and Partido ng Lakas ng Masa (PLM) members will commence their day by holding symbolic simultaneous actions at the Bureau of Internal Revenue to denounce the proposed Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion program, and at the National Housing Authority to push for decent, affordable and safe public housing. The groups will also send a contingent to the nearby head office of the Department of Natural Resource to call for the termination of all coal-related projects.

“The simultaneous actions at various state agencies is proof that change has not come. Despite Duterte’s rosy pronouncements while still campaigning and even up to his first SONA, Duterte’s regime remains to be a major let down for those who voted for him”. said Leody de Guzman, president of BMP.

He added that, “we are even baffled with what he plans to brag as achievements in tomorrow’s SONA. After an entire year of threatening employers who abuse contractual workers, no finger was lifted and despite our protestations, contractual employment remains to be the dominant mode of employment in the country”.

The groups are also critical of the regime’s tax reform program which they branded as regressive and anti-poor. It’s much vaunted tax exemption will only benefit a minute number of the country’s twenty-two million wage-earners as capitalists will not only save up on the proposed bracketing but will also enjoy lowered corporate and estate taxes.

They announced that their contingents shall merge in front of the the Iglesia ni Cristo church in Litex along Commonwealth Avenue and will march towards the North gate, where they will hold their program.

It was earlier announced that other political blocs shall hold their program at the South gate.

Similar protests would also be held in Bacolod, Tacloban, Cebu and Davao.#

Pahayag sa Unang Taon ng Rehimeng Duterte

Unang Taon ng Rehimeng Duterte: Bogus na Pagbabago ng Kapitalista’t Reaksyonaryong Gobyerno

ISANG taon na ang rehimen. Kung dati’y sinasabi ng marami na maaring pagbigyan si Duterte dahil siya ay nasa transisyon pa mula sa dating meyor ng Davao tungo sa pagiging pangulo ng bansa, maari nang husgahan ang kanyang isang taon sa pagitan ng dalawang SONA.

Sa ikalawang SONA ni Duterte, ni anino ng “Change is coming” ay hindi pa rin naaaninag ng mamamayang Pilipino, laluna ng masang manggagawa. Napako ang lahat ng mga pangako. Naglaho na tila bula ang mga repormang itinalumpati para makuha ang boto ng 16 milyong Pilipino. Kung mayroon man tayong nasasaksihang pagbabago, ito ay ang tuminding kahirapan, karahasan, at kaguluhan sa buhay ng mayoryang mahihirap!

Tumitinding Kahirapan

Iba si Duterte sa nagdaang mga pangulo. Walang pretensyon sa pagiging modelo ng “good manners and right conduct” bilang pangulo ng bansa. Isang butangero. Magaspang. Matapang magsalita. Subalit iba ang kanyang ginagawa. Kabaliktaran ng kanyang mga salita.

Kontraktwalisasyon: Para sa manggagawang sahuran, ang pinakamapait na kasingalingan ni Duterte ay ang pangakong “contractualization must stop”. Sapagkat walang nagbago. Tuloy ang endo. Tuloy ang ligaya, hindi lamang ng mga contractor at subcontractor kundi ng mga prinsipal na employer na patuloy na masusuplayan ng mura at maamong kontraktwal na manggagawa.  Ang nilabas na Department Order 174 ni DOLE Sec. Bello ay kabaliktaran sa ipinangako ni Duterte. Ngunit hindi siya kinakastigo ng Palasyo! Wala ring Executive Order para iwasto ang kalokohan ni Sec. Bello. Trabahong regular, hindi kontraktwal!

Tax reform: Nagmamalaki ang gobyerno na “pro-poor” daw ang kanilang panukalang pagrereporma sa sistema ng pagbubuwis. Kailangan daw ito sa mga proyekto ng “build, build, build” na papakinabangan ng taumbayan. Pero sino ang kakargo ng pasaning pagbubuwis? Ang mga mahihirap! Sapagkat ang itataas nila ang excise tax sa mga produktong petrolyo at inuming may-asukal. Pasasaklawin din ang VAT. Tatanggalin ang eksempsyon sa VAT sa renta o pangungupahan na nagkakahalagang P10,000 kada buwan.

Tataas ang presyo ng mga bilihin sa balak na tax reform. Sapagkat ang pangunahing dadagdagan ng tax ay ang produktong petrolyo, na ginagamit sa transportasyon ng mga tao at mga produkto – at sa paglikha ng kuryente. Tataas ang upa ng mga maliit na komersyante, dahil sa VAT, at babawiin nila ito sa presyo ng kanilang mga paninda. Hindi na din eksempted sa VAT ang low-cost at socialized housing!

Nagkukunwari pa silang ibabalanse daw ang sistema ng pagbubuwis dahil itataas sa P250,000 ang eksempsyon sa personal income tax. Kalokohan! Ang milyon-milyong manggagawa, na karamiha’y kontraktwal sa maliliit na mga establisyemento at kumikita ng minimum wage, ay hindi na kinakaltasan ng withholding tax. Ang mahihirap na 60% ng mga pamilyang Pilipino ay hindi nabubuhay sa sahod, kumikita ng mas mababa sa minimum wage, at nasa underground economy. Hindi sila kasali sa income tax exemption! Ang mga mayayaman ang mas makikinabang sa pagtataas ng eksempsyon sa income tax! At tila hindi pa sila nasiyahan dito, ibaba din nila ang buwis sa kita ng mga korporasyon at estate tax (buwis sa mga pag-aari ng isang yumao bago ipamana sa kanyang benepisyaryo). Tax the rich, not the poor!

Mababang sahod. Nananatili ang kontraktwalisasyon. Mababa pa rin ang sweldo. Hindi na nga sapat para mabuhay ng disente’t marangal ang isang pamilya ng manggagawa. Lalo pa itong liliit sa pagsasabatas ng TRAIN o Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion sa 2018, na magtataas sa presyo ng mga bilihin at magbabagsal sa tunay na halaga ng sweldo. Isabatas ang living wage, buwagin ang mga wage board!

Demolisyon at pabahay. Sabi ni Duterte, wala raw madedemolis kung walang relokasyon. Subalit maraming pampublikong proyekto – kasama ang mula sa mga local government, ang nagreresulta sa pwersahang ebiksyon ng mga maralita, kahit hindi pa naisasayos ang kanilang relokasyon.

Ilan lamang dito ang sa Tatalon sa Quezon City, sa Minuyan sa Bulacan, at Langaray Market sa Malabon. Dadami pa ito sa binabalak na “golden age of infrastructure” sa termino ni Duterte. Wala pa ring policy ang Palasyo ukol sa mura at disenteng pabahay sa masang maralita.

Kaya’t sa mga proyektong pang-relokasyon (tulad ng nabulgar sa pabahay na inokupa ng Kadamay sa Bulacan), nananatili ang problema ng kawalan ng serbisyo. Malayo sa hanapbuhay, sa paaralan, sa ospital, atbp. Nasa liblib na karatig-probinsya ng Metro Manila. Minsa’y problema pa ang mismong linya ng tubig at kuryente. Ang masahol, napakamahal pa! Kaya’t tuloy pa rin ang problema ng foreclosure sa mga residenteng hindi makapagbayad ng mga amortisasyon, atbp. Binabawi lamang ng bangko. Habang tumatabo sa tubo ang mga real estate developer, mga opisyal ng local government, at mga bangko’t pinansyer, na tanging nakinabang sa mga proyektong pabahay ng gobyerno. Maayos na relokasyon bago demolisyon! Ipatupad ang Konstitusyunal na probisyon sa mura, ligtas at disenteng pabahay para sa masa!

Pag-atake sa oligarkiya. Aatakehin daw ni Digong ang “oligarkiya” o ang iilang mga pamilya na patuloy sa pagyaman sa kabila ng lumalalang kahirapan ng nakararami. Noong Agosto 2016, ang pinagsamang pagaari ng 50 pinakamayaman sa bansa ay nagkakahalagang $79.47 Bilyon o 27.58% ng gross domestic product o GDP. Mas mataas kumpara noong 2013, na nasa $65.8 Bilyon o 24% ng GDP.

Katunayan, ang pondong tutustos sa mga proyektong pang-imprastraktura ng Dutertenomics - na nagkakahalagang walo hanggang siyam na trilyong piso (P8-9 trilyon) hanggang 2022 - ay magmumula sa bagong buwis (na papasanin ng mahihirap) at bagong mga pautang.

Sa mga uutangin, 80% ay mula sa mga domestic loans (ibig sabihin, BDO ni Henry Sy, BPI ni Ayala, Metrobank ni Ty, RCBC ni Yuchengco, atbp. na pawang mga oligarkiyang sinabi ni Duterte na kanyang tutugisin!). Habang 20% ang mula sa dayuhang pautang (kasama ang Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank o AIIB), na pinangunahan ng Tsina at kanyang binantaan noon laban sa paghihimasok at pag-angkin sa mga isla sa West Philippine Sea!). Redistribusyon ng yaman!

Pag-atake sa Estados Unidos: Si Duterte raw ay para sa isang “independyenteng patakarang panlabas”. Ayaw daw niya sa panghihimasok ng Amerika. Ngunit hindi niya nilalansag ang kasunduang militar gaya ng Mutual Defense Treaty, Visiting Forces Agreement, Enchanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, atbp. Bumaliktad din siya sa mga nauna niyang pagkontra sa pagpasok ng tropang Amerikano, pinayagan niya itong sumali sa operasyon laban sa grupong Maute.  Lansagin ang dominasyon ng imperyalistang Amerika sa ekonomya’t pulitika ng bansa!

Pagwasak ng Kalikasan at Pagmimina. Dati animo’y kumakampi si Duterte kay Gina Lopez para proteksyunan ang kalikasan. Subalit hinayaan niya itong malaglag sa Senado. Binabawi na ni DENR Sec Cimatu ang mga suspensyon sa pagmimina na iginawad ni Lopez. Ang pagkawasak sa kalikasan ang sisira sa agrikulturang pangunahing ikinabubuhay ng ating mga kababayan sa kanayunan. Labanan ang mapanira at malakihang pagmimina at pagtotroso!

Umiigting na Karahasan at Kaguluhan

Panghuli, at higit sa lahat, sa unang taon ni Duterte, naging saksi tayo sa kaliwa’t kanang patayan at pagkawalang-bahala sa proseso ng batas. Libo-libo na ang pinatay ng “War on Drugs”, karamiha’y mga mahihirap na adik at tulak. Ngayo’y idinidikit na nila ang isyu ng droga sa gyera kontra terorismo. May mga nagpapanukala pang patagalin at/o palawigin ang Batas Militar sa buong bansa upang magamit ang kamay na bakal na estado sa lahat ng kalaban ng republika.

Nililikha ng mga pwersa ng reaksyon ang isang klima ng takot, pananahimik, at pag-aatubiling punahin ang mga ginagawa ni Duterte, na kung hahayaang magtagumpay ay tutungo sa tuluyang paglusaw sa ating mga demokratikong karapatan. Laluna sa kalayaang lumaban sa pang-aapi’t pang-aabuso ng iilang mayyaman at may-kapangyarihan - sa pamamagitan ng malayang pagtitipon, sama-samang pagkilos, at sariling pag-oorganisa.

Ang klima ng takot at pagsawalang-kibo ang pinakapaborableng kondisyon para sa malawakang pandarambong, hindi lang ng mga burukrata’t opisyal na magpipiyesta sa pinalaking buwis na kokolektahin ng gobyerno kundi ng mga malalaking kapitalista magiging kasosyo’t pinansyer sa mga proyektong pangimprastraktura, mga kontrata sa pagtotroso at pagmimina, at sa lahat ng likas at likhang yamang mula sa kalikasan at paggawa sa Pilipinas. Labanan ang pasistang atake sa mga kalayaang sibil at karapatang pantao!

Mga kauri at kababayan! Huwag tayong magpaloko sa mga pretensyon ni Duterte. Bogus ang ipinangakong pagbabago ng “Change is coming”! Kiskisin natin ang nakalambong na ilusyon upang tumambad sa atin na ang kasalukuyang pangulo ay tagapagpatupad lamang ng interes ng malalaking kapital. Ito ang katotohanang aming ipinababatid sa milyon-milyong umaasa pa rin sa kanilang bulaang manunubos. Sama-sama nating isulong at ipagtanggol ang ating mga karapatan at kabuhayan tungo sa tunay na pagbabagong matagal nang inaasam ng manggagawa’t mamamayang Pilipino. #