Robert Reid | Chairperson FFPS
This International Human Rights Day, December 10, Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle (FFPS) calls for the broadening and deepening of international solidarity with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) against fascist attacks on their peace consultants and the Filipino people by the US-Marcos Jr. regime.
For over 50 years the NDFP has united the Filipino people in their revolutionary struggle for a just and lasting peace by resolving the basic problems of the Philippine society – US imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism. In a desperate attempt to instill fear and crush all forms of dissent, the Marcos Jr. regime has unleashed a brutal war against the Filipino people and imprisoned, abducted, tortured and extra-judicially killed NDFP peace consultants.
In October alone three NDFP peace consultants, namely Porferio Tuna, Simeon Naogsan and Wigberto Villarico, were arrested in violation of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).
The International People’s Tribunal (IPT) held in May 2024 exposed the US-backed brutality and intensity of the Marcos Jr. regime’s attacks on the Filipino people and the NDFP. Under the guise of “counterinsurgency” operations, the Philippine government under Marcos Jr. has relentlessly targeted the civilian population and tries to crush any form of dissent, particularly in rural areas.
Continuing the policies of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos Jr. has sustained indiscriminate aerial bombing campaigns in the countryside, displacing tens of thousands of civilians. The regime has also used hamleting in many communities to curtail democratic rights and intimidate the populace, such as in the Kalinga communities in northern Philippines. Furthermore, Marcos Jr. has intensified its crackdown through enforced disappearances, illegal arrests and other attacks against human rights defenders and other activists.
Thus, debunking Marcos’ pretensions to the international community of “improving” the human rights situation in the Philippines and presenting a “friendlier” image compared to Duterte.
As Benito Tiamzon, martyred NDFP peace consultant and revolutionary leader, said, “If we do not solve the root causes of the armed conflict, even if the current revolutionary movement is somehow crushed, new uprisings will emerge. So if our goal is genuine and lasting peace, our focus should not be on how to quickly solve the armed conflict, but on how to address the root causes of this repeating armed conflict in the Philippines.”
The Filipino people’s demands are clear: genuine agrarian reform, social change, the abolition of unjust treaties with foreign powers, the expulsion of US military bases, and a program for national industrialization and genuine development. It is precisely the refusal of the US-backed Marcos Jr. regime – and those before it – to sincerely address these demands that has driven the Filipino people to revolution.
The NDFP as a people’s movement has put forward a comprehensive 12-point program to address these demands and achieve a just and lasting peace. If the Marcos Jr. regime were sincere about improving the human rights situation in the Philippines, it would not attack the consultants of the NDFP but rather engage with them on solving the root causes of the conflict.
As solidarity allies, we have the duty and responsibility to amplify the call of the Filipino people to stop the attacks on the NDFP consultants and the people themselves. Hold the US and the Marcos Jr’s regime accountable in all its crimes against the Filipino people! Join and/or initiate discussions on these violations and take action in our localities!
In support of the Filipino people’s aspiration for social and national liberation, let us broaden and deepen our solidarity work!