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Amid apparent attempts of the present administration to perpetuate itself beyond the next national elections, a broad coalition of progressives, religious, and cultural workers to name a few, say no to another Duterte.
With the proposed aid for displaced workers and poor families still far from getting the presidential nod, allies of the administration in the Lower House have been pushing to open up the country’s resources to the plunder of big, foreign powers and to perpetuate Duterte’s rule.
“The Filipino people should reject all those identified with dictatorship and authoritarianism, reject all those responsible for or who abet extrajudicial killings and whose mantra is ‘kill, kill, kill,’ and all those who violate human rights.”
With practically all House members – except Duterte’s son and a few die-hard Duterte lawmakers – co-authoring the measure, Bayanihan 3 brags the unprecedented and massive support of different lawmakers who crossed party lines. The political reasons are obvious, but on one hand, such a move in the House sans Palace nod says a lot about Duterte’s deliberate neglect of calls for cash aid.
"With many considering the next national elections as a make-or-break scenario for the Philippines, it is thus crucial to make sure that the right to vote is exercised properly and that clean and fair polls have to be observed as best as possible. "
“This is a matter of survival to us, because we need to bring back good governance,” said retired Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.
The petition started with only 500 signatures of people from different sectors of the society.
“We do not need a leader who fuels fear or division. We need one who can unite all Filipinos of various beliefs in this one big fight to save the nation. Duterte is not this leader. He has done too much damage to our people. He will never change. He must resign.”
“[The CPP] calls on all forces, from the mass-based democratic forces to the conservative political oppositions as well as elements within the ruling regime and in the military and police forces, to exert all effort to assert the country’s sovereign rights and drive away the Chinese imperialist aggressors,” it said.
"While these systematic attacks are still part of the Duterte administration's warped and militarist campaign against progressive organizations, clearly, it is also aimed at serving a chilling message to the political opposition.”
“Oppressive lockdowns and widespread joblessness are causing grave hardships on the masses, stoking widespread anger, rousing them to fight back and inciting more and more people to join the armed resistance to fight and seek the ouster of the US-Duterte regime."
“To fight for health, aid, education, jobs and justice now is a matter of survival amid the pandemic, and the climate and human rights emergencies. To strengthen our unity and act now against all forms of abuse, discrimination and tyranny is our assertion for a better future."
#DuterteResign trended on the Philippines' social media platforms, after the country's capital and its neighboring provinces were put yet again on a stricter lockdown.
The Supreme Court junked the electoral protest filed by former Senator Bongbong Marcos against Vice President Leni Robredo on Tuesday, Feb. 16.
“The Duterte administration's cha-cha will also pave the way for greater depletion and plunder of our natural resources due to corruption and fascist rule. It will also open up space for amendments to political provisions such as lifting of the term limits."
Bulatlat looks back at the decisions of the high court which affect the public the most, and the Filipino people's fundamental rights and welfare.
Now that the schedule has been set, the focus now is on how the members of the high court would come up with a decision on these. Considering the caliber of the lawyers questioning the ATL’s validity, will they simply brush off the arguments to put a finality on the question and allow the president to do as he wills or will they listen to the arguments and seriously put the law into question?
Progressives said that the recent moves to amend the Philippine Constitution are “but a desperate attempt of President Rodrigo Duterte to hold on to power and silence critics.”
“It is important that peace talks continue as this is one of the avenues to resolve the roots of armed conflict.”
Health advocate and community doctor Josh San Pedro said that mass testing remains important amid the increasing number of cases, and the new coronavirus variant, which is proving to be more transmissible. After all, vaccines have no 100 efficacy rate and that chances of getting infected remain.
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