Is Duterte prepping October martial law, CPP asks
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on Wednesday lambasted officials of the Duterte government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for “singing a chorus of fantastic lies” in recent days which seem to be part of its plan to justify the declaration of nationwide martial law.
“These recent propaganda blitzkrieg was orchestrated by Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana’s fraud-filled message in a vain attempt to discredit the Party and revolutionary forces, sow confusion and justify increasingly militarist and repressive measures against the people,” the CPP noted.
The CPP dismissed as “a complete fabrication” claims made by Lorenzana that the Party has planned the “Oust Duterte Movement” to culminate by October. “Duterte’s henchmen are hyping-up this lie prompting many to ask, whether Duterte is, in fact, planning to declare martial law or a general crackdown by October.”
The CPP slammed the Duterte regime for claiming that a “Church-Left” alliance is behind the supposed ouster plan. “With Duterte’s tirades against the Church and religious beliefs having backfired, he is now accusing bishops and church leaders of conniving with ‘terrorists’ in the hope of casting aspersions against his critics.”
“Having cancelled peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), the Department of Justice (DOJ) is now rushing its proscription petition against the CPP and the New People’s Army (NPA), which accuses activists, human rights advocates, indigenous people’s leaders and other political personalities of being leaders of the CPP and NPA,” said the CPP. “This petition aims to strike fear against the growing anti-fascist movement and stifle the burgeoning workers’ strikes and protests. To tag legal activists and critics as terrorists is a desperate attempt to quell the masses’ growing dissent and discontent.”
The CPP took a swipe at Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque’s recent claims that living conditions in the Philippines have improved and that many Filipino families have already escaped poverty. “Roque is daydreaming. He is too snug and cloistered in his ivory tower in Malacanang that he cannot even bother to look outside the window and see how more and more workers and peasants are being impoverished. He is actually doing Duterte a disservice by making fantabulous claims which the Filipino people dismiss as extreme foolishness,” the CPP said.
The CPP also reiterated that the “local peace talks” being promoted by Lorenzana will not prosper. “All units of the NPA and committees of the CPP are united under the central leadership of the Party. The Party and NPA fully support the Negotiating Panel of the NDFP in its representation of all revolutionary forces in negotiations with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines,” said the CPP.
“So-called localized peace talks only seek to obscure the ruthlessness and brutality of the all-out military offensives of the AFP,” said the CPP. “Under Oplan Kapayapaan, the AFP is mounting all-out offensives and laying siege on hundreds of barrios, carrying out aerial bombardments and perpetrating extrajudicial killings ala Tokhang, and other grave abuses against the peasants, national minorities and other oppressed peoples.”