Prospects during and after the May 13 elections
1. The opposition senatorial candidates will surely win because of their powerful issues against the tyrannical, treasonous, mass murdering, plundering and inflation-generating Duterte regime.
2. But Duterte has the power and opportunity to rig the elections because of his total control of Comelec officials, personnel and computer machines and the Comelec-deputized military and police officers in Mindanao and in designated “trouble spots” in Luzon and the Visayas to ensure the success of electoral cheating. It is ominous that Namfrel is prevented from performing its role as electoral watchdog. And publlc school teachers belonging to ACT and the opposition poll watchers are being red-tagged and being intimidated en masse.
3. The broad masses of the people, the opposition parties and cause-oriented organizations are well aware of the scheme of the Duterte regime to rig the elections. When the rigging occurs, they will certainly be outraged and be ready to rise up against the regime.
4. The Duterte regime will harp on its false electoral victory and undertake more draconian measures in order to suppress the broad opposition and railroad the bogus federalism to complete the process of establishing a fascist dictatorship and to counter the prosecution of Duterte and his criminal cohorts by the International Criminal Court upon the end of his term.
5. At the same time, the regime may approach the anti-Duterte conservative opposition and the Catholic Church with threats and offers of reward and compromise. It remains to be seen how the anti-Duterte conservative opposition will respond to the Duterte approaches and take into account the broad united front and mass movement against Duterte.
6. The regime may approach the National Democratic Front of the Philippines for the resumption of the peace talks if only to split the broad mass movement against the regime. But it is more likely that the regime will never make the approach to maintain its consistent line of scapegoating the CPP and NPA as the excuse for its draconian policies and measures. In the first place, the NDFP will respect the outrage of the people over the electoral rigging and will support the people’s movement for the ouster of the tyrant Duterte.
7. Most of the anti-Duterte conservative oppositionists will reject Duterte’s threats and offers of compromise for patriotic and democratic reasons and for the wisdom and long-term advantage of siding with the people’s movement to oust Duterte.
8. Although continuously targeted for red-tagging and exemplary murders, the cause-oriented organizations and their leaders will be more determined than ever to undertake protest mass actions and seek the ouster of the tyrannical Duterte regime.
9. Because of Duterte’s election rigging and his drive for bogus federalism and fascist dictatorship, he will be the cause of continuous turbulence and turmoil in the Philippines. His imperialist patrons can eventually junk him for being more of a liability than an asset as they did Marcos. They have the levers for turning the finances and armed forces of the Philippines against an already untenable puppet like Duterte.
10. Because of the foregoing prospects, the armed revolutionary movement of the people will have more far more fertile ground for growing in strength and advancing towards greater victories in the people’s democratic revolution. It is the most steady and reliable force of the Filipino people against the Duterte regime, whatever are the twists and turns in the struggle between the regime and the unarmed legal opposition forces and at whatever rate the imperialist masters allow Duterte to stay in power. ###