Statement by Jose Maria Sison
NDFP Chief Political Consultant
December 4, 2018
By all indications, Duterte is hellbent on escalating mass murders in order to intimidate the people and the opposition and make a full-blown fascist dictatorship through the manipulation of the 2019 elections and chacha for a bogus federalism characterized by a hierarchy of oligarchs, dynasties and warlords.
There is already a de facto martial law nationwide even without formal proclamation. The Philippines has been put under a national state of emergency and mass murders are being carried out in the countryside by the military under Oplan Kapayapaan in the same mode as Oplan Tokhang in impoverished urban slums.
The escalation of mass murders of suspected rebels and sympathizers in both rural and urban areas is signaled by Duterte’s call for the formation of death squads for the purpose. The proclamation of the national state of emergency is prelude to the declaration of martial law nationwide. Martial law is being extended in Mindanao.
Lorenzana appears to differ with Duterte by calling for restraints and military intelligence-based execution of suspects. But there is no difference because the military under Oplan Kapayapaan and the police under Oplan Tokhang do not need any court warrant to abduct, detain, torture and murder suspects.
The Filipino people can expect more brutality of various kinds, especially mass murders, from the Duterte regime even as they suffer the daily violence of exploitation through mass unemployment, dwindling incomes, and rising prices of basic goods and services.
Unwittingly, Duterte and his armed minions in the AFP, PNP and paramilitary forces are becoming the best recruiters for the armed revolutionary movement of the people.
They are also the best transport and supply officers of the NPA as they aggressively deploy, overstretch and wear out their armed units for ambush, annihilation and loss of firearms in the tactical counter-offensives of the NPA on the national, regional and guerrilla front scales.
The NDFP Negotiating Panel has already received advance notice from the CPP that it shall order the NPA to go into unilateral ceasefire mode in order to manifest solidarity with the people celebrating the Yuletide season and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the CPP.
The temporary unilateral ceasefire of the NPA demonstrates the high morale and self-confidence of the revolutionary forces and people in their all-round strength. But at the same time they are on alert for active defense because the enemy forces continue to wage all-out war and commit all kinds of terrorist acts and atrocities.
