By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
NDFP Chief Political Consultant
April 7, 2019
The electoral contest for 12 seats in the Philippine Senate is of crucial importance to Duterte. By any means within his power, he will try to get at least eight of his Hugpong ng Pagbabago senatorial candidates elected in order to have the two-thirds majority in the senate to approve the resolution for charter change to a bogus federalism.
Unless he rigs the forthcoming May 2019 elections, most of his senatorial candidates are certain to lose because they (like Marcos, Estrada, Ejercito, Revilla, Enrile, Go and de la Rosa) are pulled down down by their own notoriety for plunder, mass murder and blind loyalty to Duterte and, of course, by the Duterte regime’s notoriety for tyranny, treason, mass murders, corruption and broken promises.
Duterte’s favorite senatorial candidates are up against the people’s outrage over Duterte’s criminal record. The Catholic vote is unprecedentedly gaining ground as a result of said record and his persistent attacks on bishops and priests for standing up in defense of the people’s human rights.
Thus, Duterte is becoming jittery and threatening to declare the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus and suppress his critics and the opposition by armed force. He senses the wave of popular rejection rising against him.
He has complete control over the Comelec and the military and therefore the capability to rig the elections. Knowing the criminal and malicious character of Duterte, the people expect him to rig the elections in order to ensure the election of at least eight senatorial candidates loyal to him.
He needs desperately eight more senators to make the two-thirds majority in the senate in order to push the charter change to a bogus federalism and thus install himself as fascist dictator, rule beyond 2022 or choose his own successor, protect his bureaucratic loot, and prevent the International Criminal Court in The Hague from effecting his arrest for trial on charges of crimes against humanity.
It is necessary for the forces of the opposition to make a serious electoral campaign and demonstrate that at least ten of their senatorial candidates are sure winners through protest mass actions, campaign rallies and assemblies of the Christian churches. At the same time, they should be ready to rise up when Duterte finally rigs the elections to cause the “election” of at least eight of his senatorial candidates.
The mass support gained by the opposition through the electoral campaign will become a gigantic force to oust Duterte from power in the same manner that Marcos was ousted in 1986 after he rigged the election results and obtained his false victory. ###
