Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Chairperson
International League of Peoples’ Struggle
18 July 2007

Dear  Friends,

I am deeply pleased and honored to be invited to this video conference with the leaders of Bayan and representatives of the mass media. I welcome this opportunity to have an exchange of views with you on major current topics concerning the national and democratic rights and interests of the Filipino people.

I also take this opportunity to convey special thanks to Bayan, Atty. Romeo T. Capulong and all others who have steadfastly supported me in the struggle to defend my fundamental rights in the Philippines and abroad. I express my deep gratitude to them for my recent legal victories.

These victories are the July 2 decision of the Supreme Court rendering null and void the charge of rebellion and all the false evidence against me and 50 others and to the July 11 decision of the European Court of First Instance annulling the decision of the Council of European Union to include me in the “terrorist” blacklist and freeze my assets.

Bayan has informed me that among the topics that you are most interested in are the “terrorist” listing by the US, European Council and other governments, the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2007 in the Philippines, the expected escalation of human rights violations, the question of resuming the formal talks in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations and the prospects of various forms of mass struggle.

I have been advised that many more topics are likely to be covered, within the range of considering the socio-economic and political crisis of the Philippine political ruling system and the Arroyo regime in particular. We are all eager to describe the situation accurately and set forth our tasks in the struggle, especially because we anticipate further lies and threats in the forthcoming “state of the nation address” of the de facto president Gloria M. Arroyo.

We are certain that the socio-economic crisis will worsen from year to year. The excessive foreign and local borrowings, the consumption-driven trade and budgetary deficits, the lack of economic development and the mounting tax burden will inflict more acute suffering on the people, sharpen the contradictions among the reactionaries and generate revolutionary resistance among the people.

The Arroyo regime will continue to be utterly subservient to US and foreign monopoly interests. It will escalate state terrorism in a vain attempt to intimidate and suppress the broad masses of the people and the broad range of opposition forces. The political crisis of the ruling system will worsen. It will surely drive the people to fight not only the Arroyo regime but the entire ruling system in order to advance the revolutionary cause for national liberation, democracy, social justice, development and anti-imperialist solidarity with all peoples of the world.

Now, I am ready for the open forum. ###