Sticking to the facts
WHEN then Presidentelect Duterte declared he would resume peace talks, grant amnesty for all political prisoners, and invite the National Democratic Front to submit nominees to his cabinet – the Left and the public welcomed it.
Impressed by their credentials, Duterte appointed three of the NDF nominees: Judy Taguiwalo to DSWD, Rafael Mariano to DAR, and Liza Maza to NAPC. The public was happy.
The NDF eagerly engaged the government in peace talks. To show its goodwill, the NDF declared the longest non-holiday ceasefire. The NDF and the government were set to discuss comprehensive agreements on social and economic reforms, political and constitutional reforms, and cessation of hostilities. Peace advocates were hopeful.
When Duterte surprised the political establishment with a declaration to pursue an independent foreign policy – the Left applauded and joined the public in championing the idea of full national sovereignty.
The promises turned out to be flukes. Lorenzana and Año were disinterested in peace talks, demanded that the NDF merely surrender, and declared an all-out war. Calida has ordered motions to be filed in court for the rearrest of NDF negotiators and consultants.
Duterte in fact has sought three foreign masters – the US, China, and Russia.
There’s more: Duterte decided to bestow a hero’s burial on Ferdinand Marcos in a quick and treacherous fashion.
Like most of us, the Left broke ranks with Duterte on all these issues.
The Left helped quickly mount the Nov. 25 Luneta rally against the hero’s burial. Taguiwalo, Mariano, and Maza also denounced the undeserved honors for Marcos and joined the protests.
When Duterte backpedalled on his promise to raise SSS pensions due to manufactured fears from his neoliberal economic managers, the Left protested. Taguiwalo, Mariano, and Maza pressed Duterte to approve it.
Outside of the Palace, former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares tirelessly battled alongside the seniors and laid out fiscal, political, and moral arguments in favor of the pension hike.
When the pro-Duterte supermajority railroaded on March 7, 2017, the bill seeking to restore the death penalty, the seven-member Makabayan bloc bravely voted against it.
Because they defied Duterte, the trio of Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate, Gabriela Rep. Emmi de Jesus and ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio were removed as chairpersons of the Committees on the Environment, Poverty Alleviation, and Public Information, respectively.
By the time the CA ousted her from DSWD, Taguiwalo was perhaps the most loved cabinet member of Duterte. The public appreciated her jealous defense of DSWD funds against lawmakers who wanted to transform it into pork. Unfortunately for the nation, Duterte sided with the pork-addicted lawmakers who ousted her.
By the time the CA ousted him from DAR, Mariano had been able to distribute to landless farmers big tracts of land. He was the poorest cabinet member, in terms of SALN. The public appreciated his promotion of peasant welfare against the oligarchs who keep the provinces poor and themselves rich. Unfortunately for the nation, Duterte sided with the oligarchic landlords who ousted him.
Fake news outlets want us to believe the Left was/is “namamangka sa dalawang ilog.” Fact-free and context-free.
The thing is, they cannot accept the reality that the Left has stuck to the public pulse and our national aspirations for change. They also cannot accept the reality that the Left can think for itself and can act independently of them. The Left does not bend the knee to any icon or idol in politics.
Lest we forget: Bishop Carlo Morales of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente remains in prison for his ministry promoting the peace talks. He is among 400+ political detainees in various jails nationwide. And just this week, another Lumad youth perished after he was shot by a CAFGU member.
The trouble with those who maliciously attack the Left is not just that they peddle Fake News or that they do it fact-free. They are actually united with Duterte in invalidating both the Left and the authentic changes the Left is devoted to.
As both the diehard Yellows and rabid Dutertrolls now know, the Left is committed to pursue reforms in all fronts and through various means.
And so instead of uniting with the Left in a broad alliance called Movement against Tyranny, the anti-Left chismosos attack its integrity. Just because the leftists are involved.
In their desperation to attack the Left, they actually insult former Sen. Rene Saguisag, Sr. Mary John Mananzan OSB, IFI Obispo Maximo Rhee Timbang, Bishop Broderick Pabillo, Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, former Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III, Dean Jose Manuel Diokno, columnist Vergel O. Santos, artist Audie Gemora, Chef Hernan Christian de Jesus, and other convenors of the movement.
The public knows the record of the NDF, Makabayan, and Bayan vis-a-vis the Duterte administration. And they cannot be swayed by fake news and innuendo. The public has always been on the side of real change.
Duterte has revealed himself as a poser. He betrayed his promise to be an agent of change and instead sided with militarists and oligarchs to maintain the status quo of all-out war and neoliberal economics. As the champion of radical politics since the formation of the country’s first trade union, the Left is committed to expose his bastardization of the word “change.”
This consistent record and stubborn commitment of the Left to radical and real change – especially those that challenge the reign of oligarchy and imperialism – is what incites some haters to churn out Fake News. Some are not just against Duterte; they are also against fundamental change. The Left is a threat to their opportunist political existence.