What is wrong with Paolo Duterte’s reasoning

Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte expressed support for his father President Duterte’s declaration of the CPPNPA as terrorists.

But strangely, Polong has to lash out at Gabriela, KMU, Bayan Muna, Karapatan and other groups by calling them as legal fronts and “kampihan” with the NPA.

We want to respond to the Vice Mayor with this question: What is his definition of terrorism? Does mere rallying for legitimate rights constitute an act of terror?

Are the issues raised by Gabriela such as protection of women from violence and all-out war issues of terror?

Does he believe that workers demanding higher wages and the end to Endo, or farmers fighting against oligarchs considered terrorists? Are Lumads calling for their right to education terrorists?

The Vice Mayor does not give deeper reasons for branding us as terrorists but to resort to toeing the military line of red-baiting.

For the AFP has been branding progressive organizations from communist to terrorist fronts to being enemies of the state. But why are people joining and supporting the mass movements instead of running away from it?

The people see the legitimacy of issues such as saving Lumad schools, ending Endo, land reform, housing for urban poor, opposition to jeepney phaseout and the Marcos burial. If we are terrorists, the people would not have responded and joined in mobilizations and other campaigns.

The Vice Mayor thinks groups supporting peace talks are communists or sympathizers.

Let us set this fact straight. The peace talks is a people’s issue. That is why we welcomed the resumption of talks made by the president, who supported the people’s call for change during his campaign in 2016 and who said peace talks can address the root cause of the five decades of armed conflict. And we support the talks through holding forums and consultations to draw people to send their agenda to both government and NDF panels to talk of socio-economic and political reforms.

He asks why there is no condemnation on the NPA’s accidental killing of a four-month old baby. The NPA has made their statement of apology. Let us also raise the accountability of the AFP for the killing of a Lumad student in Talaingod, the food blockade in a Lumad school community in Surigao del Sur, and the displacement of women and children in Marawi because of wanton airstrikes. These are more acts of terror by starving and killing Moro and lumad children. There are more acts of terror in the military looting the houses in Marawi, and the police brutality during demolitions of the urban poor. These are acts of state terrorism against its own constituents.

It is easy for Vice Mayor Polong to label us as terrorists but he fails to grasp what is the terror of poverty and the state and much less care to act to address the issues. The honorable vice mayor misses the point that dissent is a democratic right, and the clamor of the people for change is legitimate.

BAGONG ALYANSANG MAKABAYAN SOUTHERN MINDANAO

KARAPATAN SOUTHERN MINDANAO