Anakbayan Toronto stands with the Filipino people, in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world, as we remember the horrors of Martial Law declared by the US-Marcos dictatorship 45 years ago. This year’s commemoration is even made more urgent as we remain vigilant to the the US-Duterte regime renewed state fascism fully unravelled.
We are collectively enraged by this tyranny. From the rewriting of national history by his hero’s burial of ex-dictator Ferdinand Marcos; the ongoing false flag operations in Marawi to justify the declaration of martial law; explicitly kicking out progressive members of the cabinet like Gina Lopez, Judy Taguiwalo and Rafael “Ka Paeng” Mariano; and the more recent attempt of defunding Commission of Human Rights (CHR).
We expose Duterte as a fascist guised as a reformer. From the beginning we opposed that use of force is ineffective and unjust. His notorious drug war simmers with the blood of victims, including youth like Carl Arnaiz, 19, despite several evidence of rampant abuses by police elements. Even minors like Reynaldo de Guzman, 14, and Kian delos Santos, 17, were extrajudicially killed.
This week has even been more disturbing how the fascist leadership and his cohorts desperately try to sabotage mobilizations against mass murder and tyrannical rule. As Filipino youth abroad, we understand how Marcos dictatorship brought about labor export policy, where the Philippine state deals with other countries to send cheap labor overseas instead of generating national industries in the homeland. We face the harsh realities as a result: family separation, ‘brain drain’, and precarious conditions. Dictatorship and tyranny do not solve the fundamental issues of poverty & injustices.
The fight for justice isn’t over. As acts of aggression of succeeding regimes post-dictatorship follow neoliberal logic, we continue to unite with the basic masses to fight back feudalism, bureaucrat capitalism, and imperialism.
We remember the brave young men and women who led the fight for the downfall of Marcos, and may they serve as inspiration for us, young people, in demanding justice from the crooked system continued by the Duterte regime.
We, in Anakbayan Toronto say, expose Duterte as facist! #NeverAgain to Martial Law! and #StopTheKillings!
Anakbayan Toronto 