Two decades ago today, the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa-Mindanao (RPM-M) was established in the jungles of Mindanao. Two decades of revolutionary works have been celebrated through the democratic victories with the toiling masses and working class. While it is true, we are far beyond from the qualitative revolutionary victory we are fully aware of building strong foundations for an eco-socialist future with its seeds growing with the green thumbs of the toiling masses in the communities and revolutionary forces. Our Revolutionary Salute to all Comrades in all line of works, the red warriors in the Revolutionary Peoples’ Army (RPA) and all friends, sympathizers and allies in all-sided eco-socialist endeavors.

Much has to be done and to remain grounded and rooted with the working class, toiling masses and oppressed peoples for only with them we can always enriched our Socialist Revolutionary struggle. The capitalist crisis have worsen as it was exposed by the unseen virus of the covid-19. Such crisis have exposed that massive greed and accumulation of profit destroying the mutual/balance relation of humans and nature. Indeed, capitalism is the comorbidity of covid-19 pandemic. This capitalist profit driven development paradigm is not sustainable, the most vulnerable – the working class, the poor, the women, the indigenous people communities, the coastal communities, together with all inhabitants and organisms have become extremely in grave danger. And to stifle dissent, States worldwide would simply use their security apparatus – the police and the army – in neutralizing or nipping in the bud the peoples’ and social movements.

While we are to celebrate our achievements with the oppressed peoples and the working class we should prepare ourselves to the deadly threats to these victories – the fast shrinking democratic space perpetrated by the fascist Duterte regime and the grossly mismanaged covid-19 pandemic and its impacts.

A full year after the covid-19 pandemic in the Philippines and more than a year of strict social crackdown but more than a million cases have already been recorded with more than 17,000 number of deaths and more than 63,000 active cases. The Duterte administration has been consistent in its militarist response to the health crisis. The Department of Health has been reporting that there are already shortages of hospital beds and oxygen tank supplies in the National Capital Region (NCR) hospitals while medical workers have been shouting for more substantial support and serious attention. Despite of the alarming situation, Duterte has continued to publicly belittle the country’s crises by saying that he will just slap the virus away and it will die on its natural death and that it is just ‘a small thing’ and called for the Filipinos to survive the situation without even presenting any concrete coherent and sustainable response to the crisis aside from locking down whole communities of the poor and working people. The social amelioration funds have hardly reached all the communities. And worst only less than 1%of the population has been inoculated. This is despite of the billions of money allocated to the emergency funds through the 2020 budget realigned Bayanihan 1 (P275 Billion) and Bayanihan 2 (P165.5 Billion) responding to the crisis. And now pushing for 420 Billion peso Bayanihan 3. As of April 27, 2021 only 1.81M were vaccinated and 247,000 only are the fully vaccinated (2 doses) or 0.2% of the population.

Since the early stage of the pandemic, medical experts and advocates have been warning the world leaders that the worst has yet to come, and this is true with the multiple mutations of the covid-19 virus in different countries. The one year battle of the medical frontliners and sacrifices of the locked down workers and the masses have been wasted by ill-fitted Duterte government without having concrete medical and science-based response to confront the pandemic and its impact to the country.

The RPM-M and its military wing RPA since the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities with the Arroyo administration have been fully consistent to it. There were no hostile acts or any violation committed by the RPA and the RPM-M since 2003. No reported military operations from the RPA and in fact, the RPA have been active in the communities carrying the police functions against illegal drugs and other crimes, dispute settlements, solving agrarian and land-based conflicts including the campaign for ecological economic development. Comprehensive eco-socialist development framework in the almost 100 villages have been advancing and in different stages of consolidation. This is an integrated part of the RPM-M-Government peace talks.

On the other hand, it is the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the government forces that have committed the violations in many cases. The murder of Ka Ruben and dragging him to their failure of giving justice to Dr Drey Perlas – a Doctor to the Barrio that was murdered last March 3, 2017; the accusations and malicious tagging of several comrades in the RPA in illegal activities; and the on and off military assaults in RPA and RPM-M area of operations are clear to show who are really serving the interest of the peoples and not. Of late, the Philippine Army thru its 2^nd Mechanized Brigade have been sending their intelligence operatives to harass different communities in the areas.

Adhering to the neo-globalized imperialists’ fight against all potential and growing enemy of its dominance, the Duterte regime have been militarizing the executive branch of the government and has passed the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020. This followed the Executive Order 70 or the Whole-of-Nation Approach to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) mobilizing all civilian government institutions in the fight against its self-created terror enemy, the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) primary targeting all revolutionary communist movements and progressive social movements. It has been launched and given ample amount of budget in the middle of the government’s scarce and low response to the pandemic and its economic impact. Only failed and defensive leadership and governance would turn harsh to criticisms and dissenters. The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict has a huge chunk of government funds that reaches 16.4 billion pesos with Davao City’s 1.64 billion. An amount that could have help boost public health facilities and subsidize workers displaced by the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the country’s economy is at its worst since World War 2 at -9.5%, with 3.44M or 7.1% jobless in March 2021 according to Philippine Statistics Authority, with repatriated migrant workers who are now close to half a million, more than 20M job losses due to mass layoffs, retrenchments and prices of basic commodities have not stopped from increasing even while prices of basic food and transportation keep on soaring as high as at 80%. The response to the call for P100 wage increase is the union busting, illegal arrests, red-tagging and even killing of union leaders. The answer to the scarcity of rice supply in the market isn’t full support to the rice producers but importation through rice tariffication; the answer to the scarcity of meat supply in the market is importation instead of the full support to the local producers and growers. Instead of respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Duterte regime has offered Ancestral Domains to corporate interests. We have glaring examples to these anti-people and anti-ecology: the Kaliwa Dam project that is strongly opposed by the Dumagats; the Tampakan Mineral explorations affecting B’laan and other tribes that green lights to operate came from the Office of the President; and the armed intrusion for corporate and monocrop plantations in the name of peace and reintegration program of the government for communities one-sidedly identified by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front allowed by the Philippine government under the new Bangsamoro political entity (BARMM) affecting Teduray, Lambangian and other ethnic tribes/minorities in Maguindanao province.

Duterte has not fulfilled all his promises during the 2016 elections. His promise to end the illegal drugs problem in six months has in fact worsen today. His promise to end all forms of corruption in government now everybody sees all kinds of corruption in the government agencies and institutions. His promise to fight for the country’s sovereignty against China thru riding a jetski and planting the Philippine Flag in the country’s territory he now claims as a joke. Now we all know that Duterte has just joked his way towards the Presidency and those who believed and elected him to Presidency he now calls fools.

China has been encroaching in our economy and territories and the most vocal defender to this surrendering of the country’s sovereignty is from the government side and no less than the President. Instead of standing for the sovereignty and integrity of the country, Duterte rants and curses personalities and movements calling him to fulfill his constitutional duty as the President. It is not only cowardice but incompetence and betrayal of his mandated duty. And instead of proactively and comprehensively respond to the health and economic crises brought about by the pandemic, this regime preferred to discuss Charter Change opening the local economy completely to foreign capitals.

All-Out Peoples’ War

Despite the past and present challenges, the Party has been consistent in pushing for the democratic reforms together with working class and the toiling masses and in developing alternative economic programs while strengthening the solidarity among peoples, sectors and other forces. The same with the stand for the democratic content of the Right to Self-Determination of Peoples (Bangsamoro and Indigenous Peoples) that is fundamental in the fight against national oppression brought about by the mainstream neo-globalized capitalism in the country. The comrades in the social movements and in the revolutionary army have been more active in the campaigns and fight for the eco-socialist struggles in different forms. The comrades in the RPA have continued to be the shield protection of the peoples against oppressors in the respective areas of operations and have been performing tasks and functions 24/7. The Party is in constant communication and have been collaborating political projects with several political parties and movements in Mindanao and the whole country.

Obviously, Duterte and his generals failed to account the natural character of the oppressed and suppressed people. They may burry them down below and forgot that these oppressed and the exploited are seeds that are slowly but surely growing and bearing fruits creating not just a food basket but a revolutionary surge towards eco-socialism.

On our second decade of revolutionary service to the working class, toiling masses and oppressed peoples let us celebrate in pursuit to our ecosocialist revolution reflective to the concrete developments in the country and the world. Strengthen the revolutionary movement and persevere advancing democratic reforms integral in the over-all revolutionary struggle. Let it be our concrete revolutionary contribution to the International Revolutionary Movement. Let’s get inspired by the historic Paris Commune (1871), October Revolution (1917) and Peoples’ War across the World!

In our current context, this is our war together. Against the regime that has no sense of responsibility and accountability. Against a regime that has submitted itself to the multi-national and imperialist powers. Against an inutile regime who has perfected different ways of genuflecting to over-bullying neighbor – China. Against a traitor and manipulator! Against Capitalist and Imperialist interests!

Like the community pantries, revolutionary and all freedom loving democratic forces and champions of justice, human rights and dignity should pour resources, energy and perspectives and collectively stand and fight back against this murderous regime and end exploitative globalized system.

Let us learn from the power of Collective Leadership and Revolutionary Pluralism that our comrades from the Indigenous Peoples have lived in theory and in practice.

Like the political statement behind the community pantries, let us develop solidarity of struggles beyond food and daily sustenance but more into the unity of the urban and rural communities for economic and political reforms.

Let us integrate in our battles the clear fight of the Friday for the Future campaign of the Children and Youths globally.

Build, support and strengthen community-led mutual aid initiatives and demand for a free and accessible vaccine and medical services against covid-19.

Mobilize all resources and machineries in the continued all-out peoples’ war against all forms of repression, oppression and exploitation.

Our Fight! Our Peoples! Our Future!

Two Decades and Beyond Dear Comrades!

Salute to Our Martyrs and Comrades that to the last breathe have stood and fought for the oppressed and the exploited!

Long Live the Revolutionary Workers Party – Mindanao!

May 1, 2021

Executive Committee of the Central Committee
Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagwa – Mindanao
www.rpm-m.org