PHOTO: Progressive groups ganging up on the Fascist DuterTRAIN effigy to burn it as a symbolic gesture of protest against the oppressive and neoliberal policies of the US-Duterte regime. Photo by Marielle Domquil.
Although we were surprised to have not heard as much banter as we initially expected, President Duterte’s attempt to save face by appearing dignified and clean-cut during his speech was foiled by the blood on his hands. So here’s a run-down of what BAYAN Eastern Visayas thinks about President Rodrigo Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address:
“Independent” foreign policy
Hypothetical is what we call it, this illusion of sovereignty Duterte wants the public to think we have. The mere fact that Duterte would attempt to talk about “independence” when under his watch his government is surrendering our territorial integrity to the likes of China is evidence enough that his State of the Nation is a farce.
Insisting on a land use plan benched in congress for decades, but ironically his administration has done nothing to support and pass a genuine agrarian reform bill that necessitates the protection of agricultural lands under threat of conversion only to serve the interest of foreign markets. The regional development plan for Eastern Visayas specifically indicates that in the coming years, crop production should be hinged to support international demand rather than local consumption needs. Not only does this put a question mark over food security issues, this also highlights just how independent Duterte’s economic foreign policy is going to be.
Every day it will TRAIN
With the second package of TRAIN forthcoming, we now ask this question: Who will bare the brunt now that corporate income tax will be subject to generous reductions? By transferring the tax burden to the Filipino people- not to mention disaster survivors still reeling from criminal neglect- this administration has essentially declared a “hands off” policy towards protecting the purchasing power of its own people. In all provinces of Eastern Visayas, the price of rice and other basic commodities has scored high in recent weeks. The pro-people packaging of TRAIN is factually bogus.
Federalism and Charter Change
Even after recent studies have shown that majority of Filipinos are not for a shift to Federalism, Duterte still presented and officially endorsed before congress the output of the Consultative Committee that drafted the new charter for Congress to approve. Saying the draft represents the entire Filipino people, the administration is confident that it will gain the support of both houses to have the draft passed and ratified within the year. But the truth is, public awareness is still exceptionally low with respect to what Duterte’s brand of Federalism entails, meanwhile his team of political wards have been making rounds in Palo and Tacloban city to hold surprise “consultations” before numerous crowds and irresponsibly calling it a reliable source of public approval towards the document.
Falling short of explaining what Federalism would give to the President in the form of privileges, congress is enjoined to believe that the re-election of Duterte should be given the go signal after it was enshrined by the ConCom that the sitting President may run for the same President again after the document has been ratified. Without doubt, the passage of the “Federal” constitution is nothing but an attempt to consolidate political power solely to Duterte.
Missed issues
Peace was not on the agenda, and we can expect that it wont be among the top priorities for legislation now that Duterte has utterly dismissed the urgency behind resuming peace talks with the NDF or has rejected in effect, the joint draft of the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms. In Tacloban city, streamers from unknown individuals and groups are being fluttered around the streets calling for local peace talks, this is the brand of peace President Duterte wants fed to the throats of every Filipino. But when it comes to discussing the substantive agenda of the peace process which concerns reforms necessary at a national level, he is silent.
Other issues have also been prejudiced due to the lack of attention during the President’s SONA. An assessment of how Free Education has been implemented with him at the helm was lacking of his earlier speech or how the free irrigation law for peasants translate into an actual free irrigation system for places like Samar where 60 percent of all farmers rely on rainwater for their agri-production. President Duterte has also failed to discuss military led bombings in Mindanao and Eastern Visayas while he releases the go signal for state authorities to push through with their unrelenting campaign of violence and political persecution of anti-state forces.
Although we weren’t anticipating a public apology from a person as self-absorbed as the President, there is still a resounding need for him to discuss how much he has impacted Philippine culture and the dignity of Filipino women with his anti-women remarks in the past. Not only has he failed to make amends with them, he has also openly incited them to rise up against him.
State of whose nation?
Overall, the lingering question is this. Whose nation is Duterte referring to in his recently concluded SONA? Whose image of struggle-less society does he want to paint? Or should his report be taken as a figure of speech, meaning to refer to a specific demographic and not the nation, as a whole? Because if we check our facts the access of American plunderers to our country’s riches have been undaunted amid the growing number of people being pushed into the fringes of society. If in Samar, you speak of wealth, then you must be referring to the wealth your government has siphoned from all the bauxite and copper reserves your mining corporations have been unearthing from the land you call sovereign. If in this land of Waray and Cebuano speakers you say there is progress, perhaps you refer to the narrow ranging Waraynons who speak English over a cup of tea planning out where the next starbucks will be at. We really do not know whose State of the Nation that was, but it’s certainly not ours.
The People United
While waiting for Duterte’s 3rd State of the Nation Address, forces from all corners of the region gathered at Rizal avenue to forge and conduct the United People’s SONA- a mobilization featuring all the anti-Duterte forces in Eastern Visayas, uniting over the cause to resist and repel the fascist US-Duterte regime amid political differences. The indications of a rising people’s resistance is coming to the fore, with even more unities being forged among the masses, the night will finally be trumped by the light of day!
BAYAN Sinirangan Bisayas 