The triple wars refer to the President’s war on drugs, wars in the countrysides, and war against the Moro people, Anakpawis Partylist Rep. Ariel Casilao declared in a statement yesterday.
The latest SWS survey indicated a decline of 12 to 20 percentage points from the respondents from rural areas and those in the Class E economic category.
“It is natural for the people to break out from being deceived by sham promises for change, as President Duterte has nothing new to offer, he embraced the semi-feudal and neo-liberal social and economic framework he inherited from his predecessors, and exacerbated it by his triple war, war on drugs or war against the poor, all-out war in the countryside, and war against the Moro people,” Casilao said.
Casilao noted that “while killings related to the government’s war on drugs have been extensively publicized, extra- judicial killings of farmers and atrocities in the countryside remain unabated and yet to receive its deserved attention.” He blamed this on the government’s counter- insurgency Oplan Kapayapaan.
He cited a report from the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) indicating that extra-judicial killings under the Duterte government claimed the lives of 81 farmers as of last August 31.
“Also, aerial bombings of farmer communities have been a standard- operating procedure by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with the latest case in Batangas last month,” he added.
Casilao also stressed that “the survey was conducted right after the huge protest against Duterte’s creeping authoritarianism on September 21 marking the 45th anniversary of the declaration of martial law.”
“The protests effectively conveyed the issues to the people, as indicated by the survey results,” he said.
Casilao urged the holding of “incessant massive rallies to oppose the fascist rule of Duterte, against war against the poor and farmer killings.”
“I urge the public to support the approaching national caravan-protest of tens of thousands of farmers across the country,” Casilao said.
He said that “to mark the 45th anniversary of the Presidential Decree No. 27 land reform program of the Marcos dictatorship on October 21, about 30,000 farmers will be launching protest actions in the country, with about 20,000 farmers and activists to mass up in Manila on October 23 to 25 to demand free land distribution and against all-out war in the countryside.”
