Bureaucrat capitalism under Duterte-Marcos bring immense suffering to the Filipino people

Vol. VI, No. 18 - September 30, 2024

In the Philippines, the reactionary government is controlled by the ruling classes of big bourgeois compradors and landlords, run by bureaucrat capitalists who serve the interests of imperialists and their own factions. This system, characterized by corruption, sees some of the worst bureaucrats siphoning billions of pesos into personal overseas accounts. Currently, tensions between the rival Marcos Jr. and Duterte factions are escalating as the 2025 midterm elections approach, with Marcos attempting to consolidate power and Duterte trying to preserve his political influence.

Read more: Bureaucrat capitalism under Duterte-Marcos bring immense suffering to the Filipino people

Real sincerity in peace talks is measured in commitment to address roots of civil war

Vol. VI, No. 17 - September 15, 2024

The persistent war rhetoric, anti-peace and aggressive posturing by certain factions within the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) serve not the interests of the Filipino people, and only exposes their evil intentions according to the latest statement of Christians for National Liberation (CNL).

Read more: Real sincerity in peace talks is measured in commitment to address roots of civil war

AFP’s plan to buy $7.11bn-worth of missiles and fighter jets smacks of warmongering

Vol. VI, No. 16 - August 31, 2024

Amid widespread hunger and poverty, Department of Defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro announced the plan for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to buy missiles and 40 jet fighters at the cost of US$7.11 billion. Teodoro announced the plan after a Congressional hearing related to the 2025 budget. The fighters will be purchased from American arms companies and their subsidiaries in other countries such as South Korea.

Read more: AFP’s plan to buy $7.11bn-worth of missiles and fighter jets smacks of warmongering

The 21-peso challenge: Marcos poverty statistics a cruel joke

Vol. VI, No. 14 - August 15, 2024

The Marcos Jr. administration’s claim that only one in ten Filipinos live below the poverty line is a staggering distortion of reality. This figure is not just misleading, it is a grave insult to millions of Filipinos struggling to survive on the most destitute living conditions.

Read more: The 21-peso challenge: Marcos poverty statistics a cruel joke

Marcos Jr.'s SONA is an exercise of wishful thinking

Vol. VI, No. 14 - July 31, 2024

In his latest State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos Jr. presented what appeared to be a product of fanciful imagination rather than a reflection of the realities facing ordinary Filipinos. Marcos Jr.’s third SONA, full of lofty promises and rosy projections of his administration’s so-called ‘achievements’ glaringly downplayed the urgent and escalating crises of insufficient wages, skyrocketing prices of basic goods and services, widespread landlessness and pervasive poverty. 

Read more: Marcos Jr.'s SONA is an exercise of wishful thinking