"When a regime betrays the folk in order to rule them"

"When a regime betrays the folk in order to rule them"

Contrary to what they present themselves would say that their actions kept their hands soiled and bloodied. Corruption charges, rising debt, and looking after their interests at the expense of the nation would say that this outweighs their so-called "achievements" focusing much on their "legacy-building" than that of "public service." Nothing is so unworthy as a nation as allowing itself to be administered by an irresponsible clique of fools whose "change" as nothing but changing faces and phrases. The essence continues to be the same obviously- the way murderous thugs able to circumvent the law, what more justified by the system's controversial decrees just to defend a rotten order.

With this situation the folk, particularly that of the worker in the city and the peasant from the countryside suffer from worsening forms of exploitation and repression. The order and its apologists may deny this bullshitry with paper "reforms" to that of half-hearted projects. But crisis prevail as the country, like all others remains in deep mess: reeling from last 2020's global recession following supply disruptions due to COVID19 pandemic, what more of its economic lockdowns and production slowdowns. The toiling masses felt badly its effect as widespread retrenchments and layoffs, debts, and burdensome taxes along with rising costs of commodities and services resorting to unrest. Again, the order may "trying their best" to "suffice the problem" with subsidies to that of lockdowns and limits in movement. Worse, the COVID19 pandemic became an opportunity by the order to impose laws that stifle the right to dissent particularly that of the Anti-Terrorism Act and the recent arrests, killings, and harassments using the law.

It is not surprising this kind of situation, that like its predecessors, the Duterte administration has pulled the nation down to bullshitry just like his message. For folks are too tired to hear his rants and threats, this gaslighting regime doesn't matter how many innocent nor unjustly accused people being killed in the name of "war against drugs" or "war against the insurgents", if not driven into squalor with rising debt in the name of "development". Who among these apologists has any conception of the dimensions of shame that will befall the country when one day the veil has removed and thus exposing the most horrible of crimes through and through? So much for their obsession with that distorted "law and order" and "development" made these things happen- with apologists claiming "change has come" by claiming extrajudicial killings as "justice" and debt-driven development as "progress."

But the fact is, it didn't change at all as Duterte himself, the once self-proclaimed "socialist" last 2016 retains same old neoliberal policies as his predecessors do: that further deepened the backward, agrarian, semifeudal economy dependent on imported consumer and capital goods; and leaning towards resource extraction, production of semiprocessed products, and cheap labour, what more it is reinforced by his orderism that involves the use of the police and the armed forces, and supported by his legislators and the courts, all in stomping dissent whether using the "pandemic" or "anti-terrorism" as its alibis. The militarization of civilian functions with active and retired military generals played an expanded political role in defining state policies and programs, running the bureaucracy, and controlling resources and programs of state agencies along with corrupt government officials Duterte chose to defend with, as well as the trampling of "checks and balances" and parliamentary procedures that shows how the regime as firmly defending its interests regardless of various charges be it corruption to that of state terror.  

Perhaps, it becomes believable, that one must betray a people in order to rule it. Duterte betrayed people's hopes and aspirations just to keep firm in his and the entire order's interests. Whereas he claimed to be against oligarchs, the latter still continues to prevail in economic spheres especially those who side with Duterte and his neoliberal economic agenda. Duterte detested the Lopezes yes, yet mum towards the Ayalas and nods towards Ramon Ang and the Floirendos. Isn't it that ridiculous that since his apologists claiming to be against the oligarchs, then why on earth that once self-proclaimed "socialist" shook hands and leaving them unhampered? Or just because one is criticising his politics especially that of the Drug War and his myriad of rants? Again he cursed oligarchs two and fro for the country's poverty, yet like his predecessors he further liberalized trade and investment to the detriment of local business, workers and agricultural producers. He ordered the liberalization of rice and pork imports, implemented tax cuts for big corporations, buried the country deep in mountains of debt, entered onerous and anomalous infrastructure contracts, imposed additional taxes on the people, caused the depression of wages and allowed large-scale land-use conversions.

Even in foreign relations where he once claiming to be for an "independent foreign policy" turns out to be a ruse, as he shamelessly surrendered the country’s sovereignty to China by allowing it to reclaim land, build military facilities, and deploy its naval and air forces in areas within the Philippines’ territorial waters and exclusive economic zone- all despite being an appendage of United States Imperialism, perpetuating its hegemony primarily by controlling, continuing indoctrination, training, financing and provision of weapons of the armed forces, as well as maintaining its decades-old agreements. His refusal to assert and defend the country’s rights under the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) and under the 2016 judgement of the International Arbitral Tribunal in favor of the Philippines against China showed how he shamelessly give up sovereignty in favour of consolidating interests- with China using economic assistance and partnerships, bribery, even donations of vaccines to undermine people's will in favour of the regime's. 

Need not to explain further, but the regime, what more of its standard bearer betrayed the folk that one after another gradually opened their eyes and regret their impression- and thus becomes believable rather than "unbelievable" to see this kind of situation, that of a tyrant claiming to be making changes, when in fact consolidates interests both old and new. 

Now the apologists of the regime would churn two and fro their statements defending their leader and his policies, but hopefully the folk realise that they had enough of  being under "political bondage" the way they had enough of Duterte's lewd jokes that insulted the honour of the Filipina.