Regardless of “actions”, crisis and oppression breeds resistance
by Kat Ulrike
At first, this note extends greetings this Easter Sunday, for like the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, this note expresses that despite numerous challenges and hindrances, that the nation's struggle for independence and democracy is greater with full of hopes amid continuing socioeconomic crisis, oppression against the folk, and threats to national sovereignty.
Easter is the occasion when people wished for a lasting peace as to honour its fallen dead. When remembering those who died, or imprisoned because of a belief, heir contributions, sacrifices, are driven by the desire to fulfill hopes, of making the future generation shall have peace in their homes and communities.
On this, this note remember all of those who have given their lives in the cause of national and social liberation. This note salutes the courage and fortitude of those who have died in this phase of a historic struggle, and thus remember them with honour and pride.
This note reaffirm the belief that the current government continues to downplay the people's desire for peace based on justice, the denial of a nation's right to self-determination, and the maintenance of social and economic inequality as the root causes of conflict.
By refusing to continue the stalled negotiations, the current administration seems to be stubborn in pursuing an offensive that involves bombing of communities, harassing and arresting peace negotiators, to that of involuntary disappearances. These actions, whose basis is “to end decades-old insurgency”, intensifies popular resistance as the current administration continues to be in connivance with entrenched local and foreign interests in exploiting the country and its people. With the support of imperialists, attempts to undermine people’s struggles to the extent of seeking to criminalise dissent has shown remain the order fixated with the objective of “destroying subversion” rather than developing the peace process.
But regardless of their messages justifying their operations, its actions made clear that the responsibility for the ongoing conflict rests firmly on the shoulders of the ruling class through its government. The rejection of the people’s desire for lasting peace in favour of the order’s deafening silence shows that the ruling class wanted a condition that rather intensifies exploitation to maintain and consolidate further interests. Of course that deafening silence is redescribed as the “absence of war”, but, is that absence of conflict is based on justice? Of answering the cry of the poor and the oppressed? That “peace” of the order benefits the exploiters as they talked it through threat and coercion.
This note requires no lengthy speech. However, the order does not present the necessity for a just and durable peace to a group of like-minded despots and tyrants. That "peace" they've wanted is a fiction, as the vast majority of peasants, workers, and other toiling people continue to face land grabbing, economic dispossession, poor wages, unemployment, and other kinds of terrible social injustice, making the fight even more just and necessary. And contrary to their statements trying to "win the peace", the present US-Marcos regime has aggravated the situation of the people by serving the interests of foreign capitalists, as that of local economic and political despots to the detriment of the Filipino people’s welfare and rights. "Programs" meant to appease the folk doesn't resolve the problem, but instead to placate the interest-seekers.
To cut this thought short, the desire for peace means to address the people's desire for justice. The prisons or graves may be filled with those whose reasons as just, but an ever prevailing crisis which trying to be hidden cannot remain hidden at all as it breeds resistance- for regardless of the reprisals from state elements this doesn't stop the people from ever concerning hard issues the order fails to address, downplays, or outright denies; what more the willingness to resist in order for the nation to exist.