On Duterte’s pseudo-independent foreign policy

Hugo Francisco
December 10, 2018

Statement by Prof. Jose Maria Sison
NDFP Chief Political Consultant
December 9, 2018

Panelo should closely read my statements about the West Philippine Sea issue to appreciate that I use a wide range of Philippine and international sources as basis for my views. There is nothing wrong about any factual and reasonable estimate of the rent and damages that China should be paying for occupying the artificial islands and damaging the marine environment.

There is nothing wrong in using any source of information like Marx studying the theories and documents of capitalism in order to critique capitalism and project socialism. As a lawyer, Panelo should know that various types of witnesses can be availed of to establish facts and the truth.

At any rate, I advise Panelo to read my latest article, “Duterte has gone into a waiver of Philippine sovereign rights but China demands explicit surrender of these rights.” I am well-informed enough to know the differences between certain views of Justice Carpio and former Solicitor General Hilbay and the overt and covert traitorous actions of the Duterte regime with regard to the West Philippine Sea issue. Definitely, I follow Philippine events and trends so closely that I know who will benefit from contract shares, commissions and finders’ fees as a result of the sell-out of Philippine sovereign interests.

The Duterte regime is not pursuing an independent foreign policy, contrary to Panelo’s claim. It is pursuing a policy of subjecting the Philippines to the continuing over-all US dominance and to the incoming debt colonization of the Philippines by China and the surrender of the sovereign rights of the Filipino people in the West Philippine Sea. I do not have to go to the Philippines right away to be able to know Duterte’s foreign policy of subservience to several imperialist powers, especially the glaring obedience to China.

Panelo’s boss Duterte is so brave when he threatens and actually induces mass murders of poor people by his armed minions. But he is so cowardly and servile in dealing with China regarding the sovereign rights of the Philippines and the Filipino people. In contrast, Vietnam has demonstrated that it can file diplomatic protests against China on a bilateral and multilateral basis and still maintains diplomatic and trade relations with China. Obviously the Vietnamese authorities do not have shady deals with China and Chinese corporations like Arroyo and Duterte and their Chinese comprador partners have.

Without any danger of war with China, the Philippines can file diplomatic protests on a bilateral basis and in international forums, sue China in the US and other courts where Chinese assets exist in order to obtain rent and damage compensation and even demand Chinese departure from the artificial islands. The Philippines can also hire non-Chinese and more competent corporations in service contracts to help the Philippines and its Filipino experts to explore and develop Philippine oil and gas resources.

Panelo does not gain any additional point in argumentation over the issue by mocking at the comprehensive and long-term ideological position of the Communist Party of the Philippines. He exposes his ignorance about the immediate general line of the CPP in waging the new democratic revolution against the decrepit and bankrupt semicolonial and semifeudal ruling system. Also, only an idiot can presume that capitalism and imperialism are perpetual, especially at this time that the crisis of the world capitalist system is going into another major spasm.

Brutal and corrupt leaders of the Philippine semi-colonial and semifeudal ruling system of big compadors, landlords and bureaucrat capitalists like Marcos, Arroyo and Duterte and their subalterns like Panelo have no claim whatsoever to any moral or political superiority over the lowliest revolutionaries who are leading the workers, peasants and the rest of the people in their struggle for national and social liberation.

Panelo is in the Philippines but is ignorant of the fact that the CPP, the NPA, the NDFP and the mass organizations of workers, peasants, indigenous people, youth, women and other people have built the People’s Democratic Government through the local organs of political power. He is shooting his own foot by stupidly saying that these revolutionary forces and people have not built any political power in the past 50 years.

There are now two governments in the Philippines: the People’s Democratic Government in the countryside and the city-based reactionary government of the exploiting classes. He and Duterte will soon be out of power. They belong to a merely passing regime of short duration in a ruling system that will be overthrown eventually by the people’s democratic revolution.

It is Panelo who is grossly out of touch with reality in the Philippines and in his immediate vicinity. He is conspicuously suffering from senility or fragmentary thinking. He is the spokesman of Duterte and invites me to return to the Philippines. He has so easily forgotten the fact that Duterte only a few days ago said that I should not return to the Philippines and he threatened me with physical harm from himself no less should I return to the Philippines.###