Fascist state terror and peasant resistance under Marcos Jr.

Already burdened by widespread landlessness, prolonged drought, and the government’s anti-people import-dependent agricultural policies, the peasantry — the country’s most marginalized sector — now faces even greater peril as increased military counterrevolutionary operations sweep through the countryside and indiscriminately target rural communities.

Contrary to Marcos Jr’s claims, rights groups have documented intensified human rights violations against peasant communities over the past years. Instead of addressing the root causes of the armed conflict, the Marcos Jr. regime’s target to eliminate the revolutionary forces by the end of 2024 has only resulted in severe human rights violations and serious breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL).

State-sponsored fascist attacks persist

Reports from the ground paint a grim picture of growing state violence in rural areas. March alone shows increasing military operations in peasant communities across the country. Reports indicate a growing military presence in rural communities and soldiers visiting leaders of peasant organizations, questioning them and intimidating them into silence regarding government projects and military operations. Additionally, there have been alarming instances of illegal arrests and torture of peasants and fisherfolk who have been falsely accused of being members of the New People’s Army.

In Negros Occidental, fascist soldiers apprehended two members of the NPA, only to claim a day later that they were casualties in an armed “encounter.” The NPA in Negros Island reported that these individuals were tortured before their summary execution in direct violation of IHL. In Mindoro, the NPA disputed the 4th Infantry Battalion’s claims that a Red fighter was killed in an “encounter” on March 14 in Barangay Panaytayan, Mansalay, stressing that no NPA unit or personnel were present in the village at that time. Both incidents occurred within the same week.

In Bukidnon in northern Mindanao, Philippine Air Force fighter jets dropped at least eight powerful bombs on predominantly Lumad communities in Sitio Mainaga. The attack devastated the forests, which are a vital source of livelihood and resources for the indigenous peoples. Beyond the physical destruction, the bombing inflicted extreme trauma and terror on the Lumad farming community. In Pola, Mindoro, reports of aerial strafing in indigenous Mangyan communities last February 19 were documented. The fascist soldiers reportedly carried out an indiscriminate aerial strafing operation in retaliation for an earlier NPA encounter. Apart from its destructive nature, aerial attacks and strafing undoubtedly result in forcible displacement and mass evacuation.

Indeed, a de facto state of martial rule prevails in rural areas. On top of aerial bombings and artillery attacks that devastate agricultural lands, the AFP enforces curfews, food blockades, and restrictions on the movement of civilians — disrupting the livelihoods of local farmers and sowing terror in rural communities. Despite continued warnings from the Supreme Court on the unlawfulness of its operations, the notorious National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) continuously surveils, red-tags, and harasses members of people’s organizations, pressuring them to falsely surrender as members of the NPA.

At the same time, the passage of the Anti-Terror Act (ATA) and the use of the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (TFPSA) have exacerbated human rights violations not just in the cities but also in the Philippine countryside. The weaponization of these so-called terror laws have allowed the reactionary state almost unlimited powers to suppress all forms of dissent in the name of national security. These laws, which use a vague and overly broad definition of ‘terrorism’, permit warrantless arrests and allows authorities to hold individuals for weeks without charge.

As of the end of 2024, KARAPATAN has documented at least 119 extrajudicial killings, 76 frustrated extrajudicial killings, 14 enforced disappearances, 762 political prisoners, and 3,706,431 cases of threats, harassment, and intimidation.

Repression breeds resistance

Despite the mounting repression, people’s organizations continue to protest the escalating military attacks. In San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, peasant groups are demanding an independent investigation into military abuses and the immediate withdrawal of the 80th IB troops encircling their communities.

The same military unit previously launched a rogue operation to raid the home of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) Secretary-General Ronnie Manalo while he was away. The military planted arms and explosives in the house of Manalo. The prosecutor later dismissed the charge due to insufficient evidence.

Meanwhile, residents of Barangay Malisbong, Occidental Mindoro have recently questioned the military’s plan to construct a camp in their community. They expressed widespread opposition as they believed the presence of military camps would bring more danger to their community.

As Filipinos wrestle with hunger and poverty brought on by the regime’s failure to fight soaring prices of basic commodities, the intensified military operations in rural areas have further aggravated the difficulties faced by the peasant population. These same conditions push more and more Filipinos to take up arms and resist the fascist reactionary state under Marcos Jr. Instead of addressing the root causes of the armed conflict, the increasingly oppressive Marcos Jr. regime is more preoccupied with its illusion of crushing the revolutionary movement, which has only led to widespread and systematic fascist terror in the countryside.