By Rubi Del Mundo
Spokesperson, NDFP – Southern Mindanao
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines-Southern Mindanao lauds all the patriotic and freedom-loving people in the region and elsewhere in the country for denouncing the US-Arroyo regime for being the worst human rights violators against the Filipino people on the occasion of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights last December 10. The National Democratic Front-Southern Mindanao urges the Filipino people to persist in fighting until this nefarious regime and the rotten semi-feudal and semi-colonial state is overthrown.
The Filipino people have seen the worst of the US- Arroyo regime in violating human rights. In the countryside, relentless military operations and indiscriminate bombing operations have resulted to massive displacement of the Lumads and the farmers. In their futile attempt to get NPA prisoners of war 1Lt. Vicente P. Cammayo and PO3 Eduardo C. Tumol, Mrs. Arroyo and her military warlords refuse to heed the call for the resumption of peace talks and rather risk war, affecting the civilian populace in Monkayo, Agusan, Davao del Norte, New Bataan and other parts of Compostela Valley Province and in Davao Oriental. In the previous months, nonstop displacements also occurred in Boston, Davao Oriental as well as in Tamayong, Davao City and Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur as military operations sowed terror and wreaked havoc among the Lumads and farmers living in these areas.
While such takes place in the countryside, unabated killings of members and leaders of progressive organizations in the cities and towns occur. This year, six activists were slain; three have died in a month's time in November namely Danilo Cualbar, Rolando Antolihao and Vicente Paglinawan. Isabelo Celing, who had just died this month, was also shot in November. Death threats, harassments, and political killings hounded the lives of activists, church people, lawyers, media and those other critics of this regime.
In the negotiating table, the Arroyo regime always derails the peace talks and tries to turn the table against the NDFP in a bid to discredit and stem the tide of the revolutionary movement. The NDFP will not buy the Arroyo regime's disarmament, demobilization and reintegration policy that is tantamount to surrender.
While the above hostilities directly violated human rights, the Arroyo regime's servility to foreign and big local capitalists that pushes for the total sell-out of our resources exacerbate the exploitation and poverty of our people. The several public money- scandals that convicted neither Mrs. Arroyo nor her minions only made Mrs. Arroyo, her family, cohorts, staunch allies and her imperialist masters live extravagantly and lavishly as the majority of the Filipino people wallow in extreme poverty.
But the sweet life and better days of connivers of this loathed US- Arroyo regime is soon to end. Mounting protests and armed opposition of the discontented people will deliver the best blow to oust the US-Arroyo regime.
