Leaflet for May 1, 2010

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Be Ready! Advance the Militant Struggles

Against the New President of the Philippines!

(Statement on May 1, 2010)

Just a few days to go and the Philippine state will have a new president. On May 1, Filipino workers should use this as an occasion to prepare for struggles because certainly, renewed attacks will be imposed by the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the capitalist system on the suffering people.

Election for the bourgeoisie, not for the workers

The same as the previous elections in the Philippines, the elections this May are for the ruling class to choose who or what faction should seat in Malacanang, parliament and local governments. This is an election to defend the rotten system which for 100 years exploits the people and make them suffer more and more.

All candidates, from presidentiables up to the local levels are from or puppets of the capitalist-haciendero classes. Even the Left, posturing as "progressive" like Bayan Muna or Akbayan are rapidly exposed as just puppets of the big bourgeois parties like the Nacionalista Party (NP) of Manny Villar and Liberal Party (LP) of Noynoy Aquino. What the Left is doing is just a proof that they are also enemies (like the bourgeois opposition and the ruling faction) of the Filipino working class.

Generally, the Right, Left, Church and media help each other to make the elections credible and a "popular" president be elected. Although factional bickerings among the factions of the Right and Left, in which they themselves uncover their own wrongdoings and crimes, and up to the point of bloody conflicts especially at the local levels, they are all united to chain the exploited masses to the framework of bourgeois elections and convincing the latter to show their "militancy and resistance" by voting and guarding their votes.

On the other hand, even though it's not on the agenda of the Right and Left, no-elections or failure of elections is not impossible. Though for the ruling class, the broad masses must continue to have illusions for a "clean" election. This is one of the most effective ways to maintain the rotten system, and that's why they want a successful "peaceful" and "clean" election this May. Factional squabblings for power are getting more intense and worsens. All are desperate to grab power especially for presidential position. Big bourgeois parties and personalities like the Lakas-Kampi, NP and LP; Teodoro, Villar and Aquino are doing all they can (including the dirtiest) to win.

If the state cannot regulate the deteriorating worse situation, this might open the way for an "extra-legal" or bloody settlement of the warring factions. If there will be no-election or a public perception of widespread electoral fraud, it is possible that the Left will repeat the "people power revolution" (of course lead by the bourgeoisie) using a "more radical calls" like the "provisional revolutionary government" which they already did in the past in the bourgeois movements to overthrow the Arroyo regime. Like in the past, bourgeois factions will use the toiling people as cannon-fodder.

No real changes after the elections but worsening of the situation

Can the successor of Gloria Arroyo do something for the people?

Basically the platforms and programs of the candidates and parties are the same. There is no difference between the administration and opposition. Reading and listening their campaigns and platforms, the essence is the same: defend national capitalism and the government will do all it can to make national capital survives under the very intense competition within the rapidly saturated world market. This means: cheaper labour-power (wages) to make the Philippine products competitive in the world market, maximization of labour-power, more widespread contractualization, increase taxes and government's debt.

In the next 3-6 years, toiling masses will suffer more because world capitalism is in its permanent crisis and the state is completely bankrupt.

Role of the Left

For the first time, the Left openly support big bourgeois opposition parties against the Arroyo regime. In the past, they were ashamed to openly support and just secretly campaign bourgeois candidates and parties. This is a clear manifestation that the only difference between the Right and Left is the language used and the formulation. But essentially, they have the same program: "develop" national capitalism, in which in imperialist epoch and permanent crisis is impossible to happen. "Development" means worst sufferings and intense exploitation on the people.

The two biggest Left factions (maoist CPP-NPA and Akbayan) are also supporting the two oldest bourgeois parties in the country - Nacionalista Party and Liberal Party - and to the two strongest contenders for the presidency: Manny Villar and Noynoy Aquino. Whoever from them seats in Malacanang, the public know very well the major role played by the Left to make them win and become president of the exploitative government.

If the other factions seems silent (Sanlakas, Partido ng Manggagawa, KPD, atbp) on the bickerings of NP and LP, this is because they are not against in allying with them. It so happen that the maoist Bayan Muna and social-democratic Akbayan sealed the deal first.

And since it is certain like the rising of the sun that the new president will be the spokesperson and defender of the capitalist-haciendero classes, there is a strong possibility that after the elections, the Left will immediately stand as "opposition" to the new administration to evade the anger of the people, and once again fool the masses that they are for "social change". If Villar wins, Akbayan will be the first to be in "opposition". If Aquino wins, the Maoists will be the first to act against as the "opposition". It will be easier for the "silent" other factions of the Left to ride the opportunism as "opposition" on whoever wins since they are not openly endorsing them. Currently, the role of the Left in the Philippines is: an "opposition" to the Right to divert the workers away from the revolutionary road and imprison them in the mystifications of reformism using radical language like "armed struggle", "revolution" and "system change".

On the other hand, as in the past, there will be an exodus of politicians of the Right to the party of the new president.

The ideologies "everyone for himself" and "one against all" will intensify more within the various factions of Right and Left. Allies before elections will be enemies again; enemies will become friends again; all depends which is favourable to maintain and advance one's self-interest.

However, conscious workers will not forget the open endorsement and licking the Left on the asses of the big bourgeois parties of the exploited classes whatever the outcome of the elections. What the Right and Left did is the fertile ground for the raising of class consciousness against all factions of capitalist-hacienderos.

Resist and Reject Bourgeois Ideology

The dominant ideology of society is the ideology of the ruling class. And electoralism and parliamentarism are one of its manifestations in the era of imperialism. In order for the proletariat to advance its own struggles against capitalism and for the proletariat to hold its own struggles, bourgeois ideology of the Right and Left must be rejected. This is not easy because the influence of bourgeois propaganda that Leftism, especially the maoist CPP-NPA is the "true radical" and "communist" is still strong. The propaganda of the ruling class in the Philippines that CPP-NPA is "communist" is in line with the propaganda of the international bourgeoisie that Stalinism or Trotskyism is "communism". 

The victory of the workers' fight cannot be achieved through the tricky proposals of the Left to be laws under the capitalist order. In bourgeois parliamentarism under decadent capitalism, a proposal can only be law if the ruling class approves it. Victory is in the struggles of the conscious and united toiling people in the streets and outside parliament. The success of the proletariat can be achieved outside the control of the unions.

Class struggle can only be strong when these struggles spread out to many factories and participated by the maximum number of workers - regular, contractual, unionists, non-unionists, in private and in public sectors. And the only form of organisation for these is the workers' assemblies and councils which is independent from the control of the unions and the parties of the Right and Left.

Most of all, class struggle is not to defend "national interests" but for class interests because the former is the interests of the bourgeoisie while the latter is for the Filipino workers. "National unity" exposes by the Right and Left only means that the mass of workers should surrender to its mortal enemy: capitalist-haciendero classes. Central task of the new CEO of Malacanang is to convince the working masses to defend and sacrifice for "national interests" and forget class interests. And if the proletariat resists, the iron arm of the state - its armed forces and prisons - will be whipped out by the new president against the proletarian masses.

Internasyonalismo

(Philippine section of the International Communist Current)

email us: [email protected]

website: tl.internationalism.org