Four years into his presidency, Duterte has left nothing but a trail of blood, impunity, and a nation at the brink of economic collapse. In all of his state of the nation addresses, Duterte always turns a blind eye to the actual grave condition of the country and the Filipino masses under his fascist rule. The speech he delivered today that lasted for 100 minutes which garnered 44 claps, did not accomplish its real purpose. The state of the nation? Worse than worst. Despite having the longest government-imposed lockdown in the world, the Duterte administration is yet to take accountability and a science-based approach to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
State forces took advantage of the grave situation by intensifying human rights violations. The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) revealed that they have received almost 1,000 complaints about human rights offenses since the community quarantine occurred. We have lain witness to the cost of the militaristic response the State has implemented, the Asia Pacific Research Network recorded 10,000 arrests due to curfew violations.
The Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Education pushed their agendas without any concrete plans for a safe school opening and an inclusive and accessible mode of learning. Pushing for an alternative learning system disregarding the fact that many Filipinos do not have access to the Internet and gadgets required for online learning.
The marginalized sectors were pushed to the edge. Demolition jobs still occurred in urban poor communities which displaced hundreds of families, jeepney drivers were forced to ask for alms to survive, while farmers and workers from distant provinces were not given adequate relief and assistance. The lack of government support caused the death of doctors and nurses, while discrimination grows rampant among recovered patients.
Thousands of lives have been taken away because of the incompetence of the Duterte administration. While those in power fail to effectively control the virus due to the militarized approach against the health crisis, the Filipino masses continue to suffer in all aspects—physically, mentally, and financially.
It is evident and clear that Duterte and his cabal of corrupted and despicable public officials do not care about the lives of the Filipino people. His interest lies in favor of the United States and China, with trillions in debt from the US debt trapping apparatus, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and the continuous military exercises of the US while China is reclaiming the West Philippine Sea. Duterte is but a traitor to the Filipino people and our call echoes the call of the true SONA ng bayan, the ouster of the despicable traitor and fascist president Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
Art by Mico Gueco
