Pahayagan ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas ANG Pinapatnubayan ng Marxismo-Leninismo-Maoismo English Edition Vol. LI No. 10 May 21, 2020 www.cpp.ph EDITORIAL Hardships and perils due to government incompetence he Filipino people are undergoing grave hardships and face perils as a examined. According to data, more result of the Duterte regime's failed response to the Covid-19 pan- than 80% of those infected are demic. Millions of Filipinos are facing not only the continued threats of asymptomatic or experience only TCovid-19, but also the burden of economic measures that worsen the crisis mild symptoms. The regime and the brought about by decades of neoliberal policies. capitalists are taking advantage of workers' desperation to work and Over the past days, Malacañang After two months without earn wages. Workers are made to has allowed the opening of offices wages or income, workers are very report to work if they have to walk and factories, after a more-than- keen on returning to work. The several kilometers under the heat of 60-day lockdown. Duterte is rushing toiling masses were plunged into the sun or get stuck in hours of to reboot the economy which he poverty and hunger under the lock- traffic because of left and right shut down in March in the face of down. This is a result of sorely limi- checkpoints of abusive police and the rapid depletion of government ted funds and the slow and the soldiers. resources, worsening problem of chaotic system of aid distribution. Recently, the Duterte regime hunger and rising people's anger. Despite their eagerness, they also admitted it has no plans of carrying Because of the failed measures of fear that once they gather in facto- out mass testing. Even amid the the Duterte government, the Philip- ries or shops, the virus will again pandemic, it insists on its policy of pines is still far from controlling the quickly spread. not providing enough funds for Covid-19 pandemic. Many fear that Duterte is veritably exposing health and giving control to the the country's health system will be workers to danger when it did not capitalists. unable to cope once the virus obligate capitalists to provide them Thousands of nurses and doc- spreads again and the number of testing services and required that tors were infected by Covid-19 in infected and hospitalized shoots up. only those with symptoms should be hospitals due to the failure to pre- pare enough protective equipment. does not show the actual extent of enough capital to fund local scien- It was already in the middle of the the pandemic. It does not actually tists and researchers to manufac- pandemic when funds were alloted know how many are asymptomatic ture enough equipment for testing for purchasing these. and were not brought to hospitals. the virus and other needs to fight Despite claiming to push the It is fine that some local offi- the pandemic. program to "test, trace and treat," cials have taken measures to have It is more occupied with its the Duterte government has not al- their residents tested. However, scheme to establish a fascist dicta- loted enough funds and is relying on without national coordination in torship. It has the military and po- big capitalists to buy necessary such testing efforts, knowledge of lice in command of the govern- equipment and run laboratory oper- the pandemic will be limited to one ment's pandemic response. It is ations. Even in the face of the pan- barrio or town, and efforts will only busy suppressing complaints rather demic, capitalists still compute be wasted. than addressing them. A number of their profits. Because he really has no idea, people who have expressed disgust Testing is being done only on Duterte is resorting to disinforma- ("kill Duterte") have been arrested, people who are already sick, people tion, giving false assurances, scare- and ABS-CBN has been shut down. they have gotten in contact with, mongering and threatening people. The police are getting away with and arriving Filipino migrant work- In the end, it blames the people for their abusive punishment of people ers. However, in times of pandemic, the continuing spread of the virus for "misdemeanors.” It uses terror mass testing including those without to justify the imposition of more to silence everyone. Now, even the symptoms or not suspected to have restrictions on the pretext of fight- funds under the "social ameliora- been infected is needed as the key ing the pandemic. tion program" (SAP) will be given to strategy to determine where the The Duterte regime is slow and the dirty hands of the AFP, to make virus is spreading in order to isolate dimwitted in facing the Covid-19 sure, there will be no more com- the infected, treat the sick and pro- pandemic. It has chosen not to fund plaints. tect those who are not yet ill. mass testing, contact tracing and To the Filipino people, we must Because there is no mass test- isolation. It is prioritizing its loan- not merely bear the burden of ing and testing capacity is low, the driven infrastructure projects, the Duterte's failed response and abuse regime remains blind to the real ex- purchase of helicopters, cannons of power. Duterte and his officials tent of Covid-19 infections in the and bombs, and pocketing shares in must be held accountable for caus- country. Its data is incomplete and these contracts. It has not provided ing gross hardships and suppression of the people's rights during the ANG Contents lockdown. They must be made re- sponsible for their failure to carry Editorial: Hardships and perils due to out necessary health measures for Vol. LI No. 10 | May 21, 2020 incompetent government 1 the country to defeat the pandemic. We must not remain silent. On the NPA-Bukidnon attacks abusive soldiers 3 Ang Ang Bayan is published contrary, we must express with all NPA harassment vs. 20th IB 3 in Pilipino, Bisaya, Iloko, our might and manifest in various Hiligaynon, Waray and English. No mass testing 4 ways our anger and protest against Ang Bayan welcomes Balik proobinsya, landgrabbing 4 Duterte's failed and oppressive contributions in the form Party, travel amid lockdown 4 measures. of articles and news items. Regime railroads neoliberal measures 6 Continue to demand the na- Readers are encouraged What will happen to Filipino businesses? 6 tional government to mount a mass to send feedback and Solidarity amid distress in Samar 7 testing program as key response to recommendations Education conference in Negros 7 the Covid-19 pandemic. Continue to for improving our newspaper. Duterte purchases P2.4-B artilleries 8 push for strengthening the health system, especially the public hospi- Bayan Muna seeks Meralco probe 8 tals and laboratories across the Sorsogon massacre 9 instagram.com/prwcnewsroom country, hiring more nurses and Militarization in Surigao del Sur 10 health workers and raising their @prwc_info Mass protests amid lockdown 10 wages. Fight for necessary subsi- [email protected] NDFP supports UN's appeal 10 dies for food, medicine and medical attention to take care of the health of the elderly who are vulnerable to Ang Bayan is published fortnightly by the Central Committee Covid-19. of the Communist Party of the Philippines Hold the Duterte regime ac- 2 May 2 1 , 2 02 0 ANG BAYAN countable for the gross lack and to enable them to pay wage hikes. cially those which trample on peo- slow distribution of aid under the Genuine land reform must be ple's rights and damage the envi- now two-month lockdown. Expose pushed as the only way to bring life ronment. and denounce how Duterte's bour- to the rural economy. Denounce The Covid-19 crisis has brought geois comprador partners are ex- widespread land-use conversion for to the surface the extreme rotten- ploiting the pandemic to earn prof- infrastructure and tourism pro- ness of the semicolonial and its and evade taxes in the name of jects, plantations and mining, and semifeudal system. It has exposed helping and giving donations. the push for growing commercial the country's dependence on im- Workers must demand health timber and fruits. Demand free land ported material and equipment. It measures in factories and offices. distribution and subsidies for food has exposed the crisis-ridden and They must push for wage increases, production and building local indus- unproductive economy. a national minimum and hazard pay tries for processing of local agricul- Because of the hardship and for work during the pandemic. They tural products. oppression under the Duterte gov- must fight as well for regular jobs Fight measures that worsen op- ernment's failed response, it is but and for their right to unionize and pression including additional taxes just for the Filipino people to de- collective bargaining. In the face of to pay the government's almost $4 mand Duterte's resignation or the the crisis brought about by the pro- billion additional loans. Expose and ouster of his incompetent govern- longed lockdown, the small capital- condemn the "infrastructure" plan ment. This is the most effective way ists can unite with workers to push that will further pull the country for the Filipino people to fight and the government for emergency funds deeper into debt and crisis, espe- defeat the Covid-19 pandemic. NPA-Bukidnon attacks abusive soldiers NPA-Northern Samar harasses notorious 20th IB THE NEW PEOPLE'S Army (NPA)-Bukidnon mounted suc- cessive military offensives against abusive soldiers in the THE NEW PEOPLE'S Army (NPA)-Northern Samar province from May 5-14. Four fascist soldiers were killed mounted three successive harassment operations while two others were wounded.