Tag Archives: ndf

Why the peace talks ended

Review of ‘The Quest for Peace: The GRP-NDFP Peace Negotiations’ by Raymund B. Villanueva. Published by Bulatlat Rodrigo Duterte promised peace and federalism but he ended his term without achieving both. He unilaterally scuttled the peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and abandoned the idea of turning the Philippines into a […]

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Will the political crackdown stop if the CPP-NPA is defeated?

Published by Bulatlat For the military, activists deserve to be arrested because they are members and supporters of the New People’s Army (NPA). This is easy to dispute. For example, why would the rural-based NPA conduct its training in cities like Bacolod when this can be done in the mountains of Negros? Based on news […]

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What Does 2020 Hold for the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte?

Despite the landslide victory of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s party in the 2019 midterm elections, he still faces several serious challenges that could potentially undermine his government in 2020. The Southeast Asian country next holds general elections in 2022. Duterte’s strong showing in midterm elections last year, following the presidential election victory that propelled him […]

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Duterte and the rising attacks against the Catholic Church

Written for The Diplomat magazine Church leaders are among the victims of extrajudicial killings and other human rights abuses in the Philippines. Some bishops are now speaking about a bankrupt moral leadership in the country and they warned that Duterte is preparing to impose a dictatorial government. If the attacks and killings of priests continue, […]

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Why the Philippines’ New Anti-Terror Law Would Be a Blow to Rights

Written for The Diplomat Over the past few weeks, as the Philippine Congress has deliberated amendments to the anti-terror law, critics have expressed concerns that it would trample the people’s civil liberties and further enable a descent into dictatorial rule under President Rodrigo Duterte. Those concerns merit closer examination in terms of both the issue […]

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Duterte’s Drug War in the Philippines: New Campaign, Old Problems

For the third time since 2016, the Philippine government has relaunched the controversial anti-drug campaign, known locally as Oplan Tokhang, amid continuing concern that the police-led operations have led to massive human rights abuses. Tokhang has long been a top priority of President Rodrigo Duterte, who vowed to eradicate illegal drugs in three to six […]

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2016: A Year of Peculiar and Dangerous Living in the Philippines

Published by Manila Today Here are the top people’s issues and people’s struggles of 2016. 1. Repudiation of Daang Matuwid The defeat of the Liberal Party’s presidential candidate reflected the seething rage of the people toward the corrupt, inept and callous regime of Daang Matuwid. President Noynoy Aquino started his term in 2010 with a […]

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Duterte’s Unfinished Wars in the Philippines

Over the past few weeks, we have seen a number of bold announcements from the government of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte about the state of conflicts in the country that may in fact belie their actual status and broader significance. Last week, after five months, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared the “liberation” of Marawi City, […]

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An Unofficial Guide to Understanding the Socio-Economic Proposals of Filipino Communists

Published by Bulatlat The most important peace document submitted by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines contains seven parts and is 82 pages long. Here’s a summary of the proposed Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms or CASER: The preamble links the country’s economic backwardness to its colonial history. But it also highlights […]

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What Does Duterte’s Martial Law Mean for the Philippine Peace Process?

Though it is still early days, what has been the impact of the Mindanao-wide martial law on these ongoing peace initiatives thus far? Since the declaration of martial law, most of the headlines have been devoted to the Maute group and the ISIS threat in the Philippines, while very little has been discussed about its […]

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