Press Statement
25 July 2012
PNoy’s Sona, a report for his imperialists and ruling class bosses
PNoy’s “report kay boss” (“report for boss”) pictured the situation of the nation according to the view of his real bosses, charting the country’s direction in the next three years in consonance with the greedy interests of the imperialists, big bourgeois comprador, big landlords and bureaucrat-capitalists. But on the other hand, PNoy’s report to his real boss glossed over the suffering of the broadest number of people, and portends of marked more hardship in the years to come.
PNoy’s Sona (State of the Nation Address) failed or intentionally avoided talking about the most basic pillars of the nation’s economy, which are land reform and the establishment of national industrialization. In spite of its length, clocking at an hour and 28 minutes, he devoted only a single line regarding land reform, virtually evading the issue of distributing Hacienda Luisita. He intended to avoid having to elaborate on the very cause of impoverishment of the class that comprised the majority of Filipinos, the peasantry. He could not have spoken about it with much integrity because of the Aquino administration’s continued refusal to implement genuine agrarian reform, and because of the rapid monopolization of land by plantations owned by the imperialists, big comprador bourgeois and big landlords, especially in Mindanao.
His much lengthier discourse hid the suffering of the second most populous class in the country, the workers, by way of showing statistics indicating that there was perceivable although slight decrease in the unemployment, completely evading, however in articulating the real cause of workers’ miseries, which is the utter lack of genuine national industrialization in the country. He devoted so much time praising and entertaining us with the benefits of “buko juice” while trying to enshroud the truth that the country chiefly remains a producer of raw materials and, at the same time, an importer of finished products, which generally only favor imperialist capital and profit-making, like the mines and plantations in Mindanao. The absence of basic industries in the country deprives it of real development and hinders the full mobilization of the growing worker populace.
It is clear in his speech that national economic development will continue to rely heavily on foreign capital and borrowing, such as on environmentally-destructive mines and plantations, OFW remittances, tourism and others. This is clearly shown in PNoy’s EO 79, which favors large-scale mining despite of strong protests by different sectors against it. Tourism has been made into one of the pillars of the economy suited to entertain the influx of foreign tourists, half of whom, if we have to take the words of US Amb. Harry K. Thomas, seek, among others, sexual gratification in the country.
The administration bragged about the few thousands of pesos doled out as alms to 3.1 million families through the so-called 4Ps program. Money pumped-out without its equivalent value in the production of goods results no less in its devaluation and a decrease its capacity to purchase. Such a program is a grave affront against the people because, instead of providing them with land to till and quality employment they can truly rely on, they are now simply being treated as mendicants. Both the corrupt in Aquino’s government as well as politicians who are eyeing for positions in next year’s elections are the ones who really benefit from the hefty 4Ps fund.
PNoy also lengthily spoke about the situation and his administration’s program on health, peace and order and others.
While he boasted of having neutralized the Dominguez criminal group, PNoy was silent on his government’s continuing failure to punish the butchers Palparan, Ecleo, the Ampatuans, and the killers of Fr. Pops Tentorio, Margarito J. Cabal, Jimmy Liguyon and other victim s of extra-judicial killings. He made no mention of the peace talks to conceal his regime’s fascism. Clearly, the US-Aquino regime holds human rights in low regard, as it continues to dismiss the breadth of issues in the peace talks that need to be immediately addressed.
He was able to conceal the enormity of the country’s indebtedness to both local and foreign banks by way of highlighting the government’s recent act of lending the European Union with over a billion dollars.
While he boasted of providing electricity to 1,520 sitios, he was completely mum on the continuing intermittent brown-outs worsened by the skyrocketing of oil prices and power rates. Despite the degree of the power crisis in Mindanao, PNoy chose not speak about it. Imperialist oil companies were able to cooperate with PNoy by delaying only a few hours after the Sona the announcement and implementation of a new round of oil price increases.
PNoy’s Sona was also silent on the continuing increases in the prices of basic commodities and transportation fare rates.
To expose the true situation of the nation and demand for a genuine people’s program, the Filipino people aptly responded with simultaneous huge, widespread protests across the country. Particularly in Mindanao, a total of more than 12,000 people launched protest actions in cities of Davao (3,000), Iligan (500), Malaybalay (1,000), Cagayan de Oro (2,000), Butuan (1,000), Tandag (1,500), and in the provinces of Socsksargends (800) and North Cotabato (2,000).
In general, under a semi-feudal and semi-colonial system, reactionary regimes are headed nowhere but towards their utter and complete dissolution in the face of an advancing people’s war. The victory of the people’s revolutionary struggle is the only true solution to the most basic problems that confront the people.
(Sgd) Ka Oris
Spokesperson
NDFP-Mindanao
