The Arroyo regime is waging all-out war against peoples movement. The progressive movement is the most organized and most determined among the many forces fighting the regime. Weakening the progressive movement will also weaken the broad anti-Arroyo united front.
The extrajudicial killings complement other forms of political persecution aimed at the national leaders of progressive party-list groups and peoples organizations. The regime thinks that by killing and harassing the activists and their leaders, it could terrorize the Filipino people and prevent any popular uprising.
US imperialism, for its part, considers the progressive movement as a threat to its economic and political interests in the country. It is in the strategic interests of the U.S. to eliminate anti-imperialist, anti-feudal and anti-fascist resistance in the Philippines.
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