Makibaka, an underground revolutionary women organization allied with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, is one with all women from all walks of life, across the nation, and around the world in celebrating the women’s month.
On this occasion, we pay tribute to women workers, farmers and petty-bourgeois, to revolutionary women and martyrs, and to all women who continue to work and struggle for emancipation under the bankrupt semi-colonial and semi-feudal system in the country. The history of the Philippine revolution is replete with rich stories of women’s participation in the revolutionary movement. Modern-day women heroes continue the revolutionary tradition in fighting oppressors, and now against the anti-people and anti-women regime of Gloria Arroyo.
Since the time that women across the globe started to struggle and fight for just wages, humane working conditions, shorter working hours, an end to child labor; women along with men continue to carry the banner to fight for women’s emancipation. Women comprise more than half of the country’s farmhands and workers, and they suffer from dire poverty and unemployment.
In the region, more and more women and men have no jobs or job opportunities, or lose their jobs due to the anti-worker and anti-people policies of the regime such as labor flexibilization and union busting. More than eight million overseas women workers have worked abroad mainly because of incessant poverty in the country.
Most of those who worked abroad have become victims of physical and mental abuse, rape and sex trafficking. More and more women have opted to leave their families and make do with various menial jobs, or marry foreigners for a better life as the regime has no genuine interest for the people’s welfare. The US-Arroyo regime chooses to send away the most skilled and most talented Filipino women and utilize them as cheap labor to extract big remittances. The remittances serve as the economy’s saving grace, and for Gloria Arroyo’s resources for lavish spending and corruption money.
As the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) general elections draw near, the reactionary US-Arroyo regime continues to concoct the grand illusion that candidates will save women from their miseries and the country from poverty. But as long as the nation’s basic problems will not be solved, the people will remain at the mercy of the ruling big landlords, bureaucrat capitalists and bourgeois compradors. As it is, only the people’s new democratic revolution can solve the country’s basic ills — imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism.
Makibaka challenges progressive candidates and parties to provide genuine programs for the people. The NDF urges all women to be vigilant in whatever maneuvers of the US-Arroyo regime to perpetuate Arroyo in power.
Women along with men must continue to fight the people’s cause, and actively participate in the revolutionary struggle to liberate the country from the oppressive social system. As what Vladimir Lenin said, a nation cannot be free if the women, are not free.
Long live the women’s struggle for emancipation!
Long live the revolution!
(Sgd) Ka Teresa
Spokesperson
MAKIBAKA-Southern Mindanao
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