Fisherfolk slams newly-formed Duterte-defense-squad
Manila, Philippines – “This newly-launched pro-administration defense cult is nothing but anti-democratic group that aims to quell the democratic rights and freedom of speech of the Filipino people. It will intensify political-killing spree as those who criticize the anti-people policies of the government are always treated as ‘enemies of the state’,”
This was the statement of the activist fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA-Pilipinas) calling out the Citizen National Guard for being the government’s machinery for its fascist and authoritarian rule.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) yesterday launched a group called Citizen National Guard which will consist of retired soldiers, military reservists, and Muslim representatives. The defense group aims to safeguard President Rodrigo Duterte from those who want to remove him from the office or what they called “enemies of the state”.
In a statement, the fisherfolk group said the Duterte administration has ultimately separated itself from the Filipino people by branding those who want to exercise their democratic freedom as ‘enemies of the state’ subjected to political persecution and other forms of harassment.
“The Duterte administration is mobilizing its full resources to contain the dissenters and exert its total authoritarian rule. Cloaking behind patriotism, this cult-like defense group will become the government’s apparatus to suppress and curtail the Filipino people of their civil and democratic rights,”
“We vow to fight this armed and fanatic Duterte-defense-squad (DDS) and continue opposing the government’s anti-democratic and anti-people policies,” Fernando Hicap, PAMALAKAYA Chairperson said in a statement. ###
