The US-Aquino regime's rottenness is rapidly unfolding*
Editorial
Ang Bayan
September 9, 2010
Benigno Aquino III is rapidly shedding his mask as an agent of “change” and “clean government.” This early, there already are striking indications of his regime's corrupt, puppet and reactionary character, as his fast disappearing popularity increasingly fails to blind and deceive.
Hardly had he taken the reins of power when Aquino showed proof of his puppetry to US imperialism. Like a mendicant begging for alms and crumbs from his master's table, he sent a grovelling letter to US Pres. Barack Obama, asking him to provide his bankrupt regime with an MCC Millennium Challenge Account. The US acceded, granting the puppet regime $434 million in exchange for more economic, military and political concessions that will further trample on Philippine sovereignty.
In another sign of his cringing puppetry, Aquino has been pushing his Private-Public Partnership scheme which has obviously been molded in the imperialist globalization framework and its attendant policies of denationalization, privatization, deregulation and liberalization. Still not satisfied, the American Chamber of Commerce has been prodding the puppet regime to further liberalize the Philippine economy by opening up parts reserved only for Filipinos, like the retail trade, telecommunications and real estate ownership.
Aquino had early on showed the hollowness of his “I will not steal” and “I am not corrupt” slogans. He received the biggest campaign contributions in the history of Philippine elections, but he has yet to make a full disclosure.
He is now paying back such massive outpouring of financial support, all to the people's detriment. Obsequiously acceding to his imperialist overlords, he is obediently implementing orders from the International Monetary Fund to add to the people's tax burden, hike fees for public services and slash subsidies in an attempt to stave off the government's bankruptcy. Plans to raise toll fees on expressways were put on reprieve only through the people's strong protests and timely actions. But the regime remains deadset on raising fares at the LRT and MRT despite all the brickbats thrown its way. Also adding to the people's suffering is a policy to greatly reduce the NFA's palay subsidies to farmers and subsequently pass on the burden of higher prices to consumers.
Aquino's appointment to powerful positions of representatives of imperialists and of fellow big compradors and big landlords who supported his candidacy is likewise payback for huge debts of gratitude. With many of these appointees already having blemished records, it did not take long for the stench to reek. Past anomalies were soon bared and new acts of corruption exposed in a number of his key officials. Also becoming evident are the factional conflicts within the regime due to infighting to advance various economic, factional ang selfish interests. The new regime's ranking officials have likewise been selling highly placed national and regional positions for up to millions of pesos.
Aquino was unable to conceal his class standpoint as a big landlord in the issue of Hacienda Luisita. He feigned a hands-off policy on what he claimed to be an internal matter among shareholders. In fact, his presidency is an instrument of his landlord-comprador clan to prevent the implementation of genuine land reform in the hacienda, tighten its monopoly control over the estate and continue earning billions through land-use conversion. He is likewise an instrument of the entire landlord class to maintain their land monopoly. He is thus an instrument in maintaining the backwardness of the countryside and keeping the peasantry oppressed and exploited.
Aquino's hypocritical stance of advocating reforms and good governance as a means of stamping out the people's revolutionary struggles has all but vanished. He relies mainly on military might to suppress the growing revolutionary movement and people's struggles. His regime has extended Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL) up to January 31, 2011 while in the process of framing a new operational plan patterned after the US Counterinsurgency Guide. With OBL's extension automatically comes the extended campaign of targeting open mass leaders and activists and suspected supporters of the armed revolution. Aquino had just taken his seat in Malacañang when seven activists became victims of extrajudicial killing. The use of torture as a policy of government has been bared. Military abuses go on unabated, especially in the countryside. The Morong 43 are still in detention, and not a single political prisoner has been released.
The Aquino regime is no different from its predecessor in its low regard for peace negotiations. It has merely reprised the deceptive and divisive localized peace talks. Worse, it has been insisting on an immediate ceasefire as a precondition for the talks, which constitutes another violation of previous agreements and protocols.
Long before the end of his first 100 days in office, the shallow and symbolic changes Aquino has enforced, such as his “no sirens” policy have lost steam in the face of the new government's gargantuan problems and anti-people tendencies. To boot, the Aquino regime has demonstrated an unprecedented level of incompetence in its handling of the August 23 Luneta hostage crisis.
In the face of all this, Aquino has taken an even more dependent and supplicating stance with respect to the US on which he relies for deliverance and continued support for his rule. In his US trip this September, Aquino hopes to arrange for bigger military and economic aid in exchange for more basing rights for US military troops, intensified intervention and bigger concessions to enable US enterprises in the country to rake in even more superprofits. By then, the Aquino regime will have been caught completely in the snares of its imperialist master.
The rottenness, puppetry and reactionary character now being manifested by the Aquino regime are relentlessly bringing it to ruin and causing its isolation from the people. They pave the way for the further advance of revolution and the people's struggles.
* Url:http://theprwcblogs.blogspot.com/2010/09/us-aquino-regimes-rottenness-is-rapidly.html
Hardly had he taken the reins of power when Aquino showed proof of his puppetry to US imperialism. Like a mendicant begging for alms and crumbs from his master's table, he sent a grovelling letter to US Pres. Barack Obama, asking him to provide his bankrupt regime with an MCC Millennium Challenge Account. The US acceded, granting the puppet regime $434 million in exchange for more economic, military and political concessions that will further trample on Philippine sovereignty.
In another sign of his cringing puppetry, Aquino has been pushing his Private-Public Partnership scheme which has obviously been molded in the imperialist globalization framework and its attendant policies of denationalization, privatization, deregulation and liberalization. Still not satisfied, the American Chamber of Commerce has been prodding the puppet regime to further liberalize the Philippine economy by opening up parts reserved only for Filipinos, like the retail trade, telecommunications and real estate ownership.
Aquino had early on showed the hollowness of his “I will not steal” and “I am not corrupt” slogans. He received the biggest campaign contributions in the history of Philippine elections, but he has yet to make a full disclosure.
He is now paying back such massive outpouring of financial support, all to the people's detriment. Obsequiously acceding to his imperialist overlords, he is obediently implementing orders from the International Monetary Fund to add to the people's tax burden, hike fees for public services and slash subsidies in an attempt to stave off the government's bankruptcy. Plans to raise toll fees on expressways were put on reprieve only through the people's strong protests and timely actions. But the regime remains deadset on raising fares at the LRT and MRT despite all the brickbats thrown its way. Also adding to the people's suffering is a policy to greatly reduce the NFA's palay subsidies to farmers and subsequently pass on the burden of higher prices to consumers.
Aquino's appointment to powerful positions of representatives of imperialists and of fellow big compradors and big landlords who supported his candidacy is likewise payback for huge debts of gratitude. With many of these appointees already having blemished records, it did not take long for the stench to reek. Past anomalies were soon bared and new acts of corruption exposed in a number of his key officials. Also becoming evident are the factional conflicts within the regime due to infighting to advance various economic, factional ang selfish interests. The new regime's ranking officials have likewise been selling highly placed national and regional positions for up to millions of pesos.
Aquino was unable to conceal his class standpoint as a big landlord in the issue of Hacienda Luisita. He feigned a hands-off policy on what he claimed to be an internal matter among shareholders. In fact, his presidency is an instrument of his landlord-comprador clan to prevent the implementation of genuine land reform in the hacienda, tighten its monopoly control over the estate and continue earning billions through land-use conversion. He is likewise an instrument of the entire landlord class to maintain their land monopoly. He is thus an instrument in maintaining the backwardness of the countryside and keeping the peasantry oppressed and exploited.
Aquino's hypocritical stance of advocating reforms and good governance as a means of stamping out the people's revolutionary struggles has all but vanished. He relies mainly on military might to suppress the growing revolutionary movement and people's struggles. His regime has extended Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL) up to January 31, 2011 while in the process of framing a new operational plan patterned after the US Counterinsurgency Guide. With OBL's extension automatically comes the extended campaign of targeting open mass leaders and activists and suspected supporters of the armed revolution. Aquino had just taken his seat in Malacañang when seven activists became victims of extrajudicial killing. The use of torture as a policy of government has been bared. Military abuses go on unabated, especially in the countryside. The Morong 43 are still in detention, and not a single political prisoner has been released.
The Aquino regime is no different from its predecessor in its low regard for peace negotiations. It has merely reprised the deceptive and divisive localized peace talks. Worse, it has been insisting on an immediate ceasefire as a precondition for the talks, which constitutes another violation of previous agreements and protocols.
Long before the end of his first 100 days in office, the shallow and symbolic changes Aquino has enforced, such as his “no sirens” policy have lost steam in the face of the new government's gargantuan problems and anti-people tendencies. To boot, the Aquino regime has demonstrated an unprecedented level of incompetence in its handling of the August 23 Luneta hostage crisis.
In the face of all this, Aquino has taken an even more dependent and supplicating stance with respect to the US on which he relies for deliverance and continued support for his rule. In his US trip this September, Aquino hopes to arrange for bigger military and economic aid in exchange for more basing rights for US military troops, intensified intervention and bigger concessions to enable US enterprises in the country to rake in even more superprofits. By then, the Aquino regime will have been caught completely in the snares of its imperialist master.
The rottenness, puppetry and reactionary character now being manifested by the Aquino regime are relentlessly bringing it to ruin and causing its isolation from the people. They pave the way for the further advance of revolution and the people's struggles.
* Url:http://theprwcblogs.blogspot.com/2010/09/us-aquino-regimes-rottenness-is-rapidly.html
