Philippine President Duterte signs ‘Anti-Terrorism Bill’ into law

On July 3, the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, signed into law the Anti-Terrorism Bill of 2020, commonly known as the “Anti-Terrorism Law.” The bill, which broadens the definition of terrorism, takes effect July 18. Historical context The National Democratic movement in the Philippines has waged a struggle for liberation and democracy against three basic problems: imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism. It is the primary mass movement in the Philippines. The Philippines has been in a state of revolution since the late 1960s and early 1970s with the beginning of a protracted people’s war. The re-founded Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army, have been fighting a civil war non-stop since 1969 for the liberation of the Filipino people. The Communist base of power has grown each year, and the NPA now has a presence in a majority of the provinces of the Philippines. As this war developed, groups like Kabataang Makabayan (Patriotic Youth), an organization of youths and students, and MAKIBAKA (Struggle), a militant women’s rights group, organized mass protests, from January to March 1970, against then-President Ferdinand Marcos, who sought to consolidate his power by implementing martial law. The series of mass actions, known as the First Quarter Storm, saw millions of Filipinos take to the streets to challenge the dictatorship. These groups were later forced to go underground during martial law but continued their resistance against Marcos. While they were unafraid of the word “communist,” the legal implications meant death. The protracted people’s war continued and alliances developed, including between the NPA and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, as the revolution increased in strength. However, in 1991, in the southern island of Mindanao, a faction split from the MILF called the Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic separatist group that engaged in bombings, extortion, drug trafficking, and assassination. In 2014, the group swore allegiance to ISIS. In 2016, the Philippine government bombed the city of Marawi, displacing thousands of people. Duterte implemented martial law throughout the island as a means to combat ISIS but, more insidiously, to stifle the revolutionary movement where its forces were most consolidated. In the past two years, overseas Filipinos in the United States have fought tirelessly for the liberation of the homeland. Due to their efforts, the United Nations published a report on Human Rights in the Philippines and more than 300 people mobilized in Washington, D.C., to condemn Duterte’s crimes and war on the people. An episode of NBC’s Superstore had an entire plot line revolving around Duterte’s “War on Drugs,” exposing its violence. Read the full article: https://www.liberationnews.org/philippine-president-duterte-signs-anti-terrorism-bill-into-law/