The National Democratic Front of the Philippines said that President Rodrigo Duterte’s assertion that the communists and the “yellows” are conspiring to oust him from office appears to be part of preparations to establish authoritarian rule in the country.
“It appears that such claims aim to set the stage to clampdown on the political opposition and all other forces standing up against moves to establishing Duterte’s authoritarian rule,” the NDFP, the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines, said in a statement.
“The CPP and other Left political forces may have no formal alliance with the Liberal Party and its affiliates but can recognize their initiatives and action as serving the same purpose of resisting Duterte’s tyranny,” the group added.
The group was referring to Duterte’s claim on Wednesday that the CPP and the Liberal Party are working together to oust him.
“But what is really very clear is ‘yung Left pati––ang kaalyado ng Left is, ng mga Bayan is the… mga… ‘yung mga dilaw,” Duterte told reporters in Malacañang.
“Gusto nila ako paalisin dito sa Malacañang. O ‘di bigyan mo akong panahon magbalot. Eh basta-basta na lang tayo… But, I will show to the Republic that we have a very serious problem with our government officials,” he added.
Earlier, Liberal Party member and Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat both denied Duterte’s claim of a conspiracy, saying that it was “highly unlikely” that there is a joint move to topple the Duterte administration.
“While the left and the middle forces have common grounds to unite against human rights violations in an increasingly authoritarian regime, its highly unlikely that this is a concerted effort to bring down the administration,” Baguilat said.
The communist group said there are groups that have opposed acts that violate human rights.
“What Duterte claims to be a “conspiracy” is, in fact, the broad community of various political and social groups which have been roused to make a stand and act against relentless killings by police, soldiers and vigilantes, aerial bombardment against communities, militarization and threats to bomb Lumad schools, suspension of the writ of habeas corpus and martial law in Mindanao, heightened campus repression and other acts of fascist tyranny of the Duterte regime,” NDCP said.
The group said the government plans to monopolize political power and clamp down and silence those who disagree with his policies and methods.
“He has threatened to impose martial law. His officials and loyalists have openly declared plans to use all means to have all those who dissent to be imprisoned.”
The NDF also slammed the recently-formed Citizen National Guard, a vigilante-style group that was endorsed by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, as a “more brazen in encouraging attacks against declared dissenters whom they declared as enemies of the state.”
“Duterte’s resort to such strong-armed tactics show desperation and underscores his political isolation,” the group said.
“His triple war of death and destruction, his fascist and bureaucrat capitalist rule, corruption and US subservience have roused widespread people’s resistance. Calls for his ouster continue to mount,” the communists added.