Church groups on Monday, September 21, reminded the public that President Rodrigo Duterte is “cut from the same despotic cloth” as the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who placed the Philippines under Martial Law 48 years ago today.

In a statement, the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) said Duterte is failing the country as it faces the coronavirus pandemic which upended the lives of many Filipinos.

Instead of addressing the problems, the President is instead “actually facilitating the decay of democracy” by targeting members of the opposition or any critics of his policies, including the violent anti-illegal drug campaign.

“Just as during the Marcos Martial Law, they cover the travesty of their pitiful performance with [iron-fist] tactics, blame-shifting the inadequacies and responsibilities to the beleaguered [masses] who are doing everything in their power to survive under the economic, health, and leadership crisis,” PCPR said. 

Philippine National Police data show there have been at least 7,884 deaths during police operations as of August 31, 2020. This figure excludes victims of vigilante-style killings, which groups estimate to have reached more than 27,000 already. (READ: How the Duterte government underreports drug war killings)

Despite undeniable Martial Law-like risks, PCPR urged the public to continue resisting tyranny, adding that Duterte’s violent rhetoric just “exposes his depravity and true colors.” 

“He is inutile, he is morally unfit to lead a hospitable, kind, and hard-working people,” the group said. “It is time for Filipinos to exercise our self-respect, our historic lessons, and our patriotic duty.” 

Persecuted church

The Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP), in a statement, recalled how many church workers acted when “repression reared its ugly head.”

“In the process, we were vilified, demonized, and many of our members arrested, tortured, and even killed,” the group said. “The church and its people were persecuted.”

Marcos’ Martial Law is one of the darkest chapters in Philippine history.

Marred by violence, Amnesty International estimates that at least 70,000 were imprisoned, 34,000 tortured, and 3,240 killed during the Marcos regime.

More than 3 decades since freedoms were restored in 1986, AMRSP warned that tyranny is on the rise again under Duterte with the shrinking of civic space and deteriorating democratic institutions.

“A popular mandate is not a license to do as one pleases, [but] it does not replace reason,” AMRSP said. “Our social contract imposes check and balances for institutions of governance and accountability.”

“There will be no peace until the blood spilled in our streets and our homes find justice,” the group added.

– Rappler.com