MALAYA MOVEMENT USA’S
8 POINT PROGRAM
Introduction
The Malaya Movement USA program outlines the long term goals and vision for a genuinely democratic, just, and sovereign Philippines. As an anti-fascist and pro-democracy organization, the program is rooted in our 3 principles of upholding, defending, and asserting human rights, democracy, and sovereignty in the Philippines.
The Malaya Movement USA upholds the view that the issues faced by the Filipino people are rooted in long-standing and systemic economic and political issues that create widespread poverty and hardship for millions of Filipinos. It is indicative of the gross underdevelopment of industries, infrastructure, and public services, which have forced millions to work overseas throughout the past century. These dire conditions are bolstered by the fascism that has seeped its way into civilian bureaucracy and military institutions.
Post World War I and II saw the rise of global fascism that resulted in the formation of fascist-aligned political parties in the Philippines. Since then, fascism has become intertwined with the Philippine government, exemplified during the dictatorship of Marcos Sr, to the counter-insurgency programs of each President thereafter, Duterte’s strongman authoritarian rule, to present day under Marcos Jr.
Fascism is a doctrine and system that authoritarian figures, governments, and the ruling elite wield to maintain power and control by subverting democracy through dictatorial rule, widespread repression against dissent, violence through the military and police, and the suppression of the rights of the people.
For these reasons, the Malaya Movement USA sets the arduous task of uniting the broadest number of Filipinos to advance human rights, democracy and sovereignty and to defeat fascism in the Philippines.
Outlined below is Malaya Movement USA’s Program:
Pursue genuine democracy in the Philippines by systematically fighting for and defending the human rights, civil liberties, and welfare of all people, especially marginalized classes and sectors.
Abandon the Philippine government policy of systematic political repression, such as red-tagging, extra-judicial killings, arrest and trumped up charges, against those who are critical of the government, fight for social justice, and advocate for the rights and welfare of the Filipino people.
Implement just labor laws that protect the rights of Filipinos to a living wage, job security, and the right to unionize.
Ensure the welfare of women and LGBTQ+ Filipinos by guaranteeing protections from gender-based violence and discrimination in healthcare, education, and employment.
Uphold the economic, political, cultural, and social rights of indigenous peoples, especially their rights to their ancestral land and culturally-relevant education.
Uphold the people’s right to free speech and press, including implementing a zero-tolerance policy against legal, physical, and political attacks on journalists, writers, and all media workers.
Uphold the right to academic freedom. Prevent and reverse the anti-democratic policy of historical revisionism and censorship prevalent in the education system, including ending the ban on books regarding the actual events of martial law, the peace talks, nationalist poetry and art.
Implement genuine land reform. End the centuries-long undemocratic and feudal ownership of land by the few. Prevent foreign land-grabbing and destructive extraction of resources. Distribute land to the majority peasant population. Stop the attacks on peasants who rightfully advocate for genuine land reform and assert their rights to the land.
Fully abandon anti-democratic and anti-people policies such as the failed Duterte “drug war,” the arrest and assassination of peace consultants, the Anti-Terror Law, the NTF-ELCAC, and counterinsurgency programs, all of which has victimized hundreds of thousands of Filipinos.
Protect the people’s democratic rights to participate in elections. Reform the extremely vulnerable electoral system into a fair, competitive and transparent system that is protected from fraud, bribery, and violence.
Uphold the original intention of the partylist system to represent the marginalized sectors in Congress, and prevent the creation of bogus partylists.
Fight for and defend the Philippines’ sovereignty by pursuing domestic and foreign policy that will realize full economic, political, and military independence for the Filipino people
Uphold people’s sovereignty, that supreme authority resides in the people and that government authority emanates from them.
Develop and pursue a self-reliant economy as the foundation for the realization of genuine Philippine independence.
Reject any and all agreements that mandate the Filipino people to cede to the wishes and interests of any foreign government, beginning with repealing 100% foreign ownership of public utilities, telecommunications, and businesses; firmly asserting the Philippines’ internationally recognized legal rights to the West Philippine Sea;
Abrogate unequal military agreements between the Philippines and the United States; and ceasing foreign military exercises that benefit the United States to the long-term detriment of the Philippines’ safety and territorial integrity.
Ensure environmental protection and assert national sovereignty over the natural resources in the Philippines.
Implement a national, comprehensive social program that is pro-people, science-based, and respects human rights
Provide free, accessible, and quality healthcare, education, and basic social services to achieve basic human rights to housing, food, clean water, and access to public information for all.
Fund economic aid and social services by reallocating spending on harmful or unproductive programs such as counterinsurgency and militarization campaigns, pork barrel, and Maharlika Investment Fund, especially amid record inflation and perpetual economic uncertainty for the working poor.
Promote a national economic program that will democratize economic security for all, not just a small few, in the Philippines
Provide long-term economic sustainability and development by carrying out national industrialization and genuine agrarian reform that will redistribute land and end monopoly control of political dynasties, transnational corporations, and agribusiness.
Implement strong labor laws that will protect workers at home and abroad, including ending labor contractualization and the government’s Labor Export Policy.
Oppose policies that have been imposed by foreign countries, multinational corporations, international banks, and other foreign businesses that perpetuate economic underdevelopment, unequal trade, and perpetuate trade deficits and debt.
Assert the Philippine’s economic sovereignty, conserve and nationalize our natural resources.
End government corruption and eliminate the undemocratic hold on the government by political dynasties
Adopt a zero-tolerance policy against corruption, beginning with the prosecution of the Marcoses, officials involved in corruption schemes like Pharmally, Starpay, the sale of Malampaya, and others.
Abolish the pork barrel system and other “pork” funds that serve as facilitators of corruption and the political dynasty system that champions such corruption and breeds crony politics.
End the system of political dynasties. Impose a ban on all political dynasties. Legislate and enforce anti-political dynasty laws.
Promote and pursue a just and lasting peace in the Philippines
Push the Philippine government to abandon the decades-old policy of unending war by addressing the economic and social roots of armed conflict.
Lay the foundations for just and lasting peace by upholding international humanitarian law, and all previous agreements such as the Joint Hague Declaration, Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CAHRIHL).
End government counterinsurgency programs and abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and the Anti-Terror Law.
Hold the Marcos and Duterte political dynasties and their cronies accountable for their crimes against the Filipino People
Bring the Marcoses to justice by prosecuting them for their direct role in the dictatorship and ban the political dynasty from holding public office.
Pursue and advocate for the recovery of the Marcos’ plundered wealth.
Remove the body of the dictator Marcos Sr. from the Heroes’ cemetery. Marcos is not a hero.
Prosecute Rodrigo Duterte and others in his cabinet responsible for human rights crimes under the drug war and counterinsurgency programs like “Oplan Kapanatagan.” Cooperate with and advocate for the completion of the International Criminal Court investigation into the Duterte-initiated Oplan Tokhang Drug War. Pursue community based accountability mechanisms such as international people’s tribunals.
Promote and build solidarity against rising fascism around the world
Build solidarity with people’s organizations, communities, and activists facing state repression and fascism at the hands of repressive governments, police, and the military.
Support the struggle of indigenous peoples, black liberation, other oppressed nations, and marginalized communities through political education and building alliances with solidarity groups based on shared political unities.