Denounce Bato Dela Rosa’s witch hunt! No to red-tagging!

Several weeks ago, Congressmember Raoul Manuel led the charge to investigate Vice President Sara Duterte’s highly suspicious request for half a billion pesos in funds for “confidential” use. Soon after, he questioned President Marcos Jr.’s sham designation of the 2024 National Expenditure Budget for “emergency” passage to sidestep proper deliberation. Predictably, Marcos-Duterte ally Senator Bato Dela Rosa and former Philippine National Police chief, desperately launched a witch hunt against Manuel and unleashed the government bureaucracy to designate him a subversive.

The veil covering corrupt and fascistic intent is so thin it’s transparent.

Let’s not fall under any illusion that Dela Rosa or his “witnesses” claiming Manuel is a subversive are interested in truth or justice. Dela Rosa is under the eye of the International Criminal Court for orchestrating the Duterte drug war, now protected by Marcos Jr. It was only 2 months ago that the Marcos-Duterte government was embarrassed in front of the entire country, after environmental activists Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano went off-script at a state press conference to reveal that they were being forced to falsely claim they are insurgents. Underneath the veil is forcing “witnesses” to back up government fabrications under threat of detention and death.

We further denounce Dela Rosa’s attempts to criminalize student-led organizing on campuses. This deplorable proclamation is an attempt by Dela Rosa, backed by the NTF-ELCAC, and the Marcos-Duterte regime to silence progressive organizations and individuals who, constitutionally, are well within their rights to hold their government responsible for upholding and defending human rights and democracy.

In this ongoing nightmare of historical revisionism and government-orchestrated propaganda and campaign against progressives, people like Rep. Manuel are the sparks of bravery that can burn down the whole masquerade of Philippine sham-democracy. That’s why Dela Rosa and the Marcos-Duterte regime are trying to stamp him and others like him out. The Malaya Movement USA, the founding of which takes inspiration from the anti-dictatorship movement during the Marcos Sr. regime, will keep a close watch on this witch hunt and expose the lies propping up this administration.

Junk the Anti-Terror Law! Abolish National Taskforce to End Communist Armed Conflict, and allow the ICC to investigate Bato Dela Rosa!