DUTERTE AND THE PEOPLE'S AGENDA
EXPOSING THE ROOTS OF THE ARMED CONFLICT
SEEKING SOLUTIONS TOGETHER
EXPOSING THE ROOTS OF THE ARMED CONFLICT
SEEKING SOLUTIONS TOGETHER
Saturday,
September 24, 2016
2 pm
– 5 pm
7th
Floor, Student’s Lounge, Hall Building, Concordia University
1455 De Maisonneuve W, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8
Metro Guy-Concordia
Free admission, donations welcome
Organized by the Centre for Philippine Concerns
and #JustPeacePH
- Platform for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (Montreal)
Featuring five Montrealers just back from the
Philippines:
Zharmaine Ante (AnakBayan Montreal)
Evelyn Calugay (PINAY)
Renz Grospe (AB Montreal)
Sherilyn Recinto (AB Montreal)
Olga Ulanov (Women of Diverse Origins)
BACKGROUND
Peace talks
are underway between the Government of Rodrigo Duterte (GRP) and the revolutionary
forces of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). A six-point agreement
was signed in Oslo, Norway this past August and the next crucial series of
discussions are planned for October, also in Oslo.
On the
table will be a Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms, or
CASER, elements at the heart of a just and lasting peace. Meanwhile a ceasefire is holding between the government forces, composed
of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police
(PNP) on one side, and the New Peoples Army (NPA) on the other.
Why are
there peace talks? It’s because a civil war has been raging in the Philippines
since 1969. The daily, systematic and systemic injustice experienced by the majority
of the people of the Philippines has driven them to seek fundamental changes in
society through various means. Meanwhile, the tiny minority benefitting from
the status quo uses all means at their disposal, including the instruments and
violence of the state to defend it and prevent fundamental social change. As a
result, many Filipinos have embraced armed struggle to overthrow the ruling
system. That war continues throughout the country today.
The
Canadian media have been full of stories about the controversial statements of
the new Philippine President, about his war on drugs and his insults against
the President of the US, among other things. But these headlines tell only a
small part of what is going on in the Philippines, and have distorted reality
to a large extent.
PEACE TALKS
Virtually
no international media attention has been given to the peace talks which the Duterte
government has agreed to restart, much less the comprehensive 15-point People’s Agenda for Change that was presented to President Duterte the day he was sworn
in. This Program for Nationalist and Progressive Change and a more detailed
Agenda for the First 100 Days covers five major areas: Economy, Social Policy,
Governance, Peace and Human Rights, and National Sovereignty and Foreign
Policy.
Five
Montrealers who spent up to three months immersed in the people’s movements in
the Philippines this past summer will be present September 24 at Concordia to give
us the real story of what is going on. They spent time in Negros, Nueva Ecija, Cebu and Mindanao, including Davao, the home city of the new President. Their
testimonials will be up close, uncensored and first hand. They will expose some
of the roots of the armed conflict in the Philippines and how the 15-point
agenda starts to address the underlying causes of rebellion.
