Peasant groups on Wednesday joined the many voices slamming the quo warranto petition filed against media giant ABS-CBN by government lawyers, saying it was evidence of the administration’s trend of undermining democracy as evidenced by the past ouster of Supreme Court Chief Justice Sereno.

In a statement, militant fisherfolk federation Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) compared the move to the politics of the late strongman former President Ferdinand Marcos, who shut down the same media company during his corrupt rule.

The fisherfolk group warned that history seemed to be repeating itself.

For his part, Anakpawis party-List leader Ariel Casilao noted that the network’s critical reportage of people’s issues often “exposes the regime as anti-peasant, anti-worker and anti-Filipino.”

“We stand with the ABS-CBN on its fight against this evident state repression,” Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya national chairperson said in his statement.

“It has been a modus operandi of Duterte administration to persecute those who resist to be allied with him and remain critical of his anti-people and undemocratic policies. Moreover, we are with its workers who stand to lose their jobs have the franchise of the company not renewed.”

“This quo warranto is a threat to democracy and an instrument of a tyrant who wants to impose an authoritarian state. It was used against the ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno who has been a vocal critic of the administration, is being used now, and will be used over and over until the people decisively and collectively oppose this tactic,” said Hicap.

“This is a clear copycat of the Marcosian dictatorial rule where critics are being silenced and vital industries are being taken over by the state in the name of absolute control,” Hicap said.

“While it worked to oust Supreme Court Chief Justice Sereno, it should be opposed this time around against ABS-CBN,” Casilao said for his part.

“If we allow this to succeed, all of us Filipinos would appear as mindless ‘dedees’ to the world, who fail to uphold democracy, and tolerant of a tyrant such as Duterte.”/Stacy Ang