The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on Friday denounced the assignation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as the lead force in the distribution of social amelioration program (SAP) cash subsidies for families affected by the Duterte regime’s military lockdown.
“This will certainly lead to more corruption and abuses,” said the CPP in a statement.
The social subsidy distribution will be used by the AFP as an additional tool in wholesale violations of human rights, the Party said.
Hundreds of thousands of people, especially in the rural areas, will surely be denied of their social subsidies because they will be accused of being supporters of the NPA, unless they agree to “cooperate” with the AFP.
“Expect a deluge of AFP reports of ‘surrenders’ in line with SAP distribution,” the Communist Party said.
The CPP said the billions of pesos of social amelioration funds that Duterte will download to the AFP’s coffers are bound to line the pockets of Duterte’s favorite military officers with the calculation that this will further deepen their “loyalty to the tyrant.”
“There will surely be corruption down the line, with field officers getting their own proportionate share,” the CPP said.
Corruption is rampant in the AFP, the CPP said. “Its officers and men keep silent on corruption, especially because they all get their ‘fair share’.”
The CPP alleged that the AFP is one of the dirtiest institutions in the country.
By having the AFP lead in the distribution of the subsidy, Duterte wants to further instill fear among the people and push his scheme of fascist dictatorship. His immediate aim is to preempt and stifle any complaints of corruption and bureaucratic red tape in the distribution of subsidies. He wants to consolidate his fascist machinery down to the barangay level and have everyone abide by his armed authority, the CPP said.
Under the “whole-of-nation” dogma, he wants every aspect of society placed under the control of the military and its counterinsurgency aims.
“He wants things run under the military’s fascist mode of thinking and methods of operation, where one is presumed to be ‘an NPA supporter’ unless they take part or subsume their activities in the AFP’s programs,” they said.
Duterte is making the military invade all aspects of civilian society in order to establish a “new normal” where the military and police controls every aspect of social and civic life, the CPP also said./Stacy Ang
