![]() The vice president almost invariably winds up as the political rival of the president and, in times of unrest, the focus of elite opposition turns to the removal of the president and installation of the vice president, via a constitutional coup.ĭuterte has gone on the offensive. The Philippine constitution mandates the selection of the President and Vice President, not through a party slate, but on the basis of the highest vote-getter for each office. The political crisis centers around Vice President Leni Robredo, a leading member of the opposition Liberal Party. Sections of the officer corps have demonstrated repeatedly over the past three decades that they will attempt to carry out a coup d’état, if they disagree with the policies of the civilian government. Their loyalty is ultimately to Washington. The Philippine military was built from the ground up by Washington, and many of its leadership graduated from West Point, or received training in Annapolis. These concerns are doubtless shared by sections of the top military brass. The ruling-class opposition is looking to shore up the power of the state, under a semblance of competent leadership, by removing the increasingly despised Duterte. Mass anger at inequality, and the callous indifference of the state to the immense suffering of the population, under conditions of the pandemic, have produced a social powder keg. ![]() Second, despite his fascistic war on drugs and the imposition of martial law in the southern island of Mindanao, Duterte has proven incapable of stemming the mounting tide of social unrest. As Duterte reoriented the alignment of Philippine foreign policy away from Washington, layers of the elite most closely tied to Washington became increasingly displeased. The Philippines was a colony of US imperialism for fifty years, and the political and economic power of the elite has been built around the economic interests of its former colonial master. Duterte has thus downplayed the Philippine claim to the disputed waters in the South China Sea, and ended involvement in some of the most aggressive US war games in the region. However, Washington’s aggressive moves against Beijing in the South China Sea and throughout the region, have made it impossible to placate US imperialism and improve ties with China. That a substantial portion of the ruling elite is now turning against Duterte is a result of two basic developments.įirst, in an attempt to develop the notoriously poor conditions of Philippine infrastructure, which have long stunted the expansion of capital investment, Duterte has turned to China for loans to fund his “Build Build Build” program. The Makabayan Coalition, the legislative umbrella organization of the national democratic movement, pledged support for Duterte and contributed to his super-majority. While Duterte’s own party held very little clout in the legislature after the election, by the time of his inauguration, he was backed by a legislative super-majority of unprecedented size, comprising nearly every elite party in the country.ĭuterte also received the enthusiastic backing of the national democratic movement, the wide range of parties and sectoral organizations that follow the political line of the Stalinist Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). These social layers were enthusiastic about Duterte’s law-and-order agenda, including his promise to violently suppress the poor through a “war on drugs.” His right-wing, fascistic rhetoric appealed to them as a means of preventing the emergence of social unrest, which would jeopardize their property interests. A substantial majority of the middle, upper middle, and upper class voted for Duterte according to exit polls. The possibility of a constitutional coup against Duterte, through the withdrawal of military support for his presidency and the installation of Vice President Leni Robredo in his place, is being openly discussed.ĭuterte took office in 2016, with more support from the wealthiest layers of Philippines society than any other candidate. ![]() Mass anger over catastrophic social conditions, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is emerging alongside machinations within rival sections of the elite for the removal of President Rodrigo Duterte. ![]() The political crisis in the Philippines has reached a very advanced stage.
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