Elections and Beyond: So much have been said, Let us do more!

So much have been said on the extractive, exploitative and oppressive capitalist development model - starved the broad farmers and rural communities; uprooted, displaced and divided tribes and peoples; workers begged for their rights and benefits; enforced contractualization of labor and among other malpractices; commercialized and privatized fundamental social services; grabbed and robbed lands and minerals from the toiling masses and national minorities – it is killing us, the peoples.

It is also clear that political leaders running the country have been collaborating to the capitalist and imperialist interests and keep on boasting the so-called inclusive growth that have never been felt at the community level.

The suicides (February and April 2016) in Maguindanao by three farmers caused by the impact of El Nino are just few of the many concrete proofs how inutile and irresponsive to the real needs of the communities the government is. The protests in Kidapawan of which three died during the violent dispersal and in Koronadal by farmers and Indigenous Peoples this April 2016 showed how Philippine neglected and abandoned the agriculture sector and the rural economy. There are more pictures seen and unseen.

Instead of developing the local economy for sustainable and national use, the government thru its different agencies and policies opened its territory, natural and human resources to foreign and corporate exploitations.

MindanaOne organizations in Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Camiguin, Zamboanga Peninsula, Misamis Oriental and Occidental, North and South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Saragani, Maguindanao, Compostela Valley, Davao Region, Agusan and Surigao provinces and in Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao region in discussions made clear how these policies affected communities.

All rich territories in the Philippines have been opened to the world and it is concrete in the long history of land grabbing and robbing by State and Corporations anywhere particularly in Mindanao – from food production for animals, foreign countries like Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to mineral and corporate investments from Australia, Canada, Japan, China, America, Europe and other local and international players.

This is capitalism. Ensuring profit and corporate interests first than communities’ is the heart of it. It does not care about the people but of business and power to ensure business.

We cannot expect much from the political candidates running for office in the coming May 9, 2016 National and Local Elections in the Philippines. Of course they are all claiming to be champions of peoples’ interests. They all care for the poor and for the environment but do not even presented concrete how’s of such pronouncements. Glaring are the billions of spending for the campaign sorties and political advertisements at the very period when majority of the peoples and communities are starving with no food on their plates.

While we are to engage elections, but we have no illusion that this is alone the solution.

We are calling all social and progressive forces to unite behind real and with track record progressive candidates without being electoralist;

A clear beyond election pro-peoples, pro-workers, pro-environment and pro-human rights platforms and agenda will guide and prepare us for the non-stop struggle for democratic reforms;

Let us Develop and Enrich Sustainable Economic and Democratic Governance Models;

Advance People’s Democratic Rights and Welfare all the time and anywhere beyond slogans.

Abulcair Balindong

Chairperson, MindanaOne

2 May 2016

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