On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power uprising, we commemorate a historic moment when millions rose to overthrow a dictatorship and assert their collective power.

Four decades later, however, the fundamental problems that drove the masses to EDSA remain unresolved. Since the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., all succeeding regimes—from Corazon Aquino to his son Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.—have remained puppets of U.S. imperialism, marked by corruption and fascist repression. The country’s wealth continues to be plundered by foreign interests in collusion with the local ruling classes to accumulate superprofits, while traditional politicians and political dynasties amass billions through the corruption of public funds. To maintain their rule and sustain this plunder, successive regimes have imposed fascist policies and carried out relentless attacks against the people up to the present.

The Marcoses and the Dutertes represent the same reactionary politics—puppet, corrupt, and fascist. Under BBM, worsening poverty stands in stark contrast to the ballooning wealth of the ruling class, alongside corruption scandals such as those involving flood control projects. Similar patterns of corruption and repression characterized the administration of Rodrigo Duterte, while the impeachment controversies surrounding Sara Duterte are likewise rooted in the misuse of public funds, including intelligence budgets.

Duterte’s so-called “war on drugs” targeted the poor, the COVID-19 pandemic was used to justify repressive measures, and state mechanisms such as the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and the Anti-Terror Law were strengthened. Under BBM, these policies have been further intensified—indiscriminate bombings of communities, killings, and abductions reminiscent of martial law under Marcos Sr.

These worsening conditions unfold alongside international legal proceedings against Duterte at the International Criminal Court in connection with the thousands of killings linked to his bloody “war on drugs.” The ICC process underscores the long-standing culture of impunity that shields those in power from accountability. It exposes the bankruptcy of domestic legal institutions that have consistently failed the victims of state violence and reveals the fascist character of a state that deploys terror against its own people to defend ruling-class interests and suppress resistance.

This moment also invites critical reflection on the lessons of 1986: the overthrow of a dictator does not automatically dismantle the structures of exploitation. Filipinos in Europe and across the globe must expose the rotten system that continues to exploit our people.

We welcome the ongoing ICC case against Rodrigo Duterte as a small step towards holding the ruling class in power into account. But we firmly believe that genuine justice ultimately rests on the organized strength of the Filipino people demanding systemic change. None of the feuding camps of Marcos and Duterte, nor the factions of traditional politicians and dynasties, represent genuine change. Elections alone cannot dismantle a system rooted in imperialist domination, elite rule, and bureaucrat capitalism. The power to transform this rotten system lies in the hands of the Filipino people themselves.

The revolution did not stop at EDSA! We call on all Filipino migrants and members of the diaspora to participate in and support the national democratic revolution in the Philippines. Join the Bagong Hukbong Bayan and the revolutionary organizations of Filipinos abroad—National Democratic Front of the Philippines and Compatriots-NDF. Overthrow the rotten system. Let us build a society that is truly free and democratic.

Makibaka! Join the national democratic revolution!
All those involved must be held accountable! From the bottom to the top!
Marcos II and Sara Duterte — investigate, prosecute, and imprison them for plundering the nation’s wealth!
Down with the US–Marcos II regime!
Advance the People’s National Democratic Revolution!

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