October 3, 2021
We, the undersigned convenors of pro-democracy coalition 1SAMBAYAN, strongly denounce the recent order of President Duterte barring his Cabinet and other executive officials from attending legislative investigations in the Senate on the anomalous transactions of Pharmally with the government, specifically with PS-DBM, involving overpriced medical supplies in 2020 and 2021 at the height of the pandemic.
We see traces of the dark days of Martial Law in the president’s recent pronouncements: no respect for the rule of law, no separation of powers between branches of government, and no regard for due process, all done to protect the interest of a private company, his Chinese friends and their friends in government. It is the same heavy-handed, dictatorial, and authoritarian despotic rule employed by the late President Ferdinand Marcos.
We appeal to the PNP and the AFP to remain loyal to the country and the people and ignore this illegal and unconstitutional order, even if it came from their commander-in-chief, who is certainly not acting like the father of a nation. It is an abuse of his commander-in-chief powers, and it does not give him carte blanche to use it to prevent other agencies of government from performing their mandates.
We also appeal to the people to put an end to this regime, to always be vigilant and alert and see the signs of a return of Marcosian authoritarian tactics: the closure of ABS-CBN, widespread graft and corruption, economic recession, and numerous tales of extrajudicial killings and violations of human rights.
We also encourage everyone, especially those who will cast their votes come May 2022, let us unite in choosing leaders who will put the people first above their own interests and those of their friends, who will restore democracy and strengthen our democratic institutions, and who will steer our country to recovery from this pandemic and economic decline.
Tagalog Translation:
First published online in https://www.facebook.com/OneFaithOneNationOneVoice
