Pro-Duterte Fil-Ams meet to plan shows of support

San Francisco Bay Area Filipino Americans backing President Rodrigo Duterte led by group spokesman Atty. Adnan Alonto (second from right in red shirt) raise their clench fists after their meeting in an undisclosed place in the East Bay. JUN NUCUM

OAKLAND, California — Filipino Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area who support Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte met recently to plan how to show support for the president in the face of what they called “negative publicity” from local and international news media.

Attorney Adnan Alonto, who campaigned for Duterte, said, “First, we wanted to expressour sympathy to the victims of the recent Davao bombing. Second, we want to express also our opinion about the negative publicity that is being waged against the president. And we also want to discuss certain activities we can embark on to make known that President Duterte has a very solid support here in Northern America.”

Alonto said they plan to engage in mass actions, rallies and demonstrations in support of the Philippine president, but the details still have to be threshed out. The theme of the actions, however, will be “Unity for Genuine Change.”

They wish to reach out, he said, to all groups and Filipinos “who are still not convinced of the sincerity of the president in his desire to bring about genuine change. We want to educate them, we want to impress upon them that what President Duterte is doing is for the good of the country.”

Back war on drugs

Those who participated in the meeting then signed a prepared unity statement, in support of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s (PRRD) war on drugs.

“PRRD launched an all-out war against drug lords, criminals and the corrupt almost immediately after assuming office. This all-out war is a condition sine qua non to rid our society of the scourge of drugs that threatens the very fabric of established order. Left unabated, drug money will continue to creep into our society producing corrupt judges, civil servants and politicians, thus transforming the Philippines into a Narco-state in five to ten years’ time,” the statement said.

The statement also expressed their belief that the Philippine National Police and the military are required to employ equal deadly force as lawful self-defense against armed criminals, in pursuit of the recent presidential directive to arrest and apprehend known and suspected drug pushers to cut the supply chain in the streets.

Attorney Adnan Alonto (middle in red shirt) presides over a meeting attended by group leaders and members supportive of President Rodrigo Duterte and his programs. JUN NUCUM

“Recent revelations point to official complicity in the proliferation of drugs in our streets. The involvement of national officials including cabinet members, local officials, law enforcement agents, and even some clergymen clearly indicate that the drug problem is a national emergency requiring decisive action and solutions,” the statement continued.

Condemn partisan groups

The group also condemned the use by some personalities and partisan groups to utilize the international press and international organizations to paint the war against drugs as purely a human rights issue. It also lamented that “PRRD’s efforts to bring meaningful and lasting peace in the Philippines have been left unappreciated and unnoticed by mainstream media and the international press.”

“Official records of the PNP show that the 600 or so deaths account for police operations where suspects resisted with deadly force that required apprehending agents to respond accordingly. Hence, to attribute all the 1,800 or so deaths to the anti-drug campaign without any break down or factual description of the circumstances is a broad stroke to discredit the efforts of the government to keep drugs from our streets,” argued the statement.

“PRRD and the government should be lauded for the recent signing of a ceasefire agreement with the CCP/NDF in Oslo, Norway. This decades-old insurgency that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives is now on the verge of final resolution. PRRD’s effective engagement with Moro groups to resolve the Bangsamoro question continue to garner support and from all indications, will result in a comprehensive and final resolution.”

Laud ‘political will’

The group also lauded “PRRD’s most recent efforts to act on the plight of our OFWs in Saudi Arabia who have been laid off by their Saudi employers for over a year now.”

It also commended Duterte for standing by his campaign promise to put the Marcos burial issue to rest and “pave the way for healing and national reconciliation.” It praised as well the Duterte’s government policy to implement genuine land reform, as exemplified by the distribution of land titles to qualified and deserving farmers of Hacienda Luisita, and to eliminate contractualization “to protect our labor force from this pernicious practice” as “worthy of being highlighted as an exercise of political will.”

“We urge our people, irrespective of political affiliations and ideologies, the mainstream media, international press and international organizations to look beyond the veneer of partisan and selfish interests and support PRRD and his program of government.”

The statement was signed by representatives of the Brotherhood for Duterte–USA (BFD-USA), Digong Duterte Supporters-Northern California (DDS-NorCal), Digong Duterte Supporters-California USA Coordination Unit (DDS-CA/USA), Lex Talionis Fraternitas of North America (LEX NA) and Human Development International.