Statements: Solidarity with Philippine socialist presidential candidate Leody de Guzman against political violence
Socialist Alliance condemns attack on Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) delegation in the Philippines
April 20, 2022 — Socialist Alliance — Socialist Alliance condemns the violent attack that occurred yesterday (April 19) in Mindanao, targeting Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) presidential candidate and labour leader Leody de Guzman.
Shots were fired at the PLM delegation, led by de Guzman, while they were visiting the ancestral lands of the Manobo-Pulangiyon tribe in Quezon, Bukidnon.
The tribe has been protesting land-grabs on their ancestral lands and the attack was clearly politically motivated.
PLM said several shots were fired during a meeting between PLM and the leaders of the tribe. Five people were wounded, including a farmer organiser, who was standing beside de Guzman at the time, and a tribal leader.
De Guzman was unharmed.
PLM is contesting the election on a radical anti-capitalist platform, challenging the Marcos-Duterte alliance in the presidential race.
Rodrigo Duterte’s six-year authoritarian rule has been marked by extra-judicial killings and political violence, under the guise of a “war on drugs”.
We call for an end to political violence against the opposition in the Philippines.
We stand in solidarity with Leody de Guzman and PLM in their fight for a new political and economic vision for the Philippines.
Solidarity with Leody de Guzman against political violence
Released by Choo Con Kai, Central Committee Member, Socialist Party of Malaysia / Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)
April 19, 2022 — Think Left — Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) is deeply concerned about the shooting incident happened today targeting presidential candidate and labor leader Leody de Guzman in the province Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines. We condemn this violent attack.
Several gunshots were fired against Leody de Guzman and his team during their meeting with the leaders of indigenous Manobo-Pulangiyon tribe in Barangay Butong, Quezon, Bukidnon, Mindanao. Although Leody de Guzman was unharmed in the shooting incident, but two persons who stood beside him – a farmer group organiser and a leader of the Manobo-Pulangiyon tribe – sustanined gunshot wounds.
We believe the shooting is political motivated. Members of the Manobo-Pulangiyon tribe are currently protesting against land-grabbing of their ancestral land. Leody de Guzman is the Presidential candidate for Party of the Laboring Masses (PLM), who is contesting on a radical anti-capitalist platform to challenge the Marcos-Duterte alliance in the presidency race.
Political violence has been one of the most sustained features of Duterte’s authoritarian rule for the last six years in the Philippines, with his notorious “war on drugs” has claimed thousands of lives in extra-judicial killings.
We call for an end to political violence against opposition in the Philippines. We stand in solidarity with Leody de Guzman and PLM in their fight for a new politics and new economy for the Philippines.