The militant Makabayan bloc announced on Thursday its defection from the super majority in the House of Representatives, as it assailed President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration for purportedly turning into “a fascist, pro-imperialist and anti-people” government. “Today, we, seven party list representatives of the Makabayan Bloc, declare our separation from the Majority Coalition in the House of Representatives to intensify our opposition to the Duterte administration that has now fully unraveled as a fascist, pro-imperialist and anti-people regime,” the group said in a statement. The seven-member coalition includes progressive party-list lawmakers from Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Kabataan, Gabriela and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT-Teachers). ADVERTISEMENTThe Makabayan bloc became a member of the super majority in Congress after it supported the bid of key Duterte ally Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez to become the Speaker of the House. But the Makabayan bloc noted that things started to turn off when Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao, stalled the peace talks with the NDF, and opted for a foreign policy dependent on US and China in exchange for sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 14, 2017 05:20 UTC