On the puppet regimes of the Philippines
Tags: Imperialism, Philippines, Communism, Socialism, Marxism

It is quite obvious for many individuals both inside and outside the country to see that the government is at the beck and call of imperialist countries. An example of this would be the empty rhetoric Rodrigo Duterte has been using against the United States which proved to be worth nothing as he granted pardon to Joseph Scott Pemberton, a US soldier convicted of homicide on Philippine soil. Why would any self-respecting leader let such a thing happen? Why are we still continuing our dog-owner relationship with the US? The answer is quite simple. The ruling class is nothing more than puppets of the global elite, who are also the masters of imperialist countries.

Since our supposed liberation from the Spanish Empire in 1898, we have been chained to the throne of Washington. Today, we try to break that chain but in the most ignorant way — by chaining ourselves to another imperialist country. The ruling class is now embracing the warm imperialism of Beijing as an alternative to the US, but this is nothing but us actually doubling down on our status as a puppet of another country. The only path towards true independence is by shattering this faux democracy of ours through a not-necessarily-violent revolution. When all other options have been exhausted, what more is there to do but to pursue the nation’s aspirations by any means necessary?

The Chinese and the Americans will not stop until the only thing we have left is our bones. The flesh of the nation will be consumed piece by piece by the hawks hovering over us. Regimes do not reform. They fall. If a puppet regime is not budging, then maybe it is time for us to make it fall ourselves no matter the cost because there is no future for the nation if we continue to let the ruling class keep the masses impoverished. Regardless, the regime is bound to fall, one way or another. It is only a matter of time before the peasants rise up against their feudalistic landlords and the workers seize the means of production from their capitalist oppressors.

What is the best course of action to take against puppet regimes, then? It is through a socialist revolution and the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat. A learned proletariat, which we will assume to be the case when the revolution happens, will not side with his oppressors, knowing that, if he did, he will be subjecting himself to the whims of the global elite, the puppet masters of the many peripheral countries of the world. This leads us to a major factor in sparking a revolution: knowledge. A learned working class is necessary for a socialist revolution to succeed. If the working class is against it, then there is no driving force for it.

You might be wondering if it is possible to achieve this through peaceful, albeit forceful, means. The answer is yes, it is possible but very unlikely. If we wish to change the system, then we need to do something radical. Radical government and economic reforms would be necessary to bring this about, but this is tantamount to an armed revolution anyway as the capitalist oppressors will most likely not surrender their wealth and control over the country that easily, especially if they have imperialists backing them up. In order to do this, the armed forces and the populace would have to act against the bourgeoisie. So, in the end, a revolution — though in a different manner — is necessary to give the power to the working class.