DEFEND WINDEL BOLINGET!

Within the vestiges of the Cordilleran people is a history of resistance and the long-standing struggle for self-determination and democracy. Amidst the wiles of Western imperialists and repressive state mechanisms of Marcosian polity which jeopardized the very existence of the Cordilleran communities, the Cordilleran people remained persistent in challenging these structures that continue to breed tyranny and exploitation!

Recently, Cordilleran Peoples Alliance chairperson, Windel Bolinget was placed under bounty by the Cordilleran Police for being critical in the struggles and experiences of the Cordillerans under the fascist regime of President Rodrigo Duterte. Moreover, the stakes were raised for 100,000 PHP and a “shoot-to-kill” command was promulgated by the Cordilleran Police for the arrest of Bolinget.

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines being the broadest and oldest alliance of tertiary campus publications in the country vehemently condemns these remarks of the repressive state. Moreover, the Guild re-iterates that to stand in solidarity in the struggle of the Cordilleran people is not to be flagged as a criminal act. As emphasized in our past statements, “to enter the crucible of serving the people is neither seditious nor makes one a criminal.” Through the Duterte Administration’s war on dissent which was manifested in its counter-insurgency campaigns such as Oplan Sauron and Oplan Kapanatagan, indigenous people’s advocates and peasant activists are being wrongly flagged as criminals, making them susceptible for arrest or being a victim of the current regime’s amplified culture of impunity.

Hence, the College Editors Guild of the Philippines calls on our alliance campus publications and youth formations to stand with Windel Bolinget and resist the fascist regime of Duterte! The people united shall never cower down on the Duterte regime’s night of terror!

#DefendWindelBolinget
#DefendCPA
#DefendCordilleraPH
#StopTheAttacks