AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BASIC PROBLEM OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE

The Philippine society is a semicolonial and semifeudal. This status is determined by US imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism which now ruthlessly exploit the broad masses of the Filipino people. These three historical evils are the problems that afflict Philippine society.

The semi colonial character of the Philippine society is principally determined by US imperialism. Though the reactionaries claim that that the Philippine society is already independent , it is infact completely so as they themselves give contradictory testimony that Philippine independence was merely granted or restored by US imperialism. The truth is that, US imperialism still persists in violating the national sovereignity of the Filipino people and in strangulating Philippine independence. Before and after the grant of nominal independence , US imperialism made sure that it would continue to control the Philippine economy, politics, culture, military, and foreign relations. It has extended unequal treaties, one-sided privileges that transgress the national sovereignity, territorial integrity, and national patrimony of the Filipino people. US imperialism continues to arrogate unto itself the privilege of giving armed protection to the local exploiting classes. Through there is now the illusion that the present government is self-determining, its basic policies and the election and appointment of its highest officials are mainly determined by US imperialism. The clearest evidence that the Philippines is still a colony of the United States consists of economic enclaves lorded over by US enterprises and also of military control.

The semi feudal character of Philippine society is principally determined by the impingement of US monopoly capitalism on the old feudal mode of production and the subordination of the latter to the former. The concrete result of the intertwining of foreign monopoly capitalism and domestic feudalism is the erosion and dissolution of a a natural economy of self- sufficiency in favor of a commodity economy. Being dictated by foreign monopoly capitalism, this commodity economy is used to restrict the growth of national capitalism and force owner-cultivators and handlecraftsmen into bankruptcy. It is used to keep large masses of people in feudal bondage and at the same time create a relative surplus of population, a huge reserve army of labor that keeps the local labor market cheap..Feudalism has been encouraged and reatiained by US imperialism to perpetuate the poverty of the broad masses of the people, subjugate the most numerous class which is the peasantry and manipulate the local backwardness for the purpose of havig cheap labor and cheap raw materials from the country. It is in this sense that domestic feudalism is the social base of US imperialism. The persistence of landlord exploitation is in turn under the counterrevolutiinary protection of US imperialism.