Sonny Melencio

US China Asia Pacific

Filipino socialist activist and Party of the Labouring Masses (PLM) chairperson Sonny Melencio speaks with Federico Fuentes about global imperialism and the Filipino left鈥檚 response to the threat of a US-China war.

The decision to field presidential and vice-presidential candidates represents a bold聽鈥 and unprecedented聽鈥 move for the Philippines left. Sonny Melencio explains why the聽Partido Lakas ng Masa has taken this step.

Members of the 鈥渄ynasty triad鈥, from left: Bongbong Marcos, Sara Duterte and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Three of the country鈥檚 most powerful political dynasties 鈥 the Marcoses, Arroyos and Dutertes 鈥 have entered into an unholy alliance聽with the hope of consolidating power in 2022 and beyond, writes Sonny Melencio.

When I was travelling from Manila to Australia, I bought a copy of a book to read on the plane. It was Dan Brown鈥檚 novel Inferno. Actually, when this book first hit the bookshops, the Philippines went crazy about a small part of the novel that referred to Manila as the 鈥済ate of hell鈥.
The petition for certification of Party of the Labouring Masses (PLM) as a national political party was approved by the Commission on Elections in September. With this approval, the fight for a national political party representing the marginalised sectors has escalated to new heights. This is a confirmation of the PLM鈥檚 three-and-a-half years of existence and its expansion as a political party with a mass constituency and grassroots chapter-formations.