The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) on Tuesday, Aug. 24, has slammed President Duterte’s reported acceptance to his nomination as vice presidential candidate in the upcoming elections.

The farmers’ group’s statement came after the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) party led by the faction of Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi announced that Duterte has accepted his nomination as the ruling party’s vice presidential candidate in the next year’s polls.

“We deem that the situation of Filipino farmers has worsened under the Duterte administration as a result of his policies and programs that undermine the social, economic, cultural, political rights, and civil liberties of the people in general,” said peasant leader and Anakpawis President Rafael Mariano.

“We view that Duterte's solution to the perennial poverty in a calamity and pandemic-stricken country, with farmers as the majority of the population, is intensified militarization and heightened police brutality that resulted in peasant killings and a host of other rights violations. While the anti-drug war is impacting urban poor communities, the militarization and counterinsurgency campaign has affected the lives of the rural poor,” he added.

With this, the KMP urged various sectors to unite and stop Duterte’s attempt to “overstay” in power, saying that “ix years under Duterte is like a lifetime of misery. We must not allow an extension.”

“The Filipino people have had enough of Duterte. We cannot allow him to stay in the government beyond 2022,” the group said. “Pagkatapos ng kanyang termino, uusigin at sisingilin ng mamamayan si Duterte sa lahat ng korte, kabilang na sa International Criminal Court (After his term, the people will prosecute and charge Duterte in all courts, including the International Criminal Court).”

Meanwhile, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. has also criticized Duterte’s reported acceptance to his nominations as candidate for the vice presidential seat in the 2022 polls.

“As if the COVID crisis was not bad enough, now comes Duterte wanting to run for Vice President by accepting the PDP-Laban nomination,” Reyes tweeted. “Walang hangganan ang kawalang-hiyaan ng rehimeng ito (There is no limit to the shamelessness of this regime).”

As if the COVID crisis was not bad enough, now comes Duterte wanting to run for Vice President by accepting the PDP-Laban nomination. Walang hangganan ang kawalang-hiyaan ng rehimeng ito.#DuterteWakasan

— Renato Reyes, Jr. (@natoreyes) August 24, 2021