Philippine Revolution

[philippinerevolution]

Honor Our Martyrs, Advance the People’s War in India and the Philippines!

National Democratic Front of the Philippines July 02, 2023

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines joins the International Committee in Support of People’s War in India (ICSPWI) and all anti-imperialist forces of the world to honor the martyrs of the revolution in India and the Philippines.

Today, July 1st marks the 13th year when comrade Azad was kidnapped in the city of Nagpur and was brutally murdered by the Indian reactionary government. Comrade Azad’s work is important not only to the Adivasis, Dalits, peasants and workers of India, but to the global anti-imperialist struggle as well.

As in India, in the Philippines, comrades Ka Laan and Ka Bagong Tao were forcibly disappeared and killed by the Philippine bourgeois state. They, like so many other revolutionary men and women, are martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the people, for the revolution, for the abolition of classes in communism.

Long live the heroes and martyrs of the people’s war! Long live the People’s War in India! Long live the People’s War in the Philippines!

In Praise of Martyrs

We praise to high heavens And for all time The heroes who die In the hands of the enemy In the battlefield In the torture chamber And against the wall. In these bloody places, The struggle is sharpest And the meaning of one’s life Is tested in one crucial moment. Courage to the last breath Makes the martyr live beyond death.

Jose Maria Sison9 December 1977

PRWC » Honor Our Martyrs, Advance the People’s War in India and the Philippines!

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines joins the International Committee in Support of People’s War in India (ICSPWI) and all anti

[philippinerevolution]

125 years of persevering struggle for national freedom

In commemorating the recent 125th year of the declaration of false Philippine independence, let us look back to the Filipino people’s more than a century history of resistance to colonialism and semicolonialism and reaffirm our commitment to struggle for genuine freedom and democracy.

The declaration of freedom “under the protection of Powerful and Humanitarian Nation, the United States of America” was made by representatives of the landlord-illustrado class who rode on the victories of the Katipunan armed revolution against the 300-year Spanish colonial rule. In truth, Spain had already secretly agreed with the US before staging the mock Battle of Manila Bay of October 1898 and the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898 under which the Philippines was sold for $20 million.

Hundreds of thousands of American troops were deployed to suppress and colonize the Philippines. More than a decade of brutal war against revolutionary forces—denigrated as “bandits” and “insurrectionists”—was carried out. Not less than 200,000 Filipino civilians were killed by American soldiers, and more than a million (of a population of less than seven million) died as a result of the US war of aggression.

The US employed overwhelming force to rampage through the Philippines, suppress the people and plunder the country’s wealth. Millions of trees were felled, hundreds of thousands of land taken from peasants and indigenous people to dig for gold and other minerals, and turn into plantations of sugarcane, pineapples and other crops for export to the US. The US colonized and controlled the minds of Filipinos by imposing an educational system that favor the US to erase the people’s memories of their just fight for freedom and imprint the thought of “benevolent assimilation” under US colonialism. The US produced a new generation of bureaucrat capitalists trained in “US democracy” to represent US power and the combined interests of the ruling classes of bourgeois compradors and the old landlord class.

Instead of being suppressed, the spirit of patriotism of Filipino workers and toiling people were further inflamed. At the outset and following decades, they organized and waged mass struggles for freedom. They clamored “death to US imperialism!” Since being established in 1930, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP-Philippine Islands) played a crucial role in leading the struggle for national freedom from US colonial rule.

Amid inter-imperialist conflict, the US abandoned the Philippines to colonial Japan. Led by the CPP, an anti-Japanese guerrilla war was waged by the Filipino people to establish revolutionary power in Central Luzon and other parts of the country. Like in China and other countries, the guerrilla forces crushed the Japanese invaders. Before the complete surrender of the beaten Japanese forces (as were the Spanish in 1898), the US forces returned and relentlessly bombed and devastated Manila (like the mock Battle of Manila Bay) to force the country to its knees. Together with its puppet armed forces (predecessor of the Armed Forces of the Philippines), the US carried out a campaign of armed suppression of guerrilla forces marked by massacres and brutal murders.

To placate the Filipino people, the US granted nominal independence on July 4, 1946 to turn over the reins of administration of the client-state to the ruling class parties and politicos. For close to 80 years now, the country has been under neocolonial or semicolonial rule. Philippine politics, economy, military and culture remains dominated by the US. Through semicolonial rule, the US plundered trillions of dollars through unequal trade and investment relations reinforced by treaties favoring the US. The policy of cheap labor was imposed to allow maximum profits for US and foreign capitalists. Economic policies of puppet Philippine governments are dictated by the US through the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and other US-controlled banks and agencies, to the detriment of the Philippine economy and livelihood. The US reinforces cultural domination through a pro-US educational system, control of mass media and other agencies that promote a pro-US mentality and viewpoint.

The US perpetuates armed domination of the Philippines through military agreements as the Mutual Defense Treaty, the 1946-1991 Military Bases Agreement, the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement and the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. The US established the AFP as the main pillar of its rule in the country. It has since been used for the armed suppression of the Filipino people and their struggle for national and social liberation.

Amid the economic crisis of the US and other capitalist countries, there is push to further tighten US grip of the Philippines. Together with strengthening armed presence in the Philippines, the US is aggressively claiming control of natural resources and business operations in the country to expand plantations and mines resulting in economic dislocation of millions of Filipinos. The people today suffer from the deleterious effects of decades of neoliberal policy dictates of the US: widespread unemployment, low wages, lack of income, rising prices, decrepit social services, land grabbing, and environmental destruction. The country is at the precipice of a financial crisis marked by rising public debt and falling revenue due to corporate tax incentives, and rising costs of maintaining a bloated military and police. The US rush to construct more military bases and facilities across the Philippines, especially in the northern parts, as part of its strategy to encircle China, further underscores the country’s lack of sovereignty and puts it in danger of being pulled into a war between imperialist giants.

Since it was established in 1969, the Communist Party of the Philippines has been at the forefront of the struggle for national freedom and democracy. It has waged people’s war since 1969, and will persevere however long it takes to free the country from the clutches of US imperialism.

The Party, all revolutionary forces and the entire Filipino people are ready to shoulder the difficult tasks to advance the nation’s struggle to drive away the imperialist monster and attain the Motherland’s desire for freedom. With firm resolve, let us tread the path of resistance, however arduous and difficult, because it is the only path towards a bright and prosperous future.

PRWC » 125 years of persevering struggle for national freedom

In commemorating the recent 125th year of the declaration of false Philippine independence, let us look back to the Filipino people’s more t

[philippinerevolution]

A transwoman in the people’s army

For more than a year now, Ka Daisy, a transwoman, has served as full-time Red fighter. She joined the New People’s Army (NPA) during the pandemic, three years after doing revolutionary work as a member of the Kabataang Makabayan. She recounted how her unit got engaged in an armed encounter on her second day in the unit.

Ka Daisy, also called “Inday” by some comrades, now serves as a squad political guide. As an official, she ensures the strengthening of the organization. She helps outline plans and programs, and ensures its implementation. She also performs daily technical tasks such as fetching water, cooking, and transporting supply.

“I have total respect for Ka Daisy,” said Ka Alas, her squad leader. “Apart from being helpful, she teaches well. Since her deployment here, she took to teaching me LitNum (literacy/numeracy). Because I’m quite past my prime, I sometimes forget our lessons, but Inday keeps encouraging me to learn.”

Ka Daisy was warmly received by comrades as a new recruit. On her part, she was able to quickly adapt to the NPA’s military regulations.

“Even before I joined the unit, comrades were oriented about my gender. They had study meetings about the LGBT struggle,” said Ka Daisy. In her unit, instructors include the LGBT orientation when giving basic military orientation. This aims to correct wrong views and treatment of LGBTs. Some misconceptions still manifest, but these are collectively struggled in a structured and comradely manner.

Like other comrades, Ka Daisy carries a heavy pack. Her bag contains printed reading materials such as Ang Bayan and other documents and books, kitchen materials, supplies and gadgets. Thrown in the mix is her make-up kit.

“Whenever we undertake mass work, we distribute documents like AB to update the masses on important social issues,” she said.

If asked how many women are in the unit, comrades would include Ka Daisy. It was a far cry from her experiences when she was still studying in a Catholic school. She experienced restrictions and gender-based discrimination. She was prohibited to wear the clothes she prefer and had to cut her long hair short.

Within the NPA, Ka Daisy is happy to be part of forging a society that has compassion and concern for transwomen like her. For her, gender is a non-issue for one to wage revolution. It is not a hindrance nor is it a basic question. It is not a matter of competing. It is enough for one to dedicate one’s heart and time to serve the revolution.

“As an LGBT youth, our role is important in advancing the revolution. To change society’s perception, we need to transform society itself,” she added.

In waging revolution, Ka Daisy can freely express her true feelings. During the 50th anniversary of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, she led celebrations in the guerilla front. She served as a facilitator of the program and decorated the venue. She was also one of the instructors for the dance and song cultural performances. Because of the special nature of the occasion, Ka Daisy put on some lipstick, face powder and eyeliner.

Hundreds of peasants from nearby barrios graced the occasion.

In the area of responsibility of Ka Daisy’s unit, there are a few LGBT members who belong to basic Party organs in the barrio. They actively took part in cultural performances and were open to socialize with the Red fighters.

Ka Daisy was so surprised to find someone like her, an LGBT, who is also a Red fighter.

“I have long known that the NPA accepts LGBT people like me. I am delighted finally to have met someone who came from the community. I thought I was alone here,” she jokingly said.

Indeed everyone has equal rights and responsibilities in the movement. In a society that oppresses and judges LGBT people, it is only in the revolution that they can experience genuine freedom to be themselves.