By Executive Committee
CPP Negros Island Party Committee
The Regional Committee of the Communist Party in Negros island expresses it's unity with all the comrades and the people in celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines—MLM. This is a glorious occasion in celebrating the victories in the advance of the national democratic revolution. We are also expressing our collective stand of a firmer determination in intensifying the people's war to a higher level against the reign of US imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism.
We also would like to convey our revolutionary greetings to all Negrosanons on their persistence in advancing the national democratic program in various forms — armed and unarmed, legal and illegal, open and discreet struggles.
In this occasion, we also pay our highest respects to our revolutionary martyrs. They are honourable comrades that we cannot forget because of their immortal contributions and examples in promoting the interests of the people. They will serve as inspirations to all of us including the next generations.
December 26, 1968 is full of significance for the oppressed and the exploited Filipino people that for a long time have been suffering from an oppressive and exploitative semi-colonial and semi-feudal Philippines dominated by US imperialism and the local big comprador bourgeoisie and landlord class, On that day the Communist Party of the Philippines was re-established as the political party of the Filipino proletariats under the theoretical guidance of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM). Thru the Party, MLM was integrated in the concrete conditions of the country expressed in the political line of the national democratic revolution with a socialist perspective achieved through protracted people's war. Because of this, the leadership of the Party is placed on strong grounds to be victorious in leading the historic struggle of the working class and other oppressed classes against the ruling classes.
The 40 years of revolutionary struggles reap victories. The revolutionary forces of the Party, the New People's Army (NPA) and the National Democratic Front are expanding and getting stronger in the country. The deepening and expanding guerrilla bases and guerrilla zones in the countrysides are bastions of the armed struggle that advances wave by wave in encircling the cities against the reactionary enemy. On the other hand the national democratic movement in the cities continue to advance and have shaken the centre of reaction and directly and indirectly supports the armed struggle in the countryside.
The correctness and strength of the revolutionary movement was shown by the failures of the succeeding regimes — Marcos, Aquino, Ramos, Estrada and the current Arroyo administration in destroying the revolutionary forces. Despite the big and brutal counter-revolutionary military campaigns with tactics of deception and strong support and intervention from US imperialism, the revolutionary forces have prevailed. Under the fake and isolated President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo the revolutionary forces are much stronger and in a better position in speeding up the advance of the revolution.
Here in Negros, the class contradictions are sharpening between the oppressive big bourgeoisie comprador and land lord class and the oppressed people particularly the workers and the peasants. The minority ruling class controls the large agricultural lands and industries while the oppressed majority suffers because of landlessness, joblessness, hunger and poverty. Because of being favoured by the US-Arroyo Regime, the exploiting comprador-land lord class led by Miguel and Cong Ignacio Arroyo, Eduardo Cojuangco Jr, Gov Isidro Zayco, Alfredo Maranon, Herminio Teves, Cong Josy Limkaichong have unabatedly control large tracts of land for planting sugarcane, food and products for export, control the mining industry, bio-fuels and eco-tourism and they are all against any kind of land reform.
This despicable condition of the masses serve as leeway for the Party to take roots in the midst of the people after launching the 2nd Great Rectification Movement in 1990s. Many hundreds of cadres and members of the Party are imbedded in the masses, united with their interests and are leading the revolutionary movements in the countrysides , factories, communities, schools, establishments, streets, workplaces and offices of government. The program and calls of the national democratic revolution unites the organized movement of the people to fight for their national and democratic interests.
In the countryside of Negros, guerrilla bases and guerrilla zones of operations are being formed in almost 10 congressional districts that have a 120,000 or more mass base. Organized and unorganized Negrosanons have shown their readiness and vigour in the revolutionary movement. Their organizations have improved as well as the system of revolutionary government together with the advance in their economic, political, military and cultural works. Because of their organized and collective struggle, more or less 30,000 people have benefited as a result of the anti-feudal campaign in raising prices of their farm produce, increase in wages, lowering of usury, subsidy gains from the local reactionary government and against attempts of land-grabbing of their farms. The masses have also benefited from the improvement of their agricultural production, education, health and sanitation, defence, reforestation, culture and arts, etc.
The gains of the peasants and other sectors in the countryside was achieved because they have the New People's Army (NPA) protecting their democratic interests against the feudal reign of the landlords and the mercenary AFP/PNP and private armed goons.The NPA also grows and expands because of the support of the people not only in the countryside but also in the cities and most of all because it is under the absolute leadership of the Party. From only two small platoons in 1992-93, the NPA in Negros developed into several guerrilla platoons that now operate in several towns and districts and is backed up by a battalion of local militias in implementing the tasks of base building, agrarian revolution and armed struggle.
The US-Arroyo regime and the big reactionaries in Negros are alarmed when they feel the heat of the social volcano revolution since 2000-2008 from a relatively quite New People's Army tactical offensive in 1990s. They are afraid of the ghosts of their worries that their control in the economy and politics will be endangered in the face of the increasing tactical offensives in the countryside and the mass movement that carries the democratic demands for land reform for the peasants.
The fascist US-Arroyo regime has prioritized Negros for it's Oplan Bantay Laya II (OBL 2) that orders the AFP under the Central Command (CenCom) AFP Visayas and the PNP in destroying the revolutionary movement in 2008 at the minimum and protect the big interests of the Arroyos, Eduardo Cojuangco Jr, Gov Isidro Zayco, Alfredo Maranon, Herminio Teves, Cong Josy Limkaichong and their kinds. They have increased the concentration of the Phil Army, PNP and parqa-military forces that has reached 9,000- 10,000 over all. This resulted in the intensification of the barbarity of military campaigns that is almost the same in brutality as in the 1980's in the period of "Oplan Thunderbolt." The ferocity of the counter-revolutionary war was amplified by the CenCom AFP/3ID PA, 302Bde PA, 303Bde PA and the PNP against the revolutionary movement.
The local reactionaries are using the resources, agencies and the facilities of government to serve their counter-revolutionary campaign like the Peace and Order Council, Inter-Agency Legal Action Group -(IALAG), socio-economic projects, program for local peace talks and the balik baril for the surrender of the rebels, intelligence gathering, etc. The active clerico fascist and social democrats and revisionists traitors are openly collaborating with the AFP and PNP and the local reactionaries as instruments of psy-war and their reformists program and bogus line of "peace" and anti-communist mobilizations.
The Party, the NPA and the masses has no other choice but to resist the attacks of the enemy to defend the gains in the economy, politics, military and cultural field. The guerrilla platoons have launched 50 tactical offensives this 2008 or 4 tactical offensives every month in the forms of raid, disarming, sparrow, harassment, sniping, dispensing revolutionary justice, punitive action, etc. Confiscations of high powered firearms were carried out enough to arm a platoon of Red guerrillas.
For the part of the struggling people in the countryside and the cities, they have shown their militancy in carrying forward mass campaigns in different forms and types, level and scope and sizes of mobilizations. The shouts and demands like "Land, food, jobs NOT militarization!" "Wage increase for the workers!," "Implement Genuine Land Reform!" "Stop anti-people Mining operations!" " Scrap deregulation and EVAT!" "No to Tuition Fee Hike!" "Stop the militarization in the countryside!" "Resist OBL2!" "Oust GMA!" "Down with US imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism!" and other sectoral and multi-sectoral demands are reverberating in Negros island. The series of campaigns and protest actions culminated in a Lakbayan of the Masses from the northern and southern part of Negros Occidental from December 6-10 and the militant mass mobilizations in Negros Oriental in December 10 to express their demands and issues against the US-Arroyo regime and their perseverance in continuing the anti-imperialist, anti-fascist, anti-feudal mass campaign next year.
The counter-revolutionary campaign of the enemy has failed in Negros. Because of the failure of OBL2, the enemy turned its desperation on the peasants and the progressive leaders and activists. These resulted in the worsening of human rights against the people. They have also increase their psy-war and intent to kill among the revolutionary forces including the individuals like businessmen, land lords, government officials, judges and then blame the NPA or use the name of the NPA. They have made Brgy Linantoyan of Guihulngan, Negros Oriental as a "showcase" of their "victory of the counter-revolutionary camapign" for media projection but behind this are the fascist crimes of the 11th IB PA and Cong Josy Limkaichong to enslave the people to participate in the Brgy Defense System.
The Filipino People had suffered a lot as a result of the worsening financial and economic crisis of the country. As a semi-feudal economy that is dependent to US imperialism, the situation has worsened multi-folds for the masses especially the working class. Government statistics have shown that 2.5 million Filipinos have lost their jobs. The conditions of the peasants in the countryside is far more worst because of the lack of land to till, poor production, high prices of basic goods, low wages, high rate of land rent and usury. The masses have turned their anger towards the Arroyo regime and are ready to act for revolutionary change.
The likes of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her close collaborators are the ones who do not believe that there is a deepening financial and economic crisis in the country and in the capitalist countries of the world. They are more interested in controlling the vast wealth of the Philippines and to stay in power beyond 2010 thru CHA-CHA or in creating emergency situations. Because Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has overwhelming control on the AFP-PNP, Senate, Congress, Supreme Court and the majority members of the CBCP- the cards of aces are in their hands to declare "Gloria forever" and nail the country into a state of worsening exploitation and oppression, corruption, lies and slavery.
The coming years 2009-2010 are crucial in the fight between the US-Arroyo regime and the revolutionary forces and the broad united front. For Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, she is determined to crush the revolutionary forces and weaken the broad united front so she can stay in power. For the revolutionary forces this is an opportune moment to lead the broad masses of the people and united front to oust the hated regime and frustrate OBL2 by intensifying the people's war into a higher level and reap big victories.
To carry this out, the Party must strengthen and consolidate itself to effectively lead the tide of revolution and comprehensive advance. There is a need to invigorate the theoritical study of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism among the cadres and members of the Party together with the recruitment of more new Party cadres and members. Summing-ups of our practical experiences must be made in order to raise on the level of theory our understanding and correct our weaknesses of subjectivism, opportunism, bureaucratism , ultra-democracy and other type of individualism. Let us always uphold the essence of Party building which is proletarian ideology building.
Under the leadership of a consolidated Party, we are sure they it is fire that will come out from the volcano of intensified people's war in 2009-2010.
Ka Diego Dagohoy
Spokesperson, CPP Negros Regional Party Committee
