History

The Communist Party of the Philippines is the leading communist party in our country. The party was formed in a remote barangay in Alaminos, Pangasinan on December 26, 1968, following a split from the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas. The party was founded by Jose Maria Sison following his break with the old, pro-Soviet Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas.

CPP-founder Sison is a former member of Kabataang Makabayan (the Patriotic Youth), which today forms a youth organization within the CPP. After then-President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in the country in 1972, Sison was imprisoned—but was released in 1986 under an amnesty instigated by President Corazon Aquino. Since 1987, Sison has lived in exile in Utrecht, serving as chief advisor to the NDF which represents CPP and 13 other smaller communist guerilla groups in political talks with the government of Manila.

Ideologies

CPP is ideologically Maoist and has been fighting a “protracted people’s war” through its armed wing since 1969. Since then, CPP has embraced the Maoist doctrine and grown in size with the aim of overthrowing the Philippine government through guerilla warfare. It participates in the Maoist International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organization. It heads the broad revolutionary front organization, the National Democratic Front. The CPP, Marxist-Leninist/Mao Tse-tung Thought, is a revolutionary proletarian party that looks upon the legacies of the past Philippine rebellions and revolutions and of the theories of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong. It assists the progress of theory and practice in the world proletarian revolution that is guided by Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought.

Armed Wing

Today, the CPP has a strong guerilla arm wing known as the New People’s Army, which opposes any US presence in the Philippines.

Political Wing

Its political wing is known as the New Democratic Front, and was created in 1976 by Fr. Luis Jalandoni in Utrecht, Netherlands.

CPP Abroad

The Communist Party of the Philippines/National Democratic Front (CPP/NDF) networks abroad has effectively influenced the activities of insurgents in the Philippines.

It started as a small core group in 1971 and reached its zenith in 1980 when it lead a successful campaign against the Marcos government. The establishment of the CPP/NDF international network abroad tries to influence the political parties, unions, and churches to assist in carrying out their objective which is to overthrow the Aquino government. Fr. Luis Jalandoni’s efforts in establishing its base in Utrecht, Netherlands marked the beginning of that group’s international works.

The stylishness of the CPP/NDF network abroad in conducting their overseas revolutionary work, greatly contributes to the struggle in the Philippines against the Aquino government. The aid given by foreign nations greatly influence individual givers. This is because the picture presented by foreign countries makes the world realize the corruption existing in the Philippines. It has survived internationally through the help of political parties, union and churches who are also fighting for national liberation and democracy.

The CPP/NDF doctrine is to overthrow the existing government through revolution. They’ve exercised an open propaganda to influence overseas Filipinos and the foreign public on the Filipino society.

CPP as an FTO

The CPP has killed, injured, and kidnapped a number of Filipino citizens and government officials as well as US citizens. While the group has remained a domestic guerilla group that never carried out terrorist activities overseas, its political effects have crossed national borders.

CPP is considered a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States Government on August 09, 2002. The CPP is one of the most active terrorist groups in the Philippines. Manila had lobbied strenuously to have the organization designated as an FTO, although the CPP’s actual terror activities have been contained in the Philippines.

Issues

Throughout the 1990s, the CPP and the Philippine government engaged in a series of peace talks aimed at stabilizing the country, despite continuing sporadic guerilla attacks on government assets and officials.

Future

The political left is already part and parcel of the political landscape and that the controversy on the use of political violence can only obscure but not eliminate this development. The presence and active role of the left in the political system is inevitable, necessary and positive.

The unfortunate “total war” policy of the Aquino government, with its militarist solution can only delay the recognition of but not conceal, this fact that without the meaningful options represented by the left, we as intelligent citizens, will be so much the poorer when it comes to the range of political choices we are all entitled to.

Today, the CPP struggles to remain an effective organization. Washington’s labeling of it as an FTO will continue to adversely impact its organizational solidarity as well as military effectiveness. In the face of such challenges, the organization’s sustainability remains to be seen.

Opinion

“So long as it resolutely, militantly and thoroughly carries out its ideological, political and organizational building, the Communist Party of the Philippines is certain to lead the broad masses of the Filipino people of various nationalities and ethno-linguistic communities to total victory in the national democratic revolution against US imperialism and the local reactionaries, and bring about the start of the socialist revolution.”

-Armando Liwanag, Chairman, Central Committee of CPP

“Sinasabing bahagi na ng kultura nating mga Pilipino ang pagpapaubaya. Na sa kung anumang bagay nating pag-usapan, kahit saan mo man isipin—kusa nalamang tayong tumatanggap. Kuntento na.. sa kung anong nasa sistema.

Kung tutuusin, isa ito sa mga pangunahing dahilan kung bakit naging madali para sa mga banyaga ang pagsakop sa atin. Mabait kasi tayo. At kung minsan, ang kabaitang iyon napagkakamalang kahugkangan..

Kaya nga naman nang naisip nilang lumaban. Pumanig sa pagbabago at makataong sistema. Doon nabuo ang isang organisasyon para sa mga manggagawa, pisante at kabataan.

Subalit hindi naging madali ang lahat. Bukod sa mga panlabas na suliraning kinahaharap ng organisasyon , nariyan ang di maiiwasang pulitika sa buhat sa loob. Mula sa pamumuno hanggang sa mismong ipinaglalaban . Dito naitakda ang kanilang pagkakaiba-iba na nagbunsod sa pagkakawatak-watak ng organisasyon.

Sa kasalukuyan, di pa rin mabatid kung ang paghihiwalay na iyon ng grupo ay humantong sa ikabubuti ng organisasyon. Bagamat nabibilang sa makakaliwang paksiyon, di pa rin tiyak ang kanilang pagkakakilanlan. Parehong binabanggit ng magkabilang panig ang kanilang mga ginawa at ginagawa. Subalit, tama ba?

Tama na ba? Ito ba ang ninanais ng kagalang-galang na si Crisanto Evangelista? ..ni Amado Guererro? Ito ba ang kanilang adhika?

Higit sa lahat, naniniwala ako na kailangang maging malinaw sa bawat kaanib ng kahit anumang organisasyon ang dahilan ng kanilang pananatili—Ang kanilang ipinaglalaban! ..at paraan, sa layong ikatutupad nito.

Dahil sa huli, sa halip na maging alab ng pagbabago, magiging bahagi pa rin sila ng nabubulok na sistema na ginugusto nilang baguhin. Na ang pagpapaubanyang naging pagkakamali nang nakaraan ay nasa sa iyo pa rin.

Tatanggapin mo ba ito?

Ayos lang ba sa'yo?

Kuntento ka na ba rito?

Pilipino ka nga!

..pero ngayon, iba na..

..dba?!”

-Brian Belen, Erika Cayanan, Jasmin Maramag, Fatima Rempillo (BPS 3-2)