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Liberation has 106 articles published.

Love a Revolutionary, Love the Revolution

in Mainstream 
by Trisha Sarmiento

The cold wind, sturdy pine trees and the scenic mountain ranges of the Cordilleras in Northern Luzon set the perfect mood for  the wedding of two guerrilla fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA).  The  ceremony was held March 29, 2017, right after the Cordillera NPA Regional Command, the Chadli Molintas Command, celebrated the NPA’s 48th founding anniversary.

It was everything a wedding should be. The bride held a bouquet and wildflowers adorned the aisle for the bridal march.  There was the exchange of marriage vows and the signing of the marriage contract issued by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). The couple also had the NPA’s version of the saber arch, counseling from the members of their collectives, and tips and advice from the wedding sponsors. The much-awaited first kiss of Ka Guiller and Ka Nancy as husband and wife sealed the promise of liberating love.  

 

No ordinary love

Comrade Nancy joined the revolutionary armed movement in May 2014. Ka Guiller was her squad leader.  The attraction between the two slowly developed as they carried out their political tasks in the NPA. They started to know each other really well. Later, Guiller would convince Nancy to become a full-time member of the NPA.  Even when they were assigned to separate units, their attachment to each other grew stronger. Three months later, they found themselves in an “informal” relationship, meaning that their respective units or collectives had yet to approve of their relationship as required by the Party and NPA processes.

As part of NPA discipline, new recruits are dissuaded from entering into a relationship for at least a year to give them time to fully adjust to their tasks in the people’s army. But Guiller and Nancy pursued their relationship despite the restriction and caution from their respective units. This led to conflicts between them and between their units such that they decided to temporarily leave the people’s army.

Both went back to the city, and for more than a year, Ka Guiller and Ka Nancy actively took part in the urban mass movement before they sought the consent of their respective collectives to formalize their relationship. They went through deep-going criticism and self-criticism. While in the urban mass movement, the couple faced more problems and conflicts. However, they managed to overcome these obstacles with the support of their respective groups, but what impelled them more was the love they have nurtured for each other, for the masses and for the revolution.

And so, after one-and-a half years in the urban center and, after undergoing assessment and criticism and self-criticism sessions with their collectives, Ka Guiller and Ka Nancy decided to return to Cordillera to take part in the struggle they both truly love: to serve the revolution as full-time NPA fighters.

Months later, Ka Nancy and Ka Guiller exchanged vows in the presence of the Red fighters, their friends, and the rural masses.

“Marahas ang digma, pero mas marahas ang mga pinag-uugatan nito. Kapasyahan natin ang pagtahak sa landas na ito. Ang ating pagpili ay siyang ating pagtindig. Ang ating pagtindig ay atin ding panata. Panata, hindi lamang sa iyo, mahal, higit lalo sa bayan nating minamahal. Ang mga kabundukan ang ating paraisong tirahan, at sa piling ng minumutyang masa tayo ay napapanday.

Hanggang sa pagkakapatas,

Hanggang sa pagpula ng silangan,

Hanggang sa ganap na tagumpay.

Sa kahuli-hulihan, ikaw ay mananatili,

Ang aking katiwasayan sa gitna ng marahas na digmaan.”

(“War is cruel, but its roots are more violent. It is our choice to take this path. Our choice is our stand. Our stand is our commitment; a commitment, not only for you, my love, but most of all, for the people who we truly love. The mountains are our haven and with the masses, we are tempered.

Through stalemate,

When the east turns red,

To complete victory,

In the end, you remain,

My calm in a violent war.”)

“Nagmahal. Nagwasto. Nagtagumpay.” (We have loved. We have rectified. We have triumphed.).

These words sum up the love story of Guiller and Nancy.

 

Revolutionary love

Like all revolutionary couples, Ka Guiller and Ka Nancy adhere to the CPP  policy on marriage and relationships laid down in  the document “On Proletarian Relationship of Sexes” observed and followed since the 70s. In 1998, the policy was revised to include same-sex relationship and marriage apart from further discussions on  courtship, marriage, divorce, and disciplinary actions. The NPA has its own guidelines based on the principles stated in the Party policy.

Without doubt, revolutionaries, like other individuals, do fall in love.

The difference is that revolutionaries express their love for each other in the context of the revolutionary interests of the people. While there is “sex love,”  there is also “class love”,  and the latter  in fact is considered the principal aspect that defines the essence of their love.  In the service of the revolution  love springs, blooms and grows, hence love relationships cannot but serve and uphold the revolutionary aspirations of the Party and the proletariat. For revolutionaries, love is an integral part and a great expression of their revolutionary commitment.

Revolutionaries maintain the right to freely choose whom to love, but  there are restrictions as well as responsibilities.  “Free love”, “sexual freedom” or anarchy in relationships are strictly prohibited as this can lead to the violation of the rights of others, irresponsibility in the relationship, and breach of organizational discipline.

In short anarchism in love contradicts the revolution’s objective to establish a just society and the real equality of the sexes.  Hence revolutionaries find the rationale behind the guiding principles of the Party  on love, relationship and sex. Such principles draw a line between freedom and discipline, between rights and responsibilities, and between emotions and principles.

These principles aim to secure the interest of the Party and the revolution at all cost, protect the rights of every revolutionary  and other individuals who may be involved, and advance a healthy proletarian relationship between couples inside the revolutionary movement.

 

Love a revolutionary

The dominant kind of love today is just a mere reflection of the existing social order and culture. In a semi-colonial and semi-feudal system, love can be oppressive, patriarchal and decadent in character, vulnerable to abuses and violations of the rights of others.

Revolutionaries know that to liberate love from oppression one must strive harder to revolutionize and liberate the entire unjust society. This is what the love story of Ka Guiller and Ka Nancy has shown.

And they are not alone.  Revolutionary love blossoms in many NPA camps, farms, workplaces, campuses, communities and institutions where the national democratic revolution has taken its roots. Indeed, no love is sweeter and nobler than revolutionizing society in the company of one you truly love and want to share the rest of your life with.  Hence loving a revolutionary is experiencing a kind of love that is selfless and liberating, guided and grounded so that it genuinely serves the people.

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Building a Revolutionary Family

in Mainstream 
by Pat Gambao

In a society divided into social classes, the family, its smallest unit, is prime and sacred. Its interest and concern, next to self, is foremost.  One’s goal and aspirations are usually directed towards the welfare and good of this small band of people.  One has to depart from convention to realize and embrace the whole society as one’s family.

“In my early days with the New People’s Army (NPA), I felt lonely. I longed for home, for my family.  But comrades were quick to console me and their advice was enlightening and heartening. Likewise, I found solace from my immersion with the masses of Lumad people. I felt they were my family.  Everyone is my brother, my sister, my mother, my father.  I realized that the society I wanted to serve and change is the family in itself,” narrated Ka Roberto.

As Ka Roberto stayed longer in the people’s army, the greater demands of work and the fruitful results of their efforts which benefited the masses left him no time to brood, to long for home.

Home is where Ka Roberto and his siblings were guided during their formative years.  Exposure to the harsh realities of the unjust social structures tempered them in life.

Ka Roberto’s parents were young activists in the 80s, later becoming  full-fledged members of the Communists Party of the Philippines (CPP). They had been emphatic about the many things that need to be done and that time was of the essence.  They made the children understand their hectic schedules and that all the things that they were doing were not necessarily for their own good only, but also for the many downtrodden, as well as for the total liberation of the country; that to succeed in this formidable task, profound commitment, selfless sacrifice and tremendous effort are required.

Like most couples in the movement, Ka Roberto’s parents strove to raise their children according to revolutionary  principles, virtues, and discipline.

The family was accustomed to simple living—simple home, simple food on the table, simple clothes, and simple other needs.  The children were  given their needs, but not everything they fancied. Whatever little luxuries they enjoyed at times came from their grandparents, uncles or aunts who were quite well off.  Their mother referred to their kin as their support system as they were the ones they ran to in times of need.  Through all these, the siblings felt a need to act on something that only dawned on them slowly, persistently, as they were introduced to the circle that their parents  moved in.

Often, the siblings had been brought along to meetings and rallies where the country’s situation was discussed and varied issues and problems were brought up.  Though their young minds could not fully comprehend them, they became familiar with slogans and calls that defined the issues. They mingled and played with children of other activists whom they found out were also familiar with the chants.  Later, the siblings attended workshops with their playmates and friends and learned more. Gradually, they came to understood more—why and how poverty, injustice, and revolution arise.

Their parents’ openness about their activities and the rationale behind these had great impact and influence on Ka Roberto and his siblings.

In grade school, the young Roberto was the typical boy on the go—inquisitive, naughty, and dogged. Together with some classmates, he at times figured in petty brawls that prompted his teachers to call on his parents. In class, he busied himself doodling and drawing. But later, his skills in illustration would come in handy when he himself would lecture on Philippine society and revolution.

In high school, Ka Roberto and his siblings were active in progressive youth organizations.  They became adept at organizing and instruction work.

Never did their parents restrain them from their activism, but continued to give them advice and shared lessons from their own experiences. They also encouraged them to integrate with the peasants in the countryside and the urban workers in the factories.  Exposure to the life and struggles of the poor peasants and workers further kindled the siblings’ revolutionary spirit.  Soon, they too were initiated into the Party.

When Ka Roberto dropped out of school and decided to work full time in the movement, his parents respected his decision, no matter how much they wanted him to finish his studies to enhance his capabilities in fulfilling revolutionary tasks. He gave up the opportunity to enroll at the UP College of Fine Arts and a scholarship in another state university. Upon reaching 18, he opted to join the New People’s Army, convincing his parents that whatever skills were available in school, he could also learn from his work with the masses in the revolution. His parents fully understood him.  In fact, they were elated over his decision, which inspired and made the whole family proud. Everyone felt that every single addition to the people’s army is a valued reinforcement, a multiplier-factor for the growth and strength of the revolution.

Providing deeper insight into his decision, Ka Roberto explained: “I had been with the urban movement for a long time before I decided to join the revolutionary army,   The current situation of the Philippine society and the growing demand of the revolution spurred me to take a new course in my life.  I don’t want to waste my time on trivial things, like engrossing in senseless games and chats on the internet.  I prefer to offer the vigor and sinew of my youth for the revolution.   We are young only once.  I do not want to squander the time of my youth and forever regret it.”

For a moment he was pensive, then shared what had preoccupied his mind. “Have we pondered why the farmers who till the soil and produce the food have nothing to eat?”

In Mindanao, the land of promise, Ka Roberto found his niche among the Lumad people.  He mastered not only their different spoken languages — Visayan, Ilonggo, Mandaya, Bagobo, Manobo — but also their way of life which he imbibed.  For two years now he has been assigned in different guerilla fronts under the Pulang Bagani Battalion (PBB) of the Southern Mindanao Region.

Last year, Ka Roberto got married to his comrade-in-arms.  He is now a proud father to a child who will be raised the way he and his siblings were brought up.  This child and those who will come after him will be nurtured by—and, in turn,  will manifest selfless love for—the revolution and the masses.

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Pananampalataya at/sa Pakikibaka

in Mainstream 
ni Markus del Pilar

2 Timothy 3:16

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness.

Matapos ang 14 na taon, muling nagkita-kita at nagtipon-tipon ang mga taong simbahan para sa isang pambihirang pagkakataon: ang Ika-8 Pambansang Kongreso ng Christians for National Liberation (CNL), alyadong organisasyon ng National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). Madalas mang magkita sa ilang mga pagkakataon sa urban at nagkakasama sa ilang aktibidad ng simbahan, masayang ngiti at mahigpit na pakikipagkamay ang isinasalubong ng bawat isa sa mga kapwa taong simbahan, sa mga masa, at mga mandirigma ng New People’s Army (NPA). Nananabik ang lahat na makipagtalakayan at magbahaginan ng karanasan at aral sa higit isang dekadang paggampan ng rebolusyonaryong gawain buhat nang idaos ang huling Kongreso noong 2003.

Kinanlong ng isang larangang gerilya sa Southern Mindanao Region ang mahigit sa 50 delegado at ilang bisita para sa nakatakdang okasyon. Sukbit ang mga bakpak na naglalaman ng mga personal na gamit at dokumento, walang kapagurang sinuong ng mga pari, obispo, madre, lay, mga dyakonesa ang mahabang byahe papasok sa eryang nasasakupan ng Pulang Bagani Battalion (PBB).

Magkaagapay sa preparasyon ang mga pulang mandirigma at mga masa sa urban at larangan sa paghahanda ng pagkain para sa tatlong araw na pulong, pag-aayos ng transportasyon, pagtitiyak ng seguridad ng mga delegado at lugar na pagdadausan, maging sa paghahanda ng mga pangkulturang pagtatanghal.

Pinayungan ng temang “Magpunyagi sa Pagkamit ng Higit pang Pagsulong sa Pambansa Demokratikong Rebolusyon na may Sosyalistang Perspektiba. Paigtingin ang Pakikilahok sa Rebolusyonaryong Armadong Pakikibaka ng Mamamayan” ang Ika-8 Pambansang Kongreso ng CNL. Pagtugon ito sa programa para kamtin ang estratehikong pagkapatas na inilatag ng Ikalawang Kongreso ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas noong 2016. Gayundin, pagpupugay ito ng CNL sa pagdiriwang ng ika-44 na anibersaryo ng NDFP.

Layunin ng Kongreso ang magkaisa sa pag-unawa at analysis sa kalagayan ng kasalukuyang estratehiya at polisiya ng nagkakaisang prente, at humugot ng mga aral sa nakaraang 14 na taon mula nang maidaos ang Ika-7 Kongreso.

Partikular na obhektibo rin nito ang pagbabalik-aral sa mga dokumentong gumagabay sa gawain ng CNL; maghalal ng panibagong pamunuan; at, ipagdiwang ang ika-45 anibersaryo ng CNL.

Binaybay ng kapulungan ang nagdaang 14 na taon mula noong Ika-7 Kongreso. Kinatampukan ito ng malalaki at mayor na kampanyang masa para sa karapatang tao, serbisyong panlipunan, laban sa korupsyon, at mapangwasak na mina. Nagtuloy-tuloy rin ang pag-agapay at pagsuporta sa laban ng mga magsasaka, manggagawa, katutubo at lumad, maralitang lungsod, at iba pang aping sektor ng lipunan. Nagresulta ito ng mas malapad pang pag-abot sa panggitnang uri at mapagkaibigang pwersa at tulong sa pagpapalakas sa mga larangang gerilya ng hukbo.

Dikta ng batas ng diyalektika, may mga kahinaan ding kinaharap ang mga kasapi ng CNL sa paggampan ng mga rebolusyonaryong tungkulin sa nakalipas na taon. Ilan dito ay ang konserbatismo, burukratismo, liberalismo, indibidwalismo, at sektaryanismo.

Bilang mga Marxistang mananampalataya, matapos “mangumpisal” ng mga naging kahinaan, sa halip na dasal ay mga kongkretong hakbang at resolusyon ang naging tugon ng bawat kasapi. Pinagkasunduan ang pagsasagawa ng mas malalim pang pag-aaral sa sistema ng mga reaksyunaryong institusyon ng simbahan para mamaksimisa ang mga ito. Tuloy-tuloy na pag-aaral para maarmasan ang bawat kasapi sa pag-oorganisa. Mahigpit na pakikipagkaisa at paglubog sa mga batayang sektor. At, patatalaga o pag-deploy sa mga kasapi sa iba’t ibang larangan ng gawain sa kalunsuran at kanayunan.

Mapagkumbabang tinanggap ang mga puna; taas-noong hinarap ang panibagong hamon.

 

Ang CNL

Itinulak ng tumitinding pasismo ng diktadurang Marcos ang pagtatatag ng CNL noong Pebrero 17, 1972 sa hanay ng mga progresibo at makabayang pari, obispo, madre, at iba pang taong simbahan. Ilang buwan matapos nito, ipinataw sa buong bansa ang Batas Militar at itinuring na iligal ang CNL, at iba pang organisasyong masa, dahilan para mag-underground ang kalakhan sa kasapian nito.

Mula noon, lalong naging aktibo ang CNL sa pagsisilbi sa rebolusyon. Sa pagsisikap ng mga kasapi nito na kumikilos sa loob ng institusyon ng simbahan, naging tanggulan at santuaryo ito sa maraming mamamayang inaapi.

Bautismong maituturing ang malaking bahaging ginampanan nito sa pagtatagumpay ng inilunsad na unang strike ng mga manggagawa ng La Tondeña noong 1975. Ipinutok ng mga manggagawa ang strike sa panahong lukob ng pasismo ang bansa sa ilalim ng batas militar. Kinasuhan at tinugis ng pulis at militar ang mga organisador maging ang mga sumusuporta sa welga. Subalit hindi ito naging dahilan para manahimik ang mga taong simbahang nakalubog sa piket layn. Mas malakas ang panawagan ng pagpanig sa katarungan kumpara sa kahit anong porma ng pagpapatahimik at pandarahas.

Nagsilbing isa sa muhon ang CNL sa pagtatatag ng NDFP noong Abril 24, 1973. Ang NDFP ang nagbigkis sa mga progresibo at makabayang sektor, pwersa, at uri ng lipunan sa paglulunsad ng pambansa demokratikong rebolusyon. Alinsunod sa noo’y 10 Puntong Programang inilatag ng NDFP, ipinailalim ng CNL ang kanyang oryentasyon at programa batay rito. Malaking ambag din ang ibinahagi ng CNL bilang balon ng mga kadre at pulang mandirigma.

Hindi lamang mga kabataang nakapaloob sa simbahan ang nagtungo sa kanayunan at sumapi sa NPA. Maraming pari, madre ang lumabas ng kanilang kongregasyon, kumbento, parokya para humawak ng armas at maglingkod sa kanayunan.

Ang simbahang dati ay “tagakalembang lang ng kampana” sa mga ritwal at pista ay naging tunay na kapanalig ng mamamayang nakikibaka.

 

Moro at Kristiyano

Kapwa nagsilbing inspirasyon sa mga Moro at mga delegado ng CNL ang naganap na Kongreso. Para sa mga delegado, nakapagbigay ng malinaw na imahen ang pakikipamuhay sa mga kapatid na Moro para makita ang kanilang kalagayang kinakaharap at pakikibaka para sa sariling pagpapasya at kung ano ang kanilang maaaring maiambag para higit pa itong mapalakas at mapaunlad.

Maligaya rin ang mga Moro na makasalamuha ang mga kasapi ng CNL. Nauunawaan nilang hindi ang relihiyon ang dahilan ng kaguluhan sa Mindanao kundi ang tumitinding pananamantala at kahirapang nararanasan ng mamamayan, Moro man o Kristiyano. Ibinahagi rin ng mga Moro na sa kabila ng mga kasunduan at usapang kapayapaan sa pagitan ng Gobyerno ng Pilipinas at ng MILF o NDF, nagpapatuloy pa rin ang pag-atake sa kanilang komunidad: matinding pang-aabuso at operasyong militar, at pagwasak sa kalikasan ng malalaking dayuhang kumpanya ng mina na pumapatay sa kanilang kabuhayan.

Nagpapasalamat sila na sa lugar nila idinaos ang pagtitipon. Malaking karangalan para sa kanila na maganap ang isang makasaysayang yugto ng kilusan at makitang nakalatag sa iba’t ibang rehiyon, mula Luzon hanggang Mindanao, ang rebolusyonaryong pwersa na gaya nila ay nakikibaka para sa tunay na kalayaan at makatarungang kapayapaan.

 

Madre

Maituturing ding makasaysayan ang pagkahalal ng kauna-unahang babaeng Tagapangulo sa Ika-8 Pambansang Kongreso ng CNL. Sa kanyang talumpati sa pagtanggap ng posisyon, ipinahayag niya ang kanyang pasasalamat sa pagtitiwalang iginawad sa kanya ng kapulungan.

Sabi ni Ka Puah, “Alam kong hindi magiging madali ang mga nakaatang sa ating tungkulin. Nananalig ako na sa ating kolektibong pagtutulungan ay mapapaunlad pa natin ang ating gawain para makatulong sa pambansa demokratikong rebolusyon.”

Makulay ang mahabang pagkilos ni Ka Puah sa loob ng simbahan. “Idol ko si Pope Francis. Sabi niya, ‘Get out, get messy in the mud.’ Literal na naputikan ang likod ko pagpunta dito!” pagbibiro niya.

Dagdag pa ni Ka Puah, “I feel I was restricted in the passion for justice, peace, gospel imperative and church teachings kaya hindi ako tumitigil sa loob lang ng kumbento. I defied my superiors. As a religious, alam kong ang CNL ang tamang lugar para magawa ko ang totoong pagsisilbi sa Diyos at sambayanan.”

“I have been listening to various sectors of Philippine society. After several years as a religious, I do not believe any more on the institutional church. But, rather, the church as a people of God. The voice of the people is the voice of God,” pagtatapos ni Ka Puah.

 

Pagpupugay sa mga Martir at Bayani ng CNL

Kung ano man ang inabot ng CNL sa loob ng 45 taong pagsusulong ng rebolusyon, ito ay dahil sa buong-buong paglalaan ng mga kasapi nito ng kanilang lakas, talino, at buhay, sa ligal na pakikibaka man o paglahok sa armadong pakikibaka. Hindi sila nagdalawang isip na suungin ang hirap na kakaharapin sukdulang umabot sa pag-aalay ng sariling buhay upang maipagtanggol ang buhay.

Puno ng pag-asa ang Bibliya. Isinalaysay nito ang buhay na pagtatanggol ni Kristo sa mga inaapi ng emperyo. Inihahayag ng Lumang Tipan ang pamumuno ni Gideon sa mga Israelitas para labanan ang pang-aapi. Ipinakita nito ang pagsanib ng mga propeta sa mga batayang sektor ng lipunan para palaganapin ang Mabuting Balita ng pagpapalaya sa sambayanan.

Pinatunayan ng mga bayani at martir ng CNL at mamamayan ang katumpakan ng paglulunsad ng rebolusyon. Isinabuhay nila ang pinakaubod ng aral ng Bibliya: na ang relihiyon at pananampalataya ay mapagpalaya. Na ang pananampalataya ay inilalapat at inilalapit ang mananampalataya sa kanyang kapwa para sa pag-asam ng buhay na kasiya-siya. Na ang pananampalataya ay hindi hadlang sa pagsanib sa mamamayang nakikibaka para sa isang lipunang may ganap na kalayaan, demokrasya, pagkakapantay-pantay, at makatarungang kapayapaan.###

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Raling Iglap

in Arts & Literature/Gallery 
by ARMAS (Artista at Manunulat para sa Sambayanan)

Enero, sa panulukan ng EDSA-Aurora
Ipinarada ang mga pulang bandila
Suporta sa usapang kapayapaan, ugatin ang kahirapan
Digmang bayan para sa makatarungang kapayapaan

– Enero 23, 2017 | Cubao, Quezon City

 

Sa may simbahan ng Quiapo, mga Bagong Kababaihan
Hawak ay hindi kandila, rosaryo, o dasal
Litanya ng pakikidigma ang binibigkas, inuusal
Hangad ay paglaya ng uring pinagsasamantalahan

– Marso 17, 2017 | Quiapo, Manila

 

Sa Sta. Cruz-Avenida sa Maynila
Makabayang guro ang nagmartsa
Itinuturo ang landas ng pakikibaka
Sa hukbong bayan sumapi, sumampa

– Marso 24, 2017 | Sta. Cruz, Manila

 

Itinanghal apatnapu’t walong taon ng pakikidigma
ng Bagong Hukbong Bayan sa kanto ng EDSA-Aurora
Armas ng mamamayang sinasamantala
Tagumpay ng rebolusyon ang panata

– Marso 27, 2017 | Cubao, Quezon City

 

Ipinagbunyi sa paanan ng Mendiola
Ikalawang Kongreso ng Partido Komunista
Marxismo-Leninismo-Maoismo ang gabay
Ibayong pagkakaisa, ibayong tagumpay

– Marso 31, 2017 | Mendiola, Manila

 

*Nagkaroon din ng lightning rally o raling iglap sa Sorsogon, Calamba, at Davao noong Marso 29, 2017 bilang pagdiriwang sa ika-48 anibersaryo ng Bagong Hukbong Bayan

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