Liberation – Page 3

CNL chapters in regions and provinces launched, revitalized

Published on April 10, 2024 in Mainstream

Amid the worsening economic crisis and political repression pushing more and more Filipino masses into greater poverty and misery, members of the Christians for National Liberation (CNL) exercise their prophetic stance by journeying with them and at the same time strengthening and organizing their ranks to better wage the national democratic revolution with a socialist perspective.

The church’s prophetic stance goes beyond work within the church as the body of Christ. It is also work within society in which the church lives. It is being with the people in their struggles.

In line with CNL’s four-year plan laid out in its 9th Congress in 2022, particularly on expansion and consolidation, it launched chapters and held regional, provincial congresses; and trainings were also conducted across the country in the entire year of 2023.

After the conduct of several trainings on Padepa intructors (Pambansang Demokratikong Paaralan or ND School), organizing, multi-media, and cultural work, coordination bodies (CBs) were formed in several regions in Visayas and Mindanao. Provincial and regional chapters in Mindanao plan to echo the trainings in their respective areas in the first quarter of 2024.

Renmin Malaya, CNL spokesperson proudly shared that since the 9th Congress, significant steps were already taken, “marami na rin ang nagawa.” For one, the CNL leadership was able to see the situation on the ground, “nakababa ang leadership, malinaw at timely ang intervention (clear-cut and timely intervention). We see the whole picture and the challenge,” Malaya said.

Mechanisms such as the CBs were instrumental for the expansion and consolidation of CNL. They paved the way for the eventual formation of the provincial and regional congresses.

Congresses were successfully held in Western Visayas, some regions in Mindanao and Eastern Visayas despite brutal state fascism under the US-led “counterinsurgency” program of the US-Marcos II regime. CNL Negros, in particular, held its second regional congress and elected its regional council and officers. A regional tactical plan, based on CNL’s Four-Year Plan approved during last year’s 9th National Congress, was also adopted.

Next step to be taken by these CNL formations is the setting-up of mechanisms to facilitate support to the basic sectors in their respective areas, battered by vicious state attacks.

“During the 9th Congress, the problems were pronounced—red tagging, direct attacks against the Church people which made organizing difficult,” recalled Malaya. But at present, developments in organizing, consolidation and expansion are evident. “Although mabagal ang sikad, litaw na litaw ang development. Walang umaayaw sa commitment sa kabila ng hinaharap na challenges.Tuluy-tuloy na nag-oorganisa, (It has been a slow process but the developments are visible. Everyone stood by their commitment despite the challenges. Organizing is making progress,)” Malaya gladly shared.

More chapter formations are expected next year, including those overseas. Inspired by the long list of heroes and martyrs who transformed their faith into action and served the people to their last breath, CNL members raise high the banner of revolution. “Maganda ang pakiramdam na bahagi tayo sa paglalatag ng mga requirements sa mga sonang gerilya, (It inspires us to be part of the efforts to strengthen the guerrilla zones,)” ended Malaya. (Aya Servando, CNL) ###

What fascist attacks? CNL recovers, consolidates, continues to serve the masses

Published on April 9, 2024 in Mainstream

He looked differently two years ago at the 9th Congress of the Christians for National Liberation (CNL). Then, he and his comrades from the same region looked like they were weighed down by the challenges they face—fascist attacks against peasants and workers whom they vowed to serve. The church people in this region were not spared from these attacks either. They too, were harassed and even killed.

Two years ago, he punctuated his story with a smile but it was exasperated and compliant. That time, successive military tactical Oplan (Operational Plan) meant to decapitate the revolutionary forces in the region were conducted, targeting both the red fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA) and the unarmed civilians and activists both in the villages and in the urban centers.

“We were under attack but at the same time the situation required us to respond to the people’s needs which is greater than ours,” Ka Nestor said. “But we cannot shun away from the Church’s prophetic ministry,” he added. The Church’s prophetic ministry calls on the faithful to translate prayers into direct actions that serve the people in their struggle for economic and social justice.

Not that the brutal attacks have ceased now. In fact, massacre and bombing of villages have become a regular occurrence in the villages at present. State forces combed houses in the communities in search of “NPA supporters,” threatening the people against supporting the red fighters.

Meeting Ka Nestor again this 2024 was a joy. He seemed lighter and sported a duchenne smile, the one that reached his eyes. What has changed?

“After the 9th Congress, we managed to gather a number of our forces we’d lost contact. From there, we were able to reach out to some more, even among those unorganized despite, or most likely because, of the worsening situation. It may be slow but we are steadily gaining ground,” explained Ka Nestor.

Temporarily cut off from the region’s leadership and guidance because of the successive fascist attacks, Ka Nestor and his collective—like the seasoned comrades who spread the revolutionary fire in the 60’s—had to rely on their own initiative, armed with revolutionary theory and the desire to push forward the revolution. “Kahit walang ugnay gumagalaw kami based on our capacity, (Despite the situation, we continued with our work, doing what we can based on our capacity,)” he said.

With the assistance of the CNL national leadership, Ka Nestor and comrades made some headway in their organizing work and in directly acting on the people’s needs through relief, medical, and fact-finding missions. They went to the villages where their churches are planted.

CNL spokesperson Renmin Malaya, in another interview, mentioned how the national leadership integrated among their members in the regions to help rebuild or establish CNL chapters or hold provincial and even regional Congresses in what he called as “clear-cut and timely intervention.”

It may not yet be on the same level as the previous organized members of CNL and in the number of people mobilized in various activities, specifically in urban centers but “definitely, we had a breakthrough in our work in the region and in provinces after a series of localized Oplan were launched and followed by several lockdowns at the height of the Covid pandemic,” said Ka Nestor.

Ready to Harvest

“The breakthroughs animate our work, especially now that congregations and denominations previously inactive are slowly picking up,” related Ka Nestor. Malaya was a witness to this. “Comrades who distanced themselves from the movement for various reasons, most of them when fascist attacks intensified, have reconnected,” Malaya elaborated.

The more Ka Nestor’s group organizes, the more they are able to serve the poor in the communities. Consequently, those opted to stay on the sidelines are now mobilized. The results of their efforts, he said, has inspired others to, at least, cooperate or get back to the movement. “Hindi na namin na-feel ang attacks, kasi ganyan naman talaga ang response nila pag nag-oorganisa tayo. Di na hadlang. Wala na sa amin ang red-tagging, hindi na iniinda, mas iniisip namin paano ma-organisa ang taong-simbahan at paano makatulong sa sitwasyon ng masa. (Attacks and red-tagging no longer deter our organizing work. We take these as the usual response of the reactionary state to our organizing work. We now focus on how to organize the church people and serve the masses,)” Ka Nestor continued.

Ka Nestor’s region was among those declared by the military recently as “insurgency free” regions but the church people and the masses do not buy this. It is impossible for the revolution to end, they say, without resolving the roots of the armed conflict. He also cited the severity of the economic crisis and the in-fighting within the ruling class as factors in the success of their organizing work. “Ang sitwasyon mismo, ang krisis ang nagiging inspirasyon ng lahat para kumilos. (The situation moves us to act.) The condition is ripe and we are ready to harvest,” he said.

With the guidance of the CNL and the Communist Party of the Philippines, Ka Nestor said, “we will grow, we will continue to grow.”

Ka Nestor and the rest of the CNL members throughout the country and abroad are called on to go beyond recovery of their forces and to reach out to more church people as they pursue a revolutionary solution to the problems of the Filipino people. (Priscilla Guzman) ###

Theoretical Conference on Imperialism and War highlights need for international revolutionary work

Published on March 27, 2024 in Mainstream

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) has successfully led the first-ever Theoretical Conference on Imperialism and War amid the intensifying crisis of the monopoly capitalist system, fueled by conflicts and wars causing greater havoc on workers and other toiling peoples. Held in a European country in the last quarter of 2023, the conference aimed to further promote and enrich Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM) in the course of resisting imperialism and waging revolution for people’s democracy and socialism.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) delivered the keynote addresses. These were followed by presentations from the following organizations:

The Communist Party of Turkey Marxist-Leninist (TKP-ML), the Party of the Committees to Support Resistance for Communism (CARC-Italy), the Freedom Road Socialist Organization-USA, the Korean Committee for Solidarity with the World People, the Russian Communist Workers Party, the (New) Communist Party of Canada, the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK), the Revolutionaire Eenheid (Netherlands), the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist), the Communist Party of Belgium, the People’s Democratic Party (South Korea), and the Marxistisch-Leninistiche Partei Deutschlands (Germany).

Certain comrades and experts from China also participated.

Participants numbering 139 represented various proletarian-socialist, anti-imperialist, and democratic parties from Belgium, Canada, China, Germany, the United Kingdom, India, Italy, Turkey, Kurdistan, the Netherlands, North Korea, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea and the USA.

The Conference was also in line with the CPP Central Committee’s (CC) call, in its 55th anniversary statement, for rectification of subjectivism in the form of empiricism attributed to bourgeois and petty-bourgeois mindset. It was mainly manifested in politics as right tendencies and bureaucratism; and liberalism and ultrademocracy in the organization.

The rectification movement, described as an ideological and study movement within the Party and among its allied organizations, called for study campaigns and strengthening of international revolutionary work, among others. The latter in particular included strengthening fraternal communist relations with MLM parties and organizations, and strengthening international communist dialogue and cooperation. The CC also called on the revolutionary forces to wage active ideological struggle to expose modern revisionism, and repudiate Trotskyism, Gonzaloism, and other revisionist currents that misrepresent Marxism, Leninism and Maoism.

Keynote Address

The CPP keynote address laid out the key questions of the Conference: 1) the theoretical framework governing the question of the inevitability of wars—specifically imperialist wars of annexation and intervention; 2) the current balance of power among the imperialists and key flashpoints in the violent and non-violent conflicts between them; and 3) the working class attitude and policy of opposing and preventing inter-imperialist wars.

We remain in the era of monopoly capitalism and proletarian revolution as characterized by Vladimir Lenin. According to the CPP, “Lenin’s ‘Imperialism, the highest stage of capitalism’ is still the most scientific and thoroughgoing analysis of the end-stage of the capitalist system. It is a theoretical progression of Marx’s Das Kapital, in which Lenin incisively points out how capital and capitalist production have become so centralized that it has rendered free competition of the previous period no longer possible.”

Written in 1917, the year of the Bolshevik revolution’s victory, Lenin’s analysis describes the essential features of imperialism which—106 years later—remain true:

(1) production and capital has become greatly concentrated that it has formed all-powerful monopolies; (2) the formation and predominance of finance capital or the financial oligarchy based on the merging of bank and industrial capital; (3) the export of capital, as distinguished from the export of commodities, has gained exceptional importance; (4) formation of international monopoly associations which share the world among themselves; and, (5) territorial division of the entire world among the biggest imperialist powers is completed.

Discussing the current flashpoints of inter-imperialist conflicts, the CPP pointed to the following major contradictions following the revisionist betrayal of the socialist revolution in the Soviet Union and China: the contradiction between monopoly capital and the proletariat in capitalist countries; between rival imperialist powers; between the imperialist powers and oppressed peoples and nations; and between imperialist powers and countries assertive of national sovereignty and socialist programs.

US imperialism has been ceaselessly fomenting wars since the 1990s. It is “driven by US finance capital, including banks and venture capitalists, which are deeply intertwined with the US military-industrial complex including arms manufacturers, defense contractors and private mercenaries.” It has been directing its might at Russia and China in its effort to assert superiority in an already multipolar world.

The CPP discussed the US-NATO proxy war in Ukraine, which was among those tackled in the Conference reflecting divergences in analysis. According to Ang Bayan, the official publication of the CPP, the Conference also discussed the current occupation and bombardment of Palestine by Israel, fueled and supported by the US.

Secondary flashpoints, according to the CPP, are results of inter-imperialist rivalries in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. At this writing, the US has expanded its imperialist war in the Middle East, bombing Houthi forces in North Yemen. The Houthis are in support of the Palestinian people’s struggle against US backed-Israel in Gaza.

Asia is also a flashpoint of inter-imperialist rivalries as the US has sought to contain China’s growth since 2011. These include increased military presence in Japan, South Korea and Singapore, and strengthened military foothold through bases, training exercises, and aid to the Philippines. The latter has largely been directed at “counterinsurgency” operations.

The CPP called on the international proletariat to “unite and condemn the war preparations and do everything to mobilize the masses to prevent the outbreak of an inter-imperialist war that can only succeed in bringing untold misery and disaster to the working class and people, especially in the smaller countries which are being dragged into the conflict between the imperialist ‘great’ powers.”

Some major points

Conference participants largely acknowledged Lenin’s identification of the essential features of imperialism as the foundation in understanding and analysis of key developments today. The Marxist-Leninist theoretical framework was affirmed as guide to building unities and identifying tasks for moving forward in revolutionary struggles.

Participants were united on the analysis of US imperialism as the world’s dominant imperialist power, even if the current period has seen the decline of its superpower hegemony especially in relation to the challenge posed by China’s rapid economic and military rise.

Acknowledging the need to constantly build and strengthen Marxist-Leninist parties in each of their countries and elsewhere, the participants stated that “Marxist-Leninist parties should support the people’s struggles for national liberation with a sense of urgency, including the Palestinian struggle against occupation and genocide.”

Some practical questions raised included the following: In our duty as proletarian internationalists, how can Marxist-Leninist parties and our movements and organization be in solidarity with each other? How do we determine alliances and relations between our parties, movements and formations? What is the role of Marxist-Leninist party in each of our countries and what should our objectives, strategies, and tactics be?

NDFP Theoretical Conferences

As reported in Ang Bayan, the participants forged a common understanding of the theoretical framework and analysis of the current state of the world.

Following the Imperialism and War Conference, the NDFP is slated to hold an International Theoretical Conference on Economic Crises of Imperialism in 2024.

These theoretical conferences aim to serve the broad united front against imperialist war within the proletarian-socialist and anti-imperialist movement. For NDFP allied member organizations, understanding the contradictions of the moribund world capitalist system is vital in resisting imperialism and all form of reaction, and advancing the national democratic revolution with a socialist perspective through people’s war. (Aya Servando, CNL) ###