Philippine politicians to learn CPC methods

The Philippines’ ruling political party is working with the Communist Party of China ( CPC) to learn from the latter’s experience in training and managing Party members, media reported.

The Partido Demokratikong Pilipino- Lakas ng Bayan ( PDP- Laban) is in discussions with the CPC for cooperation on party building, including having the members of PDP- Laban learn the ways and ideology of the CPC, the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper reported Wednesday.

Philippine Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, who is also PDP- Laban president, and two dozen members of a Philippine delegation visited Xiamen in East China’s Fujian Province in June for forums and meetings, said the newspaper’s report.

The PDP- Laban reached an agreement with related departments of the Chinese government last December, which states that it would send party members to “policy training” at the Party School of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee, the report said.

The Manila Standard newspaper on Wednesday quoted Chinese officials as saying that the Philippine delegation seeks to learn the CPC’s design and program and how the CPC guides the Chinese people and Party members toward their goals and targets.

Established in 1982, PDP- Laban was a minority political party under the former Aquino administration and Rodrigo Duterte became its chairman when he ran for president in 2016.

The PDP- Laban has formed coalitions with most of the other parties in the Philippines to become the dominant political party since Duterte’s election.

“Duterte wants to build a united and effective Party to resolve problems such as corruption and the wide wealth gap, which the CPC has dealt with,” Chen Xiangmiao, a research fellow at the National Institute for the South China Sea, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Chen noted that political families have long dominated the Philippines which stunts the development of the Philippine political party system. Duterte also wants to use China’s experience to enhance the PDP- Laban’s mass base for the party to win again in 2022, he added.

The Party school education system of China began in the 1930s and has blossomed into a system that trains CPC cadres based on their abilities and the requirements of different positions, said Su Wei, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee, who added that its successful Party management experience can help the PDP- Laban.

Su told the Global Times that many Party schools in China have launched both master’s and doctoral degree programs to promote Party officials’ theoretical knowledge.