Rally the masses by the millions; forward the people’s war for genuine peace

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines in Southern Mindanao joins the millions of revolutionary forces in celebrating its 44th founding anniversary today with renewed vigor and determination to advance the people’s war in the quest for genuine and lasting peace. We are all the more inspired to mobilize the masses in their millions following the successful conduct of the Second Congress of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

In the region this past year, the ranks of revolutionary organizations holding fast the banner of the national democratic line are progressively expanding, as its members and allies actively take part in intensifying revolutionary activities and campaigns. We have seized this most opportune time to conduct extensive organizing among different sectors in the region and have especially contributed to the strengthening of the true people’s army, the New People’s Army. Most importantly, under the leadership of the CPP, we have mobilized our revolutionary masses to wage struggles to fortify the united front against imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism.

We commend the conduct of the 1st Regional Congress of the Christians for National Liberation last March 14-15. The event is a testament to the perseverance of religious revolutionaries to bring their churches closer to the toiling masses.

During the 48th anniversary of the CPP last December, the revolutionary artists under the fold of Artista at Manunulat para sa Sambayanan (ARMAS) in Southern Mindanao gave us an stirring production that bannered the call the People’s War is for People’s Peace.

More and more revolutionary organizations are sure to mark their significant contributions in the people’s war and the peace process this year.

While the revolutionary movement has taken unprecedented strides to forward the negotiations, the same cannot be said of the peace saboteurs in GRP Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s regime. It is alarming to note that while there appears to be a mutual understanding between Duterte and his peace panel and the entire revolutionary movement, the reactionary armed forces of the AFP and the PNP are less interested in providing a favorable atmosphere for the success of the negotiations than they are at ensuring that their all-out war take down as many innocent civilians and ravage as many communities as possible. In SMR alone, already 24 peasant and Lumad civilians have been killed by the AFP and their agents while more than seven cases of bombardment have been documented in or near civilian communities since the declaration of their all-out war against the revolutionary movement in early February.

In the face of these attacks against the masses, workers, peasants, Lumad and other sectors are heroically waging struggles for ownership of land, fair living wages and other democratic rights. We find inspiration in the peasants who stand against the greed of the landed gentry like the Lorenzos in Tagum City, the landgrabbing of school reservation in Arakan, North Cotabato and other feudal and semi-feudal exploitations being perpetuated against them. We are roused by the numerous strikes of agricultural workers in different banana plantations and their successive victories against the exploitative schemes of foreign capitalists in Compostela Valley.

We are spurred on to oppose the injustice being done to poor victims of Typhoon Pablo and support their just occupation of housing units that are being used as profiteering ventures and token for patronage politics by local GRP officials. We hail the hundreds of peasants and Lumad victims of militarization who have stormed the GRP agencies to denounce state fascism and demand support, relief and justice.

In the quest for genuine and lasting peace, these struggles being fought valiantly by the masses in the region are the very essence of the peace negotiations between the NDFP and the GRP. Only through the national democratic revolution can the society’s ills be fully addressed, complemented by forging an agreement on socio-economic reforms and subsequent constitutional and political reforms with the Manila government through the peace talks.

The entire revolutionary forces in Southern Mindanao are fully behind the national leadership’s earnest endeavor to engage the Duterte regime in the peace negotiations in order to achieve significant gains for the Filipino people’s welfare despite the malicious attempts of peace spoilers entrenched in the reactionary bureaucracy and the armed forces. The saboteurs in the Duterte regime are moving heaven and earth to prod the virtual pacification of the revolutionary movement through peace negotiations.

The reactionary armed forces of the AFP and the PNP, spurred by the warmongerings of the US-lapdog Delfin Lorenzana, are hell-bent in waging its vicious all-out war while duplicitously demanding the NPA to yield to a bilateral ceasefire agreement. While the revolutionary forces are open to forging a bilateral ceasefire agreement, the Filipino masses demand that they be protected from extra-judicial killings, illegal arrests, harassments, and other violations that are the highlights of the GRP’s previous 5-month ceasefire. Only the New People’s Army can ensure the people’s protection from the very menace of the AFP and the PNP’s all-out war.

In addition, some misinformed GRP local officials, twist our openness for principled talks and insist on so-called “localized peace talks.” Worse, instead of recognizing the belligerent authority of the People’s Democratic Government, they parrot the line of the ultra-Right and militarists for the NPA to “end extortion,” “cease from claiming so-called revolutionary territories” or precondition the talks with the an unprincipled ceasefire. We reiterate that the NDFP Panel, which is currently being negotiated with by the GRP Panel, is the sole negotiating entity of the revolutionary movement in the peace process. It is an urgent task at this juncture for all revolutionary forces to draw the correct line with regards to the negotiations and ensure that the Filipino people are not swayed by this injudicious grandstanding.