After storm, CPP’s 48th anniversary pushes ahead in Southern Tagalog

By BULATLAT

SIERRA MADRE MOUNTAIN RANGE, Quezon – After the storm has blown out of the country, the celebration for the 48th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) proceeded here on Dec. 28.

The Melito Glor Command, New People’s Army (NPA) Southern Tagalog command led the celebration, which was moved back two days after the actual anniversary on Dec. 26, the same day Typhoon Nina made several landfalls, including in Batangas.

Jaime ‘Ka Diego’ Padilla, spokesperson of MGC, addresses the crowd. Ka Diego said the communist rebellion in the Southern Tagalog continue to gain strength as more recruits mostly from the peasant and youth sectors joins the NPA. (Bulatlat photo)

The celebration took off on the theme “Isulong ang demokratikong rebolusyong bayan sa mas mataas na antas at kasiglahan! Magpunyagi sa armadong pakikibaka (Onward with the national democratic revolution on a higher level and vigor! Persevere in armed struggle).”

The gathering was held in a peasant community in Sierra Madre Mountain somewhere in Quezon province, where some 1,000 people flocked, travelling from Metro Manila and different provinces in the region. The NPAs served a simple, yet delicious lunch of rice, pork and beef, with ingredients donated by the local peasant communities and allies from the region.

A leader of the Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Magsasaka sa Timog Katagalugan (PKM-TK) gives a solidarity statement. He said peasants continue to reap the fruits of revolutionary land reform in the countryside, such as reduced land rent, lower interest loan and higher agricultural productivity. (Bulatlat photo)

Members of the NPA stood in formation and marched, their boots sloshing in the muddy field drenched by typhoon rains.

The crowd sing the proletarian anthem "The Internationale" along with the NPAs as the finale of the program. (Bulatlat photo) — The crowd sing the proletarian anthem “The Internationale,” along with the NPAs, as the finale of the program. (Bulatlat photo)

In its statement, the CPP Central Committee said: “The Filipino people continue to wage and intensify their national democratic struggles amid the domestic and international crisis. For nearly half a century, the Party has led the Filipino people in waging their revolutionary struggles. They have together accumulated immense victories. The Party is poised to lead the national democratic revolution to greater heights over the next few years and onwards to victory.”

National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant Ernesto Lorenzo criticizes the Duterte government for failing to fulfill its commitment to all free political prisoners. He said while the NDFP supports the continuation of the peace negotiation, the NDFP will most likely terminate its unilateral ceasefire in January if the government continues to incarcerate political prisoners. (Bulatlat photo)

The CPP said it is still open to sign a bilateral ceasefire with government, simultaneous with the release of some 400 political prisoners. It said, however, that the termination of the unilateral ceasefire by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and government is “inevitable,” as government troops remain deployed in the NPA guerilla zones and continue to conduct operations and commit abuses.

“The Party continues to support the peace talks and other means for possible agreement with the Duterte government on cooperation to realize basic patriotic and social reforms,” said the CPP, as it looks forward to the next round of GRP-NDFP talks in Rome, Italy in January.