Greetings to the Communist Party of the Philippines on its 50th anniversary

“Struggle for Socialism/La Lucha por el Socialismo,” a newly-established Marxist-Leninist publication in the U.S., congratulates the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on its 50th anniversary. We send our warmest revolutionary greetings and deepest solidarity to all members and supporters of the CPP in their struggle for peace and liberation in the Philippines.

The CPP was founded on Dec. 26, 1968, in order to continue the unfinished revolution started by the Katipunan in 1896 and to continue the struggle for national liberation and democracy against U.S. imperialism and the local reactionary classes of big compradors, landlords and bureaucrat capitalists.

Today, the CPP holds broad support among a significant section of Filipino people. This is in part because of its ability to convince the masses of people of the correctness of its program — specifically, genuine land reform and national industrialization. The workers and peasants of the Philippines understand that these are real solutions to the problems of poverty, joblessness and exploitation. This support from the Filipino people is what has allowed the CPP to grow and strengthen for so long.

As a neocolonial client of U.S. imperialism, the Rodrigo Duterte regime enjoys material and political support from Washington, especially in the form of funds for the Philippine army and police. These are the same military and police forces that have been given free reign by Duterte to kill anyone they suspect of being subversives. Duterte has refused to continue the peace talks with the CPP that began with his presidency, thus removing the possibility for a peaceful solution. He has opted for an all-out war on Filipino workers and peasants.

In its 50 years, the Communist Party of the Philippines has achieved incredible victories for the workers and peasants. Under the direction of the CPP, the National Democratic Front, consisting of 18 allied organizations, has ousted two reactionary regimes: first, the fascist Marcos dictatorship in 1986, and then the corrupt Estrada regime in 2001.

Additionally, the growth and strength of the New People’s Army (NPA) has allowed for the building of local organs of political power nationwide, meaning that there are territories throughout the Philippines operating under a people’s government. The NPA is assisted by tens of thousands of people, operating in more than 110 guerrilla fronts in 17 regions and 73 out of 81 Philippine provinces.

Revolutionaries in the U.S. can help to further the struggle in the Philippines by opposing the U.S. war machine and toppling imperialism via a strong and broad anti-war, anti-imperialist movement here.

Happy 50th anniversary and deepest solidarity to the Communist Party of the Philippines. Struggle onward!