CPP/NDF: The revolutionary People's War continues to reap victories in Mindanao

Posted to the CPP Website (Mar 29): The revolutionary People's War continues to reap victories in Mindanao

Jorge Madlos (Ka Oris)
Spokesperson
NDFP Mindanao Chapter


The Revolutionary armed struggle in Mindanao has once again reaped victories in 2012 and in the first quarter of 2013, marching in step with the entire nation in the advance towards the strategic stalemate phase of the people’s protracted war in the next few years. It is only right for the NDFP-Mindanao, all revolutionary forces and the people to praise and to congratulate the New People’s Army on its 44th founding anniversary. It is fitting as well to salute all revolutionary martyrs who have selflessly offered their lives in the service of the people’s interest.

We, however, should be fully aware that while we are engaged in celebrations for the NPA all over the country, the victims of both typhoons Sendong and Pablo in Mindanao continue to suffer, wallowing in grief and poverty. Thus, we must celebrate with utmost simplicity and modesty, alongside our firm belief that our collective struggle shall take us to a higher rung in the ladder of the people’s war.

We have effectively frustrated the brutal yet desperate counter-revolutionary 9-year Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL) of the US-Arroyo regime as well as the 3-year Oplan Bayanihan (OPB) of the US-Aquino regime. This is in spite of the fact that the revolutionary movement became the priority target of the reactionary state while the Moro people’s armed resistance significantly waned. If the OBL and the OPB both sorely failed to hinder the immense strides made by the people’s war in Mindanao, what else is there left in the hands of the ruling class and their imperialist boss to smash the revolution with?

In general, the NPA operates in more than 200 municipalities in Mindanao. Hundreds of barrios have been added to the more than 2,000 areas of responsibility of the revolutionary movement in the past year. At the same time, mass bases have rapidly widened and mass organizations now number around hundreds of thousands in membership. We have established the people’s revolutionary government in several barrios, and some, at municipality level. We have carried out revolutionary land reform in more areas, benefitting hundreds of thousands of people in numerous villages in Mindanao.

The anti-fascist and anti-imperialist mass movement in cities and urban centres have gained momentum, and is in close synchrony with the anti-feudal movement in the rural areas. Thousands of members of the Milisyang Bayan (people’s militia) have been organized into platoon and squad formations in several barrios and communities in the countryside. The establishment of Party Branches in many barrios have been expeditiously undertaken, providing solid leadership within mass organizations, people’s militia and the people’s revolutionary government in villages and communities in the countryside. These are intrinsic components that pave the way for a full-scale people’s war in the entire island.

NPA membership in Mindanao grew by more than 10%, giving way to the formation of numerous new company and platoon units capable of launching widespread and intense tactical offensives (TOs) based on an ever widening and deepening mass base. More than 400 tactical offensives have been launched in the year 2012 alone. And, in the first three months of 2013, more than 100 annihilative, attritive and punitive TOs have been initiated by the NPA across the five regions of Mindanao. Through these TOs, the NPA has accumulated hundreds of confiscated high-powered rifles, and has decimated more than a battalion of the combined forces of the Philippine Army, PNP and Cafgu. Making a striking mark in the first quarter of 2013 was the successful NPA raid to punish the environmentally-destructive imperialist agribusiness giant Del Monte-Philippines in Bukidnon.

The Communist Party, which holds absolute leadership of the NPA, grew by more than 50% in membership, and is firmly rooted among the basic masses of peasants and workers, as well as among middle forces. Presently, the Party’s ideological foundation is stronger than ever compared to the level we have attained since the Party’s first establishment in Mindanao. It carries out wholly the three levels of Marxist-Leninist-Maoist (MLM) education.

The chronic crisis that beset the nation lays fertile ground for the people’s war to advance to a much higher stage.

Behind the US-Aquino regime’s brag of “spectacular” growth in the economy, more than 10% or 4 million Filipinos are unemployed while over 19% or 17 million are underemployed. More have lost their jobs in the past year because of the reactionary government’s utter lack of a national industrialization program. The country is completely bereft of genuine land reform, and many more have been deprived of land to till because of the rapid expansion of imperialist plantations, such as those owned by Dole Phil, Del Monte and Sumifru.

The cost of social services, such as education, water, electricity, health, transportation, communication and others, remain inaccessibly high. People are made to suffer because of corruption of government funds and the privatization of public service, which favour big business and imperialists. A concrete example of this is the power crisis in Mindanao, which is brought about by the dearth of government subsidy and the state’s proclivity to provide the opportunity for private investors to rake in huge profits.

Even after typhoons Pablo and Sendong ravaged Mindanao, the regime continues to favour the rapid expansion of large-scale plantations and mining, such as the Xstrata-SMI in Socsksargen, Toronto Ventures Inc. (TVI) in the Zamboanga peninsula and the San Roque Minerals Inc. (SRMI) in Caraga. On their part, the ruthless mercenary forces of the AFP and PNP fully ascertain that the destructive operations of these companies continue unhampered.

As a result, many barrios and communities have fallen victims to military abuses and human rights violations; thousands have been forced to evacuate their lands, countless have been extra-judicially murdered, including the Capeon family and one of the leaders of the victims of typhoon Pablo who, due to hunger, was one among those who stormed the DSWD compound in Davao City and seized the stocked food supply denied them.

The US-Aquino regime sabotaged the peace talks with the NDFP by demanding an end to the armed conflict by way of surrender even without substantial and decisive agreements on sovereignty, genuine land reform, national industrialization and other related issues.

Clearly, the Aquino regime is nothing but a puppet of US imperialist power, as evidence by continuing “Balikatan exercises,” manoeuvring to favour foreign large-scale plantations and mines, bias on issues concerning the Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands, et cetera. Because of the US-Aquino regime’s collaboration with the Malaysian government in brutally resolving the Sabah conflict, many Filipino Tausugs have been killed, maimed and tortured.

Thus, it is evident that there exists no other viable solution to the poverty, suffering and oppression caused by the depraved few except to boldly tread the path of the revolutionary armed struggle!

LONG LIVE THE NEW PEOPLE’S ARMY!
CARRY FORWARD THE PEOPLE’S WAR TOWARDS THE STRATEGIC STALEMATE PHASE UNTIL TOTAL VICTORY!

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/20130329_the-revolutionary-people-s-war-continues-to-reap-victories-in-mindanao