NDFP now 43 years old

From the Manila Times (Apr 25): NDFP now 43 years old

The Manila Times rarely runs news and commentary pieces about the Philippine Left. Because of that we presume that most readers, specially the younger professionals, entrepreneurs and other businesspeople who make up the large majority of our readership, have very little exposure to what the “extreme left” – i.e., the Filipino Communists and their allies – are thinking and saying.

We are taking the opportunity of the anniversary of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines to give readers factual look at this outlook by publishing in full a letter from NDFP leaders in detention greeting the NDFP on the occasion of its 43rd anniversary last Sunday. It is on P5.

The authors describe the NDFP as “a solid and deep alliance of 18 national democratic revolutionary organizations with millions in total membership throughout the country and abroad” which “has consistently been growing and gaining significant inroads through the wide swath of struggles these patriotic and progressive people’s organizations have been waging, in the interest of the mass of the Filipino people, in the country and abroad.”

They add: “The NDFP has been carrying on revolutionary struggles of the Filipino people and its various sectors in the country and abroad. Its revolutionary activities have been ranging from arousing, educating, and organizing the masses; waging of mass struggles for agrarian reform, production, health care, environmental protection; waging of revolutionary armed struggle; and building local organs of political power. It has also been promoting extra-parliamentary struggles, and forging various levels of unities and cooperation with other revolutionary, patriotic and other allied forces in the country.”

The existence of the Communist Party of the Philippines, whose military arm is the New People’s Army, is a significant reality of Philippine life. This is true if only because a very great part of the Philippine national budget devoted to the military is used in the government’s effort to contain or terminate the New People’s Army and with it the armed strength of the Communist Party.

Also an important Philippine reality is the existence of the National Democratic Front, which in various ways contributes leftist thinking in many aspects of Philippine life.

Patriotic Filipinos, including businessmen and professionals, do not really know our country as well as they should if they did not know the National Democratic Front and its member organizations and affiliates.

http://www.manilatimes.net/ndfp-now-43-years-old/258378/