First Quarter Storm of 1970

SILANGAN PUBLISHERS MANILA 1970

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la· .,. TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.

? L._

Introduction Puppet ,............ .....

5 8 15 30 30 46 71 85 93 99 108 11S 129 145

150

2. ~[ar"". is a Fascist of U.S. Imperialism

3, The Correct Orfentatiou on the Constltutlonal Ccnventton

4. On the Jan us ry 26 Demonstra tion .. , fl. On the January 30-81 Demonstration It Turn Gl'id into Revolutionary Courage and MUilan! Unity for National Democracy 7, On the February 8, ~. 10. 11. 1~. 1:1. 11. I r.. II:. 11, 1M. Ill, 'II, 12 Demonstration On the February 18 Public Me.tillg """" On the FebrUilYY 26 Reaistauce On the March 3 People's Ma,,,h .. , ,' A" the March 17 Poor People'. Mal"h .. " And tho January 30 Insurrection .. ,', The People's Moderat •• and Radicals '['he Appeal of the Activists A Neo·Colony in Crisis MO ncre at Melldiola ., ss A Stop Highor A.sor~d Vulture. and Opportunlsts Be Resolute! Unite and Oppose the Murder, lIiaimillg and Mass Arr of Fellow Students lind Countrvmen ..... l , I J ntensity n••istanee Agoi]].t Marcos Fascist Puppet Regime Militancy Vis·A-Vis Militarization ... ,

lila,,," .,

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155 l69 173 177

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181 186 190

INTRODUCTION
The hlstoric mase actiona of January 26 and ~O.3l, February 12, 18 and 26 and March and 17 I","" focu ae dpu blic ..tton tion on the role the Camm unist Party of the Ph ilippines played in "aid.""n til .N"d in the' pr-.ogl"essive mass movement in general. It is to be recalled th "t in the background of the r~cellt upsurge of the revolutionary mass mevement J. the emergence and rapid development of the palrlctic youth movement in the laot decade which. raised 1he blinn er of natdona 1 demo", acy and rallied around It the working elass, peasantry and other progressive sectora against U.S. imperialism and ib local ulltea, Ih~ Jandlords, comprador bcua-gcciaie and bureaucrat (>"!litali.b, Pu btl" a I:tent.1 on h.. been greatly m-oused after Ihe newspaper. reported on the COp>!'r.... of the Roc establishment 01 the Ocmmunist Party or the Philipr;J i nes DJ'] Decem ber 26. 1968. Sinee then, various ah ndes of opi nfona and commentarl es lI. bout the Comm uu ts t Party of tho Ph iii pp;ne,. have been &aidand pci nted, Qu; t. expected ly, they have oeeupied greater time and space in compantaon to the tjmc and space Jri ven by the mass media to the orig; n nl dceum en m nnd sta temeu I" of the Cpp,

FIRST QUAllTER STORM

OF J 9'10

INTllODU CTION

With the view of providing an initia] basis for appreciating the role played by the CPP ill the above mentioned historic mass actions and in the pro-gressive movement in general, the editors gathered all kinds of document. publicly distributed in the COUl·" of the demcnstrationa, sifted tho se coming from tho CPP and made this pr •• ant compllation. We note th.t Marxiem-Lenintam-Muo Tuetung Thought and the Commnniat Party of the Philippine" are fo.at gn;in:ing influence. amonz the Filipino youth and working 'people. Thi. is evidenced by the fear. often expressed by those who wield power sud wealth an d those who despers iely attempt to diver t the progl·.s"ive movement from its revolutionary llath~ However, the reactionarlea have It shallow response to tl,e CP P or Marxism-Leninism-Mae T.e!ung Thought by meeting it with force, derisively diamiaaing' it as UforejgnH or by resorting to the easier excuse of ··exceptionaliam". \Ve believe, however. tha-t the universal truth of any ideology CIIIl be proven by its applicability to concrete eonditious, We believe. too, that the concept of "exceptionalisru", which does 'not recogni'le the vulidi ty of genernl InW!:1 de rived from and proven in cOlltibtut social practice. is notnlng but (l variation of the same ideological lall~cl' a! branding these laws as "foreign", In publi"hing this book, we have considered the consequent outcry from tile loyal defenders of the BId.tus q"o. U we will be witch-bunted for putting out this book, then it will only again lIitlstrate the sad state of freedom of the press nnd freedom of thought we are supposed to enjoy under OUI' laws.

We believe that truth can best be served hy allowlng the amplest opportunity for and fullest freedurn ill the battle of Ideas. To that goal the publi...ctlon of this book is dedicated.

TilE

EDITORs

MARcos Is A FASCIST

MARCOS IS A FASCIST PUPPET OF U.S. IMPERIALISM

Since U.S. imperiallsm is in a grave economic political crisia, it is inevitable that it" PhilipP1M puppet government finds ilself in the SOme morass. Thnt is because the irnperiali,st :m.8!3t-ermust squeeze more profit" and political advantage from im semi-eolony like the Philippine". In. futile attempt to fa.ilUnte the intensification of exploitation and oppression, both master gove.rnment and subject govern .. ment collude in II partnership of deception. Th~s, have the imperialist chieftain Nixon nnd the pnpp.t ehiarta in M. roo. ndap ted their r he!oric9 to iha partnerehlp. a~d

up ~y such 8 fo ss il of outright pro-imperialism as 06mcii" in the laat elecbione. Putting himself into 180 "on II ast wi til Osmena, Marcus declare. th at hi. terroristic nnd fraudulent re-election ts a. vieoory of his "platform of nationalism". In this manner, he trles to cone •• l the anti-national and anti-democratic ehnmcter of his regime and to put into disrepute the """Y stogan of nationalism tbat the national bcurKcoleie and quite a number of intellectuals have been II LtarinH to denounce the unjuat lmpoaitdona of U.S. I. nlf,lBI"ialism.

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The more the Philippines i. laid prostrate by tbe blood -a ucking activities of U.S. imperialism and by the local reactionaries, the comprador bourgeoisie, the landlord class and the bureaucrat capitalist, tlle more are Nixon and Marcos heard preaching Itself-reliance'. and "natdonallsrn'' in order to obscure the oppressivE! and exploitativa re Iatlone between tbe foreign and local tyrants on ODe hand and the Filipino people on the other. Marcos tries to take advantage of the fact that 10. was confronted with the kind of OPPOSition put

We can certainly expeot :Marco. to prnte more llften and even more raucously about his "New Filiplntsm" and "new morality" as n measure of his futile attempt to counteract the l"isi.ng revolutionary mnse movement and hoodwink the various classes and I:IotrntR which are now incroo;!!lingly .suffering fl'om the "vi I. of U.S. imperialism IUId puppetry. By hi. nu1 as a bureaucrat capitalist, with large comprador nud landlord interests of his own! Marcos wilJ continue to serve U.S. imperialism and .11 the exploiting .1...... He shall deceive tllose he can deceive and he ahnll attack those he cannot deceive with the full force of the reacticnary state. The more he ad. a. " fascist puppet <>f U.S. imperialism, the more shall h. ptctu re h lm •• lf ne a na tlonaliat. This is his way ef tryillg to parry off the attacke agaiu.t his masten. Tbe broad masse. of the Filipino pe<>pl. have been vigorously calling for tbe abrogation of unequal treaties and executive agreemeuts that cppressfveb: tic down the entire .nation to U.S. imperinltsm and the local reeet.ionaz-ies. But the clever bureaucrat capttaliat, Marc,,", instead of unilaterally and cLeo,l),

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RB-lIerttn,g the national sovereignty and democratic interests of the people, p•• fers to call vaguely for "renegotintion" 311d pu ts himself into the position of 3: broker 01' fixer. U.S. imperialism actually goes Into • duet with the Phtllppine puppet government ln belching out in a monotona the liue of "renegnti "ti on". They stop their llgly duet as Boon as they presume thab they hay. sufficiently headed off the popular can for abrogatfcn. They merely issue pres. statements calling fer "renegotiatlon" onJy when an imperialist abuse, like the murder of • Filipino, within the U.S. milital'Y bases occur. and become. an occasion for the just demand fOI' the abrogation 01 the RP-US Military E..... Agreement, Military Aas Jatanee Pact and Mutual Defense Treaty. Th. terminablon of the Laur ...l-Langley Ag".emeJlt ie scheduled for 1974. Both U.S. Imperiallstn and the Filipino pl1ppets led by Marco. have acted to renew and aggravate the 88m. imperialist P,'lvil.go. conta j ned therein. The Marcus pu ppet regime .has t with cnnlne devotion, continued to implement the rew eommendnbtona of the International Monet.ry Fund and the Wol'ld Bank tbnt w ere first implemented with gusto by MacapagaI. The single purpose of these reccmmandaticns is to render the Philippine reactionary government fiLlanciaLly desperate i.n preparation fer the termination of the Laurel-Langley Agreement. After its fitot four-year term, the Marc",~ puppet regime now finds its OWJl pu.ppetry, corruption and the resulting bankruptcy nr the reactlcnary government aa the vory excuse Ier beggiu~ U.S. imperialism tc grant trade preferences and "stabihzation" loans in

""ohUlIgu lot the .,><tension of U.S. prtetlegea in the I'hllippi"o economy, Already U.S. [mpar'Ialiam has extoeu-d from the Philippine. the Inv""tm.nt Incentives I\"t tilld the Magna Carta of SQcial Justice and Eco""""e Freedom which are being deliberatelY propa~'H"II.cd .' "nationalist" documents but which actually :ll:l~',~ .,u the: incentives. guarantees and legal phrases ,\ont the U.S. monopolies can easily use to perpetuate 11",1. economic and political domination of the country. Hue.u.e of tho present state of financial bankI'"ptll:..' on the pa rt of the rl!actionary g-overnmen t, 1I,,' U.S. Imper-ialista, the comprador bourgeoisie and II,.. IIlndlord cla •• are riding roughshod over the Filipi 11(1 people even more viciously _ Nevertheless, while 11u~ Marcos raaetdonary .regime piously calls for "aueInrlty", the brood rna sses Of the Filipino people who hnve n!w-ays led lives not on]y of austerity but af dire l~Oyerty can see thl"Ougb the n:ypocrisy' even more eastIy. The inflation that bas alreadY started to smash the 9ubsistence income of the toiling masses of workers nnd peasanta will be more telling than any sloga" dlabed out by the Marcos teacttonary reg ime. At a limo of deep flnaneial and economic crtats for U.S. Imperialism and all othe,. imp.riaJi1!t powers, the 10enl reactionaries cannot perpetually rely on foreign Investments in the form. of loans and direct investmen te without getting into deeper economic and political trouble. Tile United States and other imperialist powers are now extracting every ounce of profit from the colonies a:nd aemi-coloniea in order to make up for their. own Internal economic crisis, Openl'y, they now "Peak fl'i'<!uently of their nationalism as Nix'o,n doea.

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MARcos Is A F ASCI""

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The Marcos puppet reg ima has already dug it. own political grave by Ineurrrng all extremely hug. budgetary deficit and foreign debt. To pull back. it has to cut down credie and dollar support for the national bourgeoisie. 1t has to layoff government empleyeea wholesale. Local enterprtaes which are 80 dependent on Imported raw materials. spare ports and fuel will also bnva to lAyoff their workers in greal droves and will further hold down the wages of tho •• retained. Tho conditione of employment will w"):sa n a. theprlc.es of commodities rise. IVidespraad strlkes .,f the pl"ol.ladat are certain to OOlU. The student mas ses who are So dependent 00 the salanles of their parents will intensify their campus and extramural protest actio". against the reactionarfes, The high prices of eommcditiaa and inereased landlorU and merchant exploitation of the peasantry will produce more armed fighters in the countrystde. The reactionary government will increaSingly fail to make it. farcical tokena of "land reform", The "civie action" of the reactionarp armed forces wiU also be Iner eas ing)r exposed as a mere camouflage io~ apying on and suppreasing the psopl e. Marcos haa ••• n the bandwriting on the wan. That is why h. I. desperat.ly resorting to counterrevolutionary dual tactics by calling him se lf "nntionaliot" even as h. attack. the .t>egiJming. of widespread rebelllon. It i. bis fonH. h ill usicn to stamp down the student and workers' .trike. in the city and the growing revolutionary mass movement in the countryside at !til early .tage. H. obscure. the actual depth of the criais and the truth tbat more suppressioll will only en.gendet' more resistance,

The reactionary armed fcreea have been ordered hy the Marcos puppet regime in compliance with the dictation of U.S. imperialism to concentrate in Tn:rill a futile attempt to suppre ss the peasant m ass es. Yet he is USing the same tactic. llul! have failed and th.t have proven to b. disastrous fOI' the reactionary puppet regime in south Vietnam. Mass murders and lI.88assinat!ions ore lJeing tommitt.ed a.lmoat daily in Central Luzon. Innocent civilians aloe nerested arbil rn rl Iy and then tortured. Otte ntimes, th.y are miarepresented !IS "aurranderees", Homes are ransacked dnily by cowardly tl'OOPS moving in battnlion and reKlmontal strength. The people'. democratic rights are ubused with impunity. Th ••• nra 811 committed by Ihe Armed Forces of tho. Philippi11'.' e.pecially by ·r aa k Force Lawin, by the local PC command, "Men!(iJt1S" and Home Defen.se Forces. After being thol'Oughly exposed and isolated as a mercenary force of .S. imperialism. the bulk of the Phileag uas heen hrought home .to participate in the suppression of the neepl •.

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Yet !It.,·cos boasts of r.'peetlng civil liberties. To projec:.t all inHl8'e' that his regime IS "democratie", 11. calls for the ,·opea l of the Anti-Subversion Law. 'I'h is only expcses til e fact that the r eae tionary government ia colluding with the \.,..1 ,·evi.ionist renegndes to combs t the Comm uniat Part)' of the Phmpl,lll~9 and the New People'. Army. Jesus Lava who I" nn idol of the local revisionist renegade. has publicly stnted with the effrontery of a scab that Marcos '"' veering towards their cause. ACCQttlmodation of tbe local revisionist renegad .. within the present .Y910m i. in Une with the counter-revolutionary alliance

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of U.S. imperialism, Soviet social-imperialism and Japan •• e militarism in Asia today. Wil.h;n the Philippines, !.he fascists and the local revisionist renegade. collude and compete with each other under the mutual slgnboard of "nablcnaliam" and in opposition to the Communist; Party of tbe Philippines. The counter-revcluticnary alliance of U.S. imperialism, Soviet sccial-imperialiam and J'apanesa militarism dletates upon the local fa.oi.1JI and lOCAl reviaioniet renegades to serve U.S, imperialiem in keeping n "low profi len and in oppoa iug the people, communism and China. The great Chairman Mao teaches us , "We must b. clear-beaded, that is, we must not believe the 'nice words' of the imperialists nor be intimidated by their bluster." Correctly describing the general trend of tbe world i(lday. Cha Irmnn Mao ""Its: "The enemy rots with en."y paBlling day. while for 'IS tbingo are getting better daily."

'I'IIE CORRECT ORIENTATION ON ')'IIE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

\. An Instrument of National and Class

Oppression

and ENploitathm

The essential nature of the Philippine Coustitur hw etnee the very start has been 'its being an mstru"Ilmt of national and class oppression and axplcitatiou. Iii. a constituticn designed to synthesize and synl hI (JIiize the interests of U.S. imp.erialism and those .. f lhe. loc.e.l ruling cluasea under the camouflage of I,lg,," bourgeois popnlis! ."pl·osoions an d the myth of ~illfguver-nment. The making of the Pbi]ippine Constitutiou was I""" of the rotten deal to effect the fal •• grant of hnlenendc,nce by U .S. impel"ialism to the Philippines Iliuler the Tydings-McDuffie Law. The convention of I~':11-3& that drafted the conatitutioll was packed by \I", political agents of U.S. imperialism and th""e of II", lneal ruling claases. Inevitably, the interests of I hi' U.S. imperialists, the conrpradcrs, the landlord. """ the bureaucrat capitalist. we,'. given hleeahiga by 11u~ convention. The constitution as. a colonial piece "I document was approved by tbe president of an ,,11"11 government, the United States.

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Never baa tho Philippine Constitutioll been free from its origin and nature as a legal instrument of national oppression and ."]>loil,,tio11. lis colonial validity hinged on the 'ryding,,-McDuffie Law. The constitution contained special provision. (Al'tiele XVII) and the first ordinance appended in 1939 which demanded allegiance to the United States aod which ensured the perpetuation of the political, economic, military and cultural control of the Philippine. by the Uruted Stat es during the entire period of the Commonwealth. These mad. BU1"e that even upon the false grant of Philippine independence by U.S. imperialism the Philippine., would still be under it" eontrcl. It is a big crime to accede to this kind of constitution as has been done by the old merger p"rty of tlte Oommuntst Party and Sooisl;.t Part)'. The US·RP Treaty of General Relations was .igned on July 4, 1946 by both the u.s. government and the Philippine pllppet government so Ibat COl'POrations and eitisens of the fermer would enjoy properly right. like those of the latter in the Phf lippines, "0 that U.S. military bases nnd reservations wcu ld remein in violation of territorial integrity and so that Philippine foreign relations would be under U.S. COntrol. Not "allafle' with the censtitusionat provision expres.1y allowing 40 % foreign equity in Philippine corporatdone engaged in the exploitation of natural reeourees and operation of public utili tiea, the U.S. impertaliata extorted the Parity Amendment in e,,· change tor WAr damage payments and trade preferences for the benefit of the comprador-landlord-burea ucrat •• ctcr in the COllntry. The Pari t,y .A mend.

ment which Ill<tendi! not only parity righte but eve" supei-iur rights to U.S. monopolies in law and in practice remains the most blatant manifesta Ii on of the colonial character of the Philippine Constitution. UntU now, the Parity Amendment remains intact in the Laurel-Laug'ley Agreement. To protect its huge economie intereats in the Philippines, U.S. imperialism further extor-ted the USrtP i1IIililltr)' Base. Treaty, the Military Assiatance I'aet and the Mutual Defense Treaty. These military treaties ensure U.S. extra-terrltorial rights, control of t lie. puppet raaetdonary armed forces and the privilege flC imperialist i ntervention in Philippine a.ffairs under Ihe guise of mutual defense. All of these violate the national sovereignty of the Filipino people and make the Philippine Constitution a rog of scor-n. At present, the Philippine Oonatitunon Ja patently " colonial document on incon trovertible g rounds. It ,·ompletely disregards the jrrinelpla that for a eoloJi.Y or semi-colony to liberate itself genuinely and full." from imperialist tyranny there nas to be a ravolu1ionary a.sertion of the people's sovereignty and domoemtic rights. Instead, Utero is the cowardly aeeantance of puppetry and the fal.e notion that independanea can be granted by an alien power to the people. It doe. not shew how Ill. pnljbieal, economic, Iltiri,",~y ana cultural dominance of U.S. imperfalism eau be undone within the Phlltppines, Pn.rity Amendment and ,,1.0 the provision allowing 40 % 10·reign equity in Philippine corporations nullifies tha very preamble which preaches the conservation of the national patrimouy. There are so many exeeu ti ve "IIreemsnta, fa-eatiea and atstu tes that ha vc been pnss-

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ed to perpetuate puppetry to U.8. Imperfaliem ill on all-round wuy. The constitution hna often been invoked by the ,·... ctionarles to j ustl (y these. The present constitution is essentially an instrument of "las" oppre sa ion and exploitatiou. To conceal the f~nt that it is the biggest "piece of clnsa legi,slatjon, it obscures the basic class differences 111 Philippine society and dishoneetly tries to Incorporate in the ganernl category of lJel)pl~ tho very ruling cl asses that oppress the democratic mnjority of the people, tho masses of workers lind peass mts. By douying the existence of ctssses and clas. st.ruggle, the prese"t constitution seeks onlY 1<, blesa the kind of order who,'. the reactionary state is used by In. u.s, imperialists. compradors, landlords and bureaucrat capitalists to OPP"'" and axplclb the brond masses of the people. The high-sounding tarms of the preamble. daclaration of principle. and the bill of rights arc mer. bombast in tbe absence of clear cia •• distinctlons. To take upon c baaic point: en 1 t is recogn i?.erl us fL matter of constitutional right to be secure in one's propel·ty. Certainly. it would be a fundamental prineiple of democraey to recognize the right of workers and pensnnts 00 be secure in their bard-earned private prope.rty. But it is utterly wrong to recognize in the same breath the "equal" .rtght of the big bourgeoiaia and Ibe landlord 013"' to own property for tb. oppreeaiou and exploitation of tha broad m"~~es of the people. Under the pr ese nt constitution, the renettonary state can only claim to "regulate' labor-eapital and landlord- tenant r.la tiona "11 d it ia empowered

hi oxercise compulsory "arbitration" in favor of the jl,..p!oiUng classes, In practice, the inliervention of 11m reaetdonury stnte in the class strugc1e menus the use of the police, •armed forces, the eourts and priuna ngainst the workers and peasants, All the twellty-ono sections of the Bill of Rights I A,'ticle 111) are negated eaaeutlally by tho r""llty Ihnt it Is the U.S. imperialists and tl1eh' local stooges, t ho compradors, landlords and the bureaucrat capiIj,lists. who monopolize t;h~ "freedoms" under the ~rujAe of enjoying them tn their Cflpacity as Indivf,h11l16 or as corporate entities. The truth is that ll1l'fl.atyr'.Rnts in their class roles actually deprive the hrend n18.ssea of the. people, especially tba workers !LIlli peusante, of their nabional, class aa weB :AS indi\ _fllml rights. A constitution would not he useful to these opI" ","01'0 aud exploiters if it did not d!lngle decepblve I.rumises before the oppressed and exploited messes. \ uer ,'.cognizing the tight of the ruling classes to hll aecure in their right to own the means of opprea011", and .xploiting the people, the eonatdtution bonete rJr the right of expropriation and police power beI-Uilging to the state in the "publie interest" or in j line of it. own emergency, The U,S, imperialiats, ,'ulrlpl'aciol'S and landlords can feel secure that their ~IltUititutionnl demand for "just compensation" win 11111,)" reinforee, instead of decrease, their wealth and UtJ-WIIJ r Tbe p toe-sent gcvsrnmen t is t b ei r own governurunt. Theil" reacticnery government is. in no eCOJlPrule: and political position to expropriate Or cause the .'.pmprl<,tlon Cf{ the capitul of the big bourgeoisie to,' Ihe land. "f the landlord cla .. for redistribution
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to tbe peasants except for token purposes Iaol ated land lords can ",met a good price. B. The Forthcoming Constitutional

Convenlion

False hopes are being raised about the 1971 eon-stitutional convention as a. peaaible means of Hrevolublonary" change to head off a real armed revolution of tbe broad ma sses of oppressed and exploited people. Reformists of various strip". and undisguised counter-revoluticnarles play down the fact that thi. ccnstituttonal convention shall be held within an unchanged system under the "j) onaorshlp of a coun t ..rrevoluttonery government ill tba service of U.S. unpai-ialiem, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism. .81'rcnecualp, they play up the fantastic expectation that by a mere stroke of the pen .fter long-winded debat •• fundamental obange. can 1>e e'ffoct.d irrespective of the basic colonial and ciao. character o~ the constttubionul debat ers. A constitution can be nothing but n mere reflection Or summing up of the general sttuatton or particulal· ba lance of foroes in a society. It cannot es cape from the re"lity that anti-national and anti-democratic forces, U.S. imperinlism, the compradcr bourgeoi.ie, the landlord class and the bureauerat capitalista, dominate Philippine societv. It is nothing but the fig leaf for a ~e.ctionary state. Never has it occurred in the entire hi.tory of mankind that a piece of document alone would suffice to persuade ~h. toreign and local ty'l"oots to leave theil' w.n ...ntJ·eneh.d positions and ways. It can never be hoped that U.S. impe:rial.i.m and the local exp lotti ng elasaes shall a !low

themselves to be written off without a sanguinary right. On the other hand, it can only b. expected lhn t tbe.a. ma lefaetors will exe ..t "very effort to have lheir political representatives elected to the eonstitu1lena \ convention in order to des.i_gn the new consntution in such a manner as to deceive the people with glitterIng generalities and essentially permit national nnd class oppresslou and exploitation through some It"net.l term. in the same constitution or through (he actual operation of the presen t system. Dur-ing the Ias t whole decade, U.S. imperialism 'lIld the 1"",,1 ruling' cia sses have taken full advanluge of the seml-eolonial ana semi-feudal St.~tu9 of 1h. Pbilippines in preparing for the forma] terrninublon of the Laurel-Langley Agreement in 1974 and for the perpetuation or theil' privileges. By manipuluting the Philippine financial situation alone, U.S. itnperiali.m has suce •edad in muneuverjng the Philippine reactionary government into its poaition today of begging for HatabHb:&tion'~ loans and prll3lfCl"Cl;ltinl trade in exchange for the recognition of U,S. r'vested tights" in the Philippines and the extension of un.n_ tional treatment" (a synonym of "parity right.") tOl' its investments. By following the reccmmanuutiona of the Intematlonal M,metary Fund and 'the World Bank, two U.S.·controlled financial institutions. the Philippine reactionary government has implemented the policy of decontrol which has facilitat~d the huge profit remittances of U.S. monopclies and the "Kgl'avation of the eolonial exchange of Philippine raw material exports and foreign manufacture 'irnports benefitting the U.S. monopolies and such evil

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CONV1lN'l'ION

23

local forces as the compradors, landlords and bureauerat enpIi>BJi.st.g. Under the same reeommondations, the Ph illppine renetlonary govcrnmeJlt has made heavy expe.nditure.!il 1l1Ainly to provide the infrnstrueture for the imperialist domination of the tOlllltry and for further relnforcing the economic and politics I power of the U.S. imperialists, compradcrs, landlords and bureaucrat eapitalista, At tl," present. moment, the external and internal debts of the renctionary goverument for such purposes have- resulted in a erlsis (inflation. balance of payments problem, devaluation, increastngunamnloyment, heavy taxation and fight credit) , At this early stage, U.S, imperialism and its puppet. have cleat-ly establtshed the ground level for the retention of imperialist pl"iv'ileges as this is evident Iroru the Investment Incentives Act and the Magno Carta oI Social Ju~tioo and EC0110mic. Freedom two pre-Imperialist documents rnlarepreaented as "nationallst", Furthermore, the US·ltP pauels renegutiating' the Laurel-Langley Agreement are colluding .ecretly to give more and bigger pl'ivileges to the U.S. monopolies and are biding fhei r time, Already the U.S. iruperinllsts have clearly exacted asaurances fm- the extension of "national treatment" and "incentives" such as the pl"iyjJe.ge of monopoHz:i.ng "preferred areas", nonexproprlation, investment Insurauce, tax exemptions, tax credit an d the like. It is being made to appear by the reactionaries that it i. progressive enough to limit foreign equity in new Philippine corporations. to 40% or 30% but at the same time the reactionaries are determined to extend parity rights 10 U.S. monopolies upon the "esseJ

to-case" decisions to be made by an executive agency like the Board of In vestmen ts, The U.S. impe r ialista see clearly tllat it remains the ,Policy of the. Philippine rf!llu:tioIHLl"Y government attract foreign investments. But fearing the growI'll!: I'evolutional")' m na~ movement that is pl'ofo,rndlj' uwnre of then, 8S evil bloodsuckers, they are substdizilll{ the gang of Manglapue, the Christi a" Social Movement, to propagnndize the finance capitalist idea uf "prof'it-abar-ing". This sinister tactic of 0' ..8. Impurlnlism Is to dangle before the people the false IWI" of being able to buyout tho incumbent U.S. "",,"I. 01' to buy .aaiti<mal shares that U.S.-<>wned or t t ,S.~contJ.·ollcd corporations in the Philippines may is .. !IV, This is calcumted not only to keep Intaet U.S, investments here but even to trap a big mass of small 1··I!iIJino shnrnhcldera in corpornttons controlled by II 1",lId bloe of U.S. monopoly capital. The finance CIlpllnli"t idea of "profit-jlharing" leads to tho reaction.,,"-" line of proportionate or relative decrease of U.S. ,,"~ut.s through "joint ventures' and through the atcek £Bnrket. The idea of "demceratlztng" a ~lOO million COI'purntlcn by sellLng $90 million incumbent shares 01' !HIIl million additional shares to ill-paid FiUpino w II Liln'u',s is as fantastic as the old Pl'l2!p08bH'OUS -;deu ,,( liquidating or reducing landlordism by seltlng land I.. lrnpoverlshed tenants a. ill the Agricultural Land lti\rLH'm Code. The advocates. of Christian socialism III' "bavanicracy" (with "univecsal capitalism" 98 its mnin formula) arc not ~imply phl.ying' the role of Idillt.. They have the' sinister purposa of fooling thl!

'0

2.1

FmST

QU .......""

STORM

OF 1970

CONSTITUTIONAL

CoNVENTION

25

workers and peasants into aceepbitlg U.S. tmperinlism and feudalism. Under tbe present dire situation of the Phil!J>pin ••• the 1971 ccnabitutional convention will only pro vc to b. an occasion for updating the present l'eactional'Y constitution in a way as to express in a. mere deceptive language the i.rnpooitions of U.S. tmperrahsm and its compradcr-landlord and bureaucrat puppets. The political organizations and peraoualities that will prevail in this year's eleeticn of convention delegates are or... ganlzed, supported and manipulated by U.S. impar-ialiam, the coruprador bourgeoisle, the landlord class and the bureaucrat capitalists. The5e anti-national and anti-democratlc force. will us. their mucn-tested politioal maehtuerles, tile Nadon.nsta Pa"ty. the Liberal Pm·ty and such other partisan '!lroups as the Chl'istiatl Social Movement and other allied organizatacna under tho influence of the Catholic clergy. No matter ho-w much pnlitfelana and narrow partdeaue of the type of Manglnpu., Pelaez, Arsnats, and the Catho, lie bishops and pal·i.h priests try to misrepresent themselves as "non-partisans" and try to keep the el eetion of constitutional delegates "non-political", the Nacionali.ta Party and Liberal Pady will be the majOl' determlning' fore es either in a direct or indirect way" It i. foolish to expect that the Pelaez bill or any such legi.lation will "top NP and LP partisans from .unning for the constitutional convention under the banner of the Curaillo or the Rotary Club or even under the gllise of not baing bound by a single organiZation. The various organizations formed recently in connaction with t h. con .ti tu tional convsnf on will not

have much to say ill the election of delegates different from the usual bunch of politicians. Some of these organizations misrepresentmg themsnlces as "elvie" 'Or "non-politteal" can only lend bourgeois prootige to various personalraea. The only political force with some "moun! of independence from the Nl' and LP but without any basic. independence from U.S, imperialism nod the local ruling elasses which might succeed In making a significant number of it. candida"," win i. all Qrganization or a group of organizn.tioDsenjoyillg thf!l support of the Catholic "lergy. The purpose of the Christian S<leial Movemont and ether rellglon-aectm-Ianpolitical ol'ganizatiol1a in agltating fen' the exclusion or reduction of NP and LP influence ill the fortheoming constitutional convention is to give the Catholic cl.rgy and ita political saertstnns the biggest opport"uit,. possible in their sinister attempt to dominate the conatltutionnl convention On behalf of U.s. tmper-lullsm and the local ruling classes and, of course, nil behalf of the special inter •• t~ of tb. Catholic Chureb, 'I"ruly progressive elements wilJ be an extremely small minority in the constitutional convention. The growing pollficnl activism of the Catholic del'gy and it. pcliblcal sacristans under the guise of moral superiority will not reduce the filtjIine'8 of eounter-revclutionary politics, Tile politacal interven· 1len of the clergy is but all ingredient in the rise af ruacism in this country. It is but another- camouflage fur the social cancer and reign of gree<.!. The manner of elections for the constitutional eonvention will be no different from that of previous olectlous fOI' the bureaucracy. The constitutional eonventjon will Dot simply be an occasion for debate. among

26

FmST

QUAR'fElR

STORM

OF 1970

CoN!{rITUTIONAL

CONVENTION

27

pcpnlial, orators who take the nnrne of the people in vain. U.S. impei-ialism and the local reactionaries will IP'ab as much privUege. as they can, They will substdize 'heir p~litical agents in Lhah- bid to get seats In the convention. The atakes are too !Jig fer them to be illdJ.fferont. Especially now, they need the constitution to give blessings to the aggravation of tl1eiJo oppression and exploitation 01' the people. The candidates will fight bitterly £0,· a poaiticn in the convention no' only to gain pt-es ,tige to be able to run for other elections later, They will fight bitterly because there is plenty of money to be gained by them by running and also by .elling their delegate votes to the highest bidders when such big tsauea us foreign investments und feudal prtvilegas come l1P +n the agenda of the convention, Witnin the convention, the delegate" will be subjected to the same pressures and manipulations th"t those in the present reactionary government m-e subjected to, l\{oney wHl flow in t~e constituticual convention to make sure that privileges and compromises will be decided In favor of foreign and 10<:,,1tymnhl, The people will be afforded only with debates comparing advnrrtagcs and disadvantages of a number of alternatives within tho ~.ngc of puppet"y to the for-eign and 10",,1 tYl'ant~. The people will b. provided with the spectacle of parliamentary debate with .regard to mere questions of form, The. reactionartss will exert e-vel'Y effort to focus pubUc. attention an such quest.ions of form as whether to have n pal'na;me.lltary 0,1' presidential form of government: a stx-year term without reelection for the prestdent 01" otherwise, a two-party

")'wlett> 01' electoral inapectcrs for all pnrtles : .uff!""!!" .UI' those 18 years of age : foreign loans or foreigl1 11)1'(!d investments from the same imper-ialist, sources , nnd the like. These que.tim," of form will be used to obscure tliwHotioDs of substance suen as tbe continued violation !lr national sovereignty and territorial integ1'ity; plun11"0'of tho national pah-imonr by V,S, imperialiSM and II.. anti-dcmoeratte and feudal "ight of landlords to 111V1I vnst lauds and exploit the peasant majo"ity of 111"people. The extenalcn of special privileges to the I ~n1 holic Cbm'ch such as the medieval privilege of In111M"lLrinating the youth, tax exemption in Its business ontarjn-ieea and possession of VRst landed estates is also It major question of substance.

(',

WhItt Is To Be Dona

"rhe main task of ell preletartan revolutionartes all those who adhere to the people'a democratlc revolution iilS to QXP05tJ and oppose the 1971 conatitatt ional convention .... 8 farce. s In doing so, focus must he put on questions of substance. These questions 1,_~811 be drawn from the Programme for- a People's Dcmoeratic Itevolution 01 the Communist Party of the 1'I1i1ippine", By ""iBing the most, impcrtant question. involving the national freedom ana democratic righta ..f the people, the 1971 constitubionnl convention can he easily shown up as a mere pretense to deceive the neople once more. The eonstltuticnal conventton wiU cel.'tsinly f;ti1 to llbarata the Fi~pillo people [rom V,S. imperialism nnd such other oppressors and exploiters as the cnrnpradora,

""~!

28

F'mST

QUARTER

Sl'ORM

OF 1970 hns

CONSTITUTIONAL

CONVEN:nON

29

tbe landlords and the bureaucrat capitaliats, It i~ only t,hrough an armed revolution that Ihese can be overthrown by the workers peasant. and all patriotic and p!"Ogre•• ive strata of this society and that" new demoeratie constltuuon can pe effected to sum up the correct relations and expre ss the true aspirations of the people without being shamed and frustrated by clever provisions and escape clauses that in practice. negate the most bombastic preamble and the most pious declaration of prtnciples. Durjng the constitutional convention, mass actions assailing th B basic reactionary pa ttern of con ventdon deliberations will even be more important than the speeches and debate. made by those rew in the minority who wil! seem to be patr-iotic and progre.sive within tho convention hall. Th"". rew in the mlnonity who will make positive actuations in the constitutional convention will be proven worthy ot -admi.ration only to the extent that they can expose and oppose both the covert and overt maneuvers of the reactionaries to use the eonstitution as another instrument for oppr" .. ing and exploiting the people. However, the mement th.t they start .rranging comprornisea witn the reaetlonart es they become the object of our just contempt. All those who will sigll the final dtafl of the constitution despite 311 its. ecuntar-revcluftonarv provtsiona will only affj rrn th~h·oppos ltioll to the tru e national and democratic interests and aspiration" of the Filipino people. Before, du.ring and after the 1971 constitutional convention. the Programme for a People's Demoeratdc IWvolution is the guide for blking the correct road of armed revolution. Only after an armed revolution

th.e explnltara with their oppresslve lows call the Filipino people convene a revoluticnarv ,·ongros. to draft and ratify a constitution that .T,lly expresses their sovereign and democratic interests and '.8piration;s. The Lava revialoniat renegades are condemnable Im- helping the bare-faced ceunter-revolutionaries spread tJ,e false Illusion that a constitutional convenl lcn c.'U1 be the occasion for" peaceful putsch or that 'Ill legal possfbtlities can ba e xhausted. The reactionary :III~l.le may favor them with more libel"ties aud bigger l~pportuJlities tOT relations with their revisionist mastees, the Soviet scclal-Imperiausta. But the true proIt;;lariall revolutionaries correctly view the constitutional convention as another swindle 'Perpetuated on the peaI,la. We should eeuae to be duped by tho ccunter-revo~uLion!:\ry idealist cliche that "those who hove Iees in life "hall have more ill law." Law. are deliberately pn•• ed by the foreign und local tyrants Qf this society precisaly to deeetve and opprees the broad masses of the people. Whot is p·ompou.ly called the "rule of law" by the reactionaries is nothing but their own t:Jas~ rule. For tl,""" C~"t,,,1CWl1'm;U •• Communist Partyoj' the Ptnlippines
A MADOG UERREBO

overthown

C luzir.7f!-O'lt

JANUARY

26

DEMONSTRATION

:n

111'\'1

ON THE JANUARY DEMONSTRATION

Significance of the January

26

26 Demonstration

Student. ,all ave r the ccu utry and the broad masse. of the people are hap~y abou t and proud of the milltant demonatrntimi of Jnnuas-y 26 on tlle real state of the " a tion. They regard it a. a fitting reo buff to the mendacious "state or the nation" addreae delivered by Marcos, the fasci st puppet of U.S. imper!alism and chief political representative of the big bourgeoisie, the landlord class And the bureaucrat capitalist •. The militant January 26 demonstration on the real state of the nation is a great mil •• tone nol only ill the revolutionary student movement but also in the broad revolutionary mass movement. Although the main pFotagonist in the militant action was the students, there were contingenta of milttnnt workers and ve8santB who joined the students in ravol uti OJHLJ",\T

~~~

The militant January keynote for more masaive actions in tbe city during seventtes. It represents a

26 damcnstratlon sets the and more combative maas the current decade of the new and higher degree of

30

huuneut of the entire. mass movement that unthe previous decade of the sixties. By ~II indications in the international and n~tional aituaIIllIit Ute reacttonarles will loot even more rapidly and II", Jnnnary 26 demonstratton is mer.ll' the opening 1I\'iI ror big-get mass actiona in the neal" future. I "blow against the l'eac!ionarj.,. to b. fallowed by ntoro lind bigger blows, 'rho magnitude and rescluten es pf the militant ss 11 tlHC!l were unprecedented. For nearly three hours. '~IOr., than 50.000 demonstrators stood their g eound ,,,I Imtlled ? ,000 pollcemeu and troops who employed uU lhem the brutal "unti ..riot'· methods taught by the \ , .II. Public Safety Dlvision and by special "counterI,,""rgcncy" agents of the JUSMAG, The mass of Ihulcnts acted in self-defense and unleashed a tit fer Int ~11·llggl. against the fasci.t brute s. 1'he militant .TtU'Iuary 26 demonstration stood llimly iH just condemnation of the rottenness of the IIiUre system and the rise of fasciam. It wag inevi'able that Ibe reactionariea would attempt, as they ~lilJ futilely, to .s~1ppl'e3S through counter-revolutionary \ krlauee the truth that Ill. ma •• of protesters spoke "IlOll t the state of the nation in oppcsttlon to the 11)'''',,11 U•• that Marcos dished out to the Congres e. 'I'ho mallif"sto"" and slogaus chanted by the demons11·n l.c1'~ nga in at t)J e ..eaeti on ary :st{L.W and the fascist r PIlPpet chieftain expr essed cleRI'1y the real state Qf l he nation. The demonstration in frol1t of Congress was a far 1I,·oater and mote honorable assemblage than the [oint icaalcn of the House of Repr ••• ntatives and the PhilipI,i". Senate that met to celebrate their I"audulent and
(ulttj~'1 during

It

32 terroristic election and to listen puppet chieftain Marcos, of the EneRlies

JruHlAllY

26

DgMONSTRATION

33

to

the

lies

of

the

f as eist

The Tactics

of National

Democracy

The enemies of national democracy are bent 'I1n misrepresenting the J anuary 26 demonatrntion HS a demonatration for nonsense like finon-partisanship" ill the forthcoming constitutional convention, They wish to obscure the fact that the demonstration was madnly OlD the real state of tbe nation, They wish to make the demonstra tors uppear reform iat, instead of revoIutionary, nctwithstanding the resoluteness with which the student. fought the reactionary police and troops, In the fit..t place, tho reactionaries, with Marcos and. Manglap Lis in cahoots with each other, have deli, ~erawIJ' spread to the Illssa media that the January 26 demonstration was exclueively concerned -with the fcrthcomlna constitution. I convention. A handful of priests, nuns and aanrlnarinns were deployed to help the police and the Metroeom prevent 50,000 demonstrstors from voicing oub the basic lssuee about the real state of the nation. Overestimating their capacity for deceiving the people, the reactionaries tried to disperse the demonatrators immediately after lI[al"'" bad delivered hi. "state of the nation" address, They wished to make it appear that Mar"os could lie in public without being seriously rebuffed, But the demonstrators shouted the truth that Marco, is a puppet and a f.sci8t before, duing and .roo,· h. arrived to peddie his rn endaci ty. The shou ts of the pecp le agai"s t reaction and for revolution drowned out tho petty and sham issue that the reactionaries tried to raiae.

Two p~litic.a.1 mummies of counter-revolution! Emu mn-l Pela.ez and Luls M. Tarue, tried to misreI" ,'ul themselves •• friends of tbe people. But II" \ were strongly repudiated. Pelaez was hit 0)1 I" llL"HI 11)- a student Ior ""gg· es ting to the police 1'1 m~., water cannons and tear gas. rnstead of I '!Hl'hcoJls. A!3 Boon as 'I'aruc appeared on the scene, III .h~n\ollstl'ators in unison caned him a traitor and ""'1 and stopped him [r<lm usurping the microI" the course of the demonstration, the demonaclearly grasped their politiea] objective.: to I"'"" the real state of the nation and to oppose Ih,~ lies of the reactionaries. Even the minority ,,,up of Oatholic-schcol students joinod the bigll'''' 11111,.-" of students from non-sectarian schools. The I,,,ront... and other demonstratars united, especially h'''11 tha fa.3cist brutes waded into their ranks and nntonly attacked them, Immediately af'ter the deUH JtIJIII rntlou, 'Mal·cos commended the poltee and the ,r~oll·· Later, true to theH· nature .s fascists and deIIlUgg._gue.s, the rcacbionaries led by l\.'1H.l."COS hypocrlIlonlly called for investig.tioil of police brutality nnd ,,,,,i.od the students while they talked of possible "communist, infiltrators" in the ranks of the students. 'l'his is a worn-out tactic of the reaetionar-lea in their .lIe attempt to divide and rule the students end the people. Until now. the reactionaries prate in the Ij 1'(JlII~ abou t the i as U e of "rron-pnrtiaananip" in the f'ol]stitutional convention RS the exelmdve issue of the rlemcnatrataon. 'I'hia is consistent with their line of
II

ntorH

JANUARY

26 DEMONSTRATION

35

preventing the poop Ie from speaking out on the real state of the nation. 'The Christian Social Movement and its allied 0<gall.i:ut.tiollS have once more shown themselves up as parblsana oj counter-revolution by deserlbing the BtU· dents as victims of "lnftltration" in order 00 aoften up tne just condemnation by the people of fasci.t brutality and the miserable state into which ~1ar"os haa plunged tho nation. D amascgues of both tn" NP and LP are .1.0 trying now to entrap ~tudent ieadeu into a jOjl1t This is a House-Senate committee investigation. worn-out device of the reactiouaries to conduct a: witeb-hunt under the guise of helping the students. The 'lila tioml.-H.sV· presti ga of Tan.nd.a ia now b ein g conveniently used f01: this purpose. The chief f asc ist puppet Marcos Ilim."lf Is now seen in so malty newspaper pictures pretending' to be magnanimous and acltcitous about the victims of .....te brutality. "His Mnjo.t(', togethel· with other rotten politicians, is nOW tl")'ing to flatter e handful of scabs ill tbe student movement and nuslaad other Witt1 intrigues in presidential audiences. Labor rack eteers like Oca, Hernandee, ArnIeg'O and Go. are also helping Mal·cos obscure the roat state of bhe nat jon and attack the student movement and have of Ie red their strike-breaking services"

Be Resolute in Struggle
The Janlla,·y 26 demcnebratton should b. til inauguration of n nationwide campaign to make th students aware of the '·.111 .tate of the nation and

despicableness of faaeiem and to enmass "them to till' fold of th. national democratic revolution. Ideohjgieal. political and organizatiQual preparations should "0I18\uotly b. made to launch bigge,. mass actions Ink ing na tion al proporttons againa t U.S. imperial ism, r,IIHil1bsm and bureaucrat eapitallsm. In cities, the revolutionary student aetivi9~ and IIIUftSCS should develop the stronge.st worker-student alltnncc, As the nahonal crisis bred by the -r"aoi.t l'IJI)P~!t rag'ime of Marc~ is fast woraenlug, the stuIt .. nl.1ol nd werkers should always join up to launch u lUlU'" actions against their oppressors nnd exploiters. All reactionary attempts to split up 01" draw away I tw students from each other or the students from I tw workers a no other pl"ogre:ssi ve seetcra of the populutlnn should be vig,n·ously rabuffed. 'P41 the eountryslde, the stmlents niust also go in "' illtl" to link themselves up with tile biggest demo• ! nt lc force in the country, the .peaeantry. They Hlml~ make rural lnveatlgations and p.£uticjpnte in the 1"'''''' uto' strugg Ie •• a Ir"ady demonstrated by uniI.. II number of students. The initial requirement rot· tht lJ"uiy progresaive student maasea is to make rural IIlv.~~tlgnttoua and rnaas. work in conscious preparation bu- ("llor participa.tion in the uncompromising armed I r\l~ICI~ n,,"inot the tyrants of thia society. 'l'he guide fol' taking the road of national denU~'l·.lUC revolution is the Progr-amme for a People's I 'NrlHl'rlitic Revolutlon of the Cpnlmunist Party of the I'hlllppine a.

i he

JANti All Y 30- 31

DElVlONS'l'RAT10N

37

ON THE JANUARY DEMONSTRATION

30-31

The Brutality of lhe Reactionary

State

Not satistied witb the brutal breaking-up oI the J"nun,·y 2·. demonstration in front of Congress, Ihe reactiona ry regime of Marcos. perpetrated on J alluary 30·31 fill" bloodier and more brutal crimea against more than 50,000 students, progressive inteJlechlAIs, workers and peasants who de.monsh:al;ed in front of Mal.";'uang. Foul" student heroes enrolled in various large achoels In the Greater Manila area were wantonly murdered with rifle tifO by military troop' and the police. Hundreds of other young men and women were seriou.ly Injured and maimed for life. They filled a!x large hospitals in the Greater Manila area. The savagery of the shooting and truneheon benting cond ncted by the reacti'marl' IrMp" and po lice was such that until now score" of demonettatc" .. continue to be on the verge of death. H undrede of m.ilitnn! demonstrators were arrested and wounded demonstrator. wsre thrown into PC and Army trucks like hogs for tile butcherhcuae. Ma.ny of these arrested 'Were subjected to torture and, long hcurs of interrogation

by PC inveatigutora. Some of those apprehended are .till being missed by their schoclmates and friend •. Even after the demonstration, the fascist brutes continued to kidllap and erresb students and other demonstration leaders in the futile attempt of the Mor.,," puppet reaetdonary regime to blackmail and intimidate them and forestall more and bigger m ass prot •• to agaul9! its bloody crimea against the peopie. Immedia !ely after the damonatra ti on, the 1"08<Ilun"ry government filed saditlon cbarge. against deIllum!lh'a bion leaders und other :miUtantst closed tb.e ,,·hool. in the Greater Manila area and turned its •~h'" sga inet patriotic studeu ts and leaders of mass ~JI'JlllnIUltioltB suspected of org.aniziogmore protest ,.. 110.'0. A ban on prot •• t demoneteationa was brat1 u ly imposed. Dul"ing and aftel' the demenetratlona, the fascist 1"'I'ud ch.ieftain Marcos called aU hiB top henchmen III I It,· mlljor aervicee of the reactiollary armed force. ",,01 "!"'eled them for more intensified suppression "",I il1timidation of patriotic students and erganieaII"". The U.S. A.I.D.-trained brut •• of the Manila PU1iI't! HH wen "8 thOljo8 of the suburban areas were ,,,.,,,,l •• d to be let 100s. on the demonstrators, N "V or has there been a more open and bloodier "1'1"·,,."rOlL of democratic rights in th.e city than the •• ~II tI 1IIII'IlIHl of the. demons bration of January 3'0·81. 'II", 1I(l,'olulionary Courage 111,,1 Olher Demonsh:alors 'I'll" militsnt
11U1I1"II'ILLhm in
j,

of

the

Stude'nts January
never

participants
front of

of the reactionary

26 d...
cowed

Congress

were

36

tit..

brutlllity

of

the

state.

They

38 came back with more intense patl'iotism and courage to jOill tba January 30·31 damonstration against the reaetionary .tat. and the fascist puppets c>f U.S. imperialism. Tho militant students, constituting the majority of the participant. in the demonstrations, came in big numbers from 36 unrveraities, colleg.. and high schools in :il.1anila, AJ~o participating we,... representatives from more that] 40 uniYcr.sitjes and 'c.olleges in the provinces. Together .with contingents of . worke'" and peusanbs, they g'ave full pis,' to the revolutionary spirit of "It is right. to rebel" against U, S. Imper ialiam aT! local reaction, d They 10ugllt tit fOl' tat agal nat the reactionary trows and police with explosives made 011 the spot, Iron bars taken from st r e.t railings and stones. They commandeered a f ire truck to break the main gate of Mal.caHanl': and " bus to brea k the lin.. of the advancing hordes of M-etrocom men and set fire to several army and police vehicles, including trucks. jeeps and 8 eop motorcycle. "'!'he patviotic demonst ... tors shouted revolutlonarv a .logans condemning- the f"scist brutality of tb. re.Qetj.OrHn·~ stnt~ and calling on the workers, peasants, stu dents an d p rcgresai \'8 tntellectu als to u nito against U ,S. imper inli. rn, feudal isrn und the Mm'cos puppet raactiouary l'egirn e. Til e residents in the demonstration area were insplred by the dauntlesa revolutionary spirit of tbe demonstrators as they held their ground .gainst tbe attacks of the armed b)Cutes of the reactionary state. They took in m~my wounded demonstrators and even treated them

JANUM" ,10-31

DEMONSTRATION

39

I·''';ghtened out of nis wits, the fa.cist puppet M,U"cos gave the order to shoot the patriotic demons1I'IIIors and had a helicopter ready for hi. immediate • "fille from the ire of the militaut demcnstrator s, 1""\ from the 2,000 reactionary troopa which unIIuMhnd the sanguinary suppression against the deui Hll8tr.ating masses, AFP chieftain Manuel Yan or.I"rud the 12,000-man .hong PC on "red alert", and I hl~ ulr force, navy and army an "blue al!~l'tU He . ~I! n ;B IJ m rnoned Task Force Lswi n, the Mar Iues and n,,, compani es of the Specia 1 Forces hom For t Mag. .'},.I!Inyin NUE:l';(l Ec.ija to l'ehrforc~ t'he troops in and ,round Manila. This has cle"rly ShOWl' the utter plink of the. 'Marcos reactionary regime in confronting fliP militant masses of demonstrators. In mortal fear "r further maas protest actions against Ita corrupt ",I brutal regime, it has kept il large number of rurtionary troops in the Grea er Manila area up to
l j

now.

After the demonstration of J &nU;1I'Y SO--S1 the riotie student. and other dernonstratcra have conU"uou.ly fought in various forms the reactionary IHlppet regime and vowed to develop their struggle III scale and depth. Their dauntless revolutionary plrlt has Inspired and won th~ sympathy of the broad of the people throughout the country. Mas. udion.s are sweeping the country in aupport of the J,muary 30-31 demonstration and ill protest again.t II'e fascist terror perpetrated by the Marco. p~ppet "l"nc:tionary regime. The revolutionary courage and heroism of til. tudenta have lifted the bearts oJ: the oppressed and »xplcited people all over the country, They have in a
1

I,.t

1111'."."

FmSl'

QUARTER STORM

OF 1970

JANUAIIY

30-31

DEMONsntATION

41

big way !amwd tile flam es of revolutionary stl'ugg'l, e. The entire Filipino people are Increasingly awakening to th~ need for armed ravclu ~ionary strug!)' Ie in the face of armed counter-revolution. Subsequent Tactics

of "he Enemy

Within 24 hours after the sanguinary suppression of the patriotic demonstmtora, tbefa.ciBt chieftain Mm'cOB babbled in bts "nationwide call" through the mass media that the militant mass demonstration wail either "communist-Insptred" and "not commuruet-inaph-ed" in a desperate effort to. tone down the immediate nationwide condemnation of his bloody crimes. Marcos has tried in valn to cove t' up the fact that the broad manes of tho student demenatrat<lr~ ti>!>ethel' with wo1'I<... •• and pensanta, R"l'e united in their common feeling of indignation against and in their reatstanee to his puppet reactlonarv regime and hi. U,S. imperialist masters. He cannot hope to aplit the ranks of jJatriotie students, workers and peasants who will always rise up inasmuch .s they have reached a new and higher level of eonsciou.ne.~ agaillst the enemies of national democracy, ~1arcos has tried to wash his hands of the blood of the pa trioti c demenstra tors bru tally m urdered and maimed by his henchmen the re@tionary military tI'QOP~ and police. He even b"" the im pudence to demand gratitude from the people because he has exercised "tolerance" and r es trained ldmself f1'01n murdering more student" or formallv suspending the privilege of habeas corpu~, But his h;'l>oel·iliea! .pe.oh caunct eI'M. the fact of the unprecedented murder

(OUl· student youth and mailn\nll" and arrest. hundreds of patriotic demonstratora under hi. reo lCime nor can it hide the truth that all this is but " preparation for further bloody suppression of paI "["tie militants and organization" and the nebionat d"Jnvcl'atic movement in general. Marcos' January 310t xed-baiting statement has "'( the lin. for the aubsequent bicameral hearings I",;ug conducted by Congres.. It is evident from I~'" pattern of interrogation in the hearings that III IIILII"t and ]lotI-lotio ol·ganization. are the object of 1111" witch-hunt, This again is a dirty seheme to iI[v,"'~ the attention of tho people from the bloodv ",·Inl"" of the M.rco. reactionary regime and to sttfle Ih" growing mass movement of the Filipino people II Kit im~ U.S. lmpurtaltsm and its local reac:tiODtU·y t alli,'K. It is not sUI-p)·ising for such a politicaUy bankrupt l'el!'irne to concentrate it. attack on these who 1r "ly apeak and net fol' the national democratic inI ",'".t" of the people. Not. singJ. one of it" heneh"',." who brutally attacked the patriotic demonstratore [,,," 1'.0" apprehended and tl'ied. from putting tbe blame on the reactionary t 1'U4l11!11and police, Marcos even lauded their "exem ... 1,lnI'Y~' conduct in the murder, maiming and mass ar,,·.'tI "f tho patriotic militant demonstrators. Toge· tl"',, with hi.• gang of fasciot brut es , Marcos led R Llohl mass at MalacatlaIlg Parlt where he took the "1'lwr\unity to exhort the troops of tho reactionary III'Jnl!d forees to pl'epare for more sanguinary supI",-".io" of the people's struggle tor nntiona.1 libe ... II"" nnd democratic rights.

or
"r

rna."

"'.r

42

FIRST

QtlAATEH

S'rOll->'[

OF 1970

J.... UAAY 30-31 DEMONSTRATION tudent eommiesion". But the students know better. 1'I"iJ"are. very much aware that this is but one face ,,( lbe countn-revolutionary dual tactic of the fasciat 1IIIIIIJet regime to soften up their stl'uggle against II... r~"ctiQnary slate. They are more vigilant than "' ,'r about the dirty triek of buying off scabs in 110" student and youth movement. In order to attack the "m'ging patriotic student 1.,11 youth movement, the :Marcos reactionary reg+me I nl~ortiI1K to the use of fasc.ist ganga and even the M(Ill kees" It bas a1:90 sell t infHtt'.a.tors and ~_nts IIII I, yuuth meetings sud conferences in the foolish 10"1'" of splitting til. rank. of patriotic ana militant II lot till b:utjona of you t:h and studen ts, The Mur~os reActionary reg'ime continues to mo1,111'0 thousands of military troops for guarding the '" ""Ie)' Manila area, It has ordered the PC authorUh' ef various zones to organize their own "antiI lur' Slluads to suppress the rapidly spreading wave III luulgnation rallies and demonstrations against the I" ujul suppreesicn of the patriotic demonstrators in 'I'he puppet regime of Marcos in its role .as the , 1,1,,( hntehetmun of U.S. imperialism and feud~1ism III'" In-on so diecredi ted before the eye. Ii!' the brood of tile Filipino people, that ollly the moat rabid 'UIIII!'··I'cvolutiona.ries win ever try to save it from II, III,'v Itob le doom as tho local revisionist rell egad ea ", vnlnly attempting to do hy crying in dismay I hUll 1 tho "purely anti-!'.'larciJs'l line. of the reeent II,tilll,nt rna ss demonstrations. Evidently, this is for II." ""Ie purpose of begging political capital from the ~'IU'COIL reactionary regime in the form of allowing

Marcus CJlIlOUBI~manipulatea the Catholic Church through Cardinal Santos, the bishops and the priests to chasten the demonstrators for having militantly acted in defense 01 their democratic rights. True to hi. role as an apologist of the eounter-revolutional"!' state which exploits and oppress." the Filipino people, Cardinal Santos is first of an "concerned" about the "destruction" of "private property" than about the wanton killing "I four- student demonstrators und the serious injury of hundreds of demons" tnators b), the Ma re os fn.d.t gang. H. clam ou rs for a "dialogue" onlY after a monologue of bullet. burst 0 ut ·f rom the gun. of the reactionary troop. and police to repreaa the indignant voieea of the PRtriotic damonstrator who gatherea on that historic day of January 30 and fought back for more than .ixhom"s till the early hours of J anuary 31. III more cleverly couched tezma so as not to appeal' "political" he has also warned against Hideologies" which HSOW disunity" among the people. This is .a vicious attempt to hide the truth that never in the history of our country have the Filipino people forged such • militant unity agaillst such a hopele.sly corrupt regime which has extremely tsclabed it~.lf from the overwhelming majority of tho people because of ita vi"ulent opposition to thelr natlennl democrattc aap i rations, Aitel' the murder, maiming and mas. arrests of patriotic demonstrators, tbe Marcos puppet regime would now dangle before tbe students monetary and other material brlbes such us the promise of a $0.6 million trust fund for so-called "student welfare programs lind projects" and the creation of a "national
I

,.""11,,,

",ll"'"

44 them
iticB.

Fms'l'

QUARTER STOR}4

0,'

1970 pol1"~8er masa action. in the city against U.S.. unpe,1,,11."., reudalism and 'burenucrat capitalism. The 'hlire rcnettonary a,ystem in the Philippines is rotting ,11111)' nd the obj""tlve conditlona for waging armed a Iru Kitl" are, getting better daily. 1ntomati onally, U ,S. imperialism and Soviet aocia 1III'I,.,'inli,", are plunging speedily into inaolubl .. poIII t~'ld nnd eeonomio cr-ises while the tnvineible forces ~II .t'Iudali:nn find ur-tional llbemtion are ~.urging in I .'.'-\' lctcri CUB waves. 'l'he revol u tion!1l"Y situa.tjOJl baa never been 130

to partieipa te

ill bo'urgeois

pRrUanra ntary

Evaluation of the January 26 and January 30.31 Demonstrations

Tho demonatrationa of Jan u"ry 26 and Jan IIlII'Y 30·31 came close on the heels uf the etu den t and worker demonstrations "gain.1 tile visit of U.S, Vice. Pres ldent Agnew I•• t Deeemb or 29.. They .ilm iiy the new awaKening of the Filipino people agaio"! U.s' Itnpertaliam and the local reecttouary pupp ets, They .c!.1"e a bugle' call f01" mora m Hitaut mass actions j n the cUy for thi., year "" well ea tho t decade. These demonstration" have served 10 'ra lI!ethe consctousness of the masses of Ill. Filipino p aople against Ibe reactionary 'late which serves u.s.. imperluilsm, feudalism and h"l"""""l'"t capitalism. Til. broad rna eaes of the people h"ve increasingly understood the, need for revolutlonary armed .ttuggle against the armed eounrer-eevolutfon and for overthrowing the pre se !!t l"<'~ctiona,y sta te, The demo.n.ab·ations have served as a rich Sou reo of activi.8t~ fOT tohe national demoe~attc revolution and, theJ'.c,fore of pros.pectjve members and fi.ghters of the Oomm uu i.t J' arfy of the Ph.iljpp;:".. and th e New People'" A fillY. The revolu.tionary mass actions in fhe city are bound 00 de".lgp in ccordinatdon with the surginll agrarian revolution 'ln the, countryside. Under the loa<l.'~hip of the Communist Purt\\, of the Philippines] ldeologlcal, pclttical and organ iMtionaI prepar-atioDs are contmuously being made tm' intensified revoluttonarv armed sh:uggle in the riolmtzyside and

ell"".ll

, ,,·.1Ientl
"i'he students and prcgreaefve inteUectuals who pn ted in the' demonetratione of January .26 and , ! J I Ll81"Y 30'·31 have. proven theil' revolution ary courage, 111111 militance. B,ltccmstantly studying and ImpleIlu1uU.ng Marxism-JJel~inigm-~'lao T.setllng Thougbt in I living- way and by Intagrnting themselves firmly I~ itl. the masses of workers and peasants, learning I I ~ ~I :.I !I we 1] as ,I t.eaehing them t they will certain!y ,,,,1 ["II back but march forward a!onl! the read Qf I hi' ~l["llggle f01' national democracy.
1'''' I' tid

TURN

GRIEF

INTO REVO.LUTIONARY CoUnAGE

47

UlIH1J'1l'"lltiQJls of January

TURN GRIEF INTO REVOLUTIONARY COURAGE AND MILITANT UNITY FOR NATIONAL DEMOCRACY
We exp reas the Profoun de.t grief "Vel' the death ttl four student, lnartyl's, the injury and maiming of several thousands of students and other patriots, the wanton mass arrests and illegal detention of several hundreds, k.idnappings and tort-ures in interrogation rooms which were nil perpebrated by the counter-revolutdonary atate in the course of and ill connection with the militant rna ss demonstrations of January 26 and 80-31, Th-ere is Jlothillg' more reasonnble and urgent )lOW than to turn our grief into l'evo~utioDary com'age and to forge the most milit.allt national dem<>CTRtic unlts against .S.i.Jnperi9.lism, feudalism and bureaucrat eapitaliam for which the Mar-coe puppet reactionary regime Serve. ItS the bloodthirsty hatchetman. The }farcos puppet reaetlcnarz neg ime has long on gaged in the bloody suppression of the poop le ln both citv and countryside, It goes down in Philippine hi~tOl:Y as a reginlc charaeterlzed by white terror and 110 amount of b)fpoodtical rhetorics and subterfuge can ever wash its hand. of the blood of students, workers, peasants end ath or pal.r! ots, 46

The bloody suppresaiou of the militant mass de26 and 30-31 is a part of the: \ lemnlie fascist suppreaaion of the national freedom III~ d~rttOCl~aticTights of the Filipino people. HOWeVel", III., "II the other heinous crimes committed by the IIHPP<ltreactionary regime, it has f~iled and will j lulIwr' fail to intimidate the broad masses of tbe peo••", 'IUI11 fighting tit for tat 8n(1 from fighting through Iq Ihl' end fOl· a national democratic revolution. Tlw more tho people are oPP1,."".d with counter\'I~'Ut 1001tll'Y violence, the mere :.5 ha n they reSist with vnlutlenm-y violence. The violent actions of the «untor-rcvolubionary state will QU)Y temper the. pee111. III revoluttonarv struggle, These win only serve. I" the utter bankruptcy and instability of the II I" II ulm.ry gQvel'nmell t, i11 stead -0 ( cowl ng the pepple_ 'l'he people will never- permit it.:3 finest sons and 41IjUJChh~}'5 to die in vain, The 'revolutionary courage Ii' IIIU1'e than 50-,000 demonstratcrs in f1'ont of Conl I'l on January 2·6 and of another more than 50,000 III Il'OH~ of M.alacanang Palace on J""U"I'Y 30-3:1- has 111~1~1i-l!d them to fjght ever more ,dgo.l·ou.sly and stendIl,~'. A militant J1ationa! dernccrabic unity is now "'111'lllfng the land against the entire systern that inrll,'L r.""i.t brutality on the people and that ca u••• I till ma rtyl·dom of heroes. 'l'nere are now tbe Communist Party or tho 1'ldlil)pillOS And the New People'. Army which an ~uhtt!tJ by the universal truth of l\'lar."'i:ism-LeninjsmM"" T•• t1<og Tbougbt and which Me patriotically Imllhmlll2:l,ting the national demccrutie revolution in IIi<' Ph lllppin •• , Wo have become more determined I" r"lfHl our sacred responsibilities to the Filipino

i'II,,,'-

""J1"."

ft"

'n

48

F'ntST

QUAI\Tl\R

STORM

OF 1970

TU~N

GRIEF INTO R.EVOL llTIONJ\l'tY

COtmAGE

49

people as a result of 'he milltnnt mMS 'demonstrations of January 26 and 30-a1. We can never forget the cries of the unarmed demonstrators fOI" arms and fOJ" the succor of the pecple's revolutionary armed force" at the moment tha t the coun tor-revolutionary sta te was mercilessly attacltil1g' them with high-caliber guns and truncheons. To these fellow Fili~ino patrlots, we owe great inspiration and we 311'e gr.nWlll that they have made it clear that only through armed revolution sball the Filipino poop I. be able to llberate themselves from f,,,",,jgn lind f.udal oppression and exploitation_

Grasp th e Histori e SlgnUican ce of January 26 and 30-:11

Tbe mlhtant demonsttatlcns of January 2·6 and 30-31 mark a new and higher stage in the national awakening of the Filipino people for the revolutionary "h'uggle 10" national democracy and against U ,S. imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capttallsru. The unprecedented magnitude and militance of these demenstrarions are the "utll'~owth of long-t ..rm revolutiOnll.l·,~ effort... They foretell beyond doubt the doom of the ruthless oppr ess era and exploiters of the broad masses of the people. Thel' a ra the opening salvoes for the more massive and more militant ravolutionnry Joising of the Filipino people on a nationwide seale. Never- before uee the revolutionary mR8B movement in the countrvslde been as well joined with the revolutionary mass movement in the city. The murder, maiming and mass arrests of people in .the eity by the ..enOUoH","Y armed forces and police have only served to unite them even more firmly With the

who have lOOK suffered the IIh'<'riti"a and imp""iti"ns of the f as cist brutes and llil',h' class rneatees. The militant mRSS demonstrations "' Lhe city have alway. raised the revclutionary spirit H( Ihe people and the Red fight""s in the countryside. It i. politically fatal for the reactionary stat" I.. hnve vent its brutality on that particular section nl lhu people, the student youth, which is o·,'ticulnte, .",,1.11,· and wid •• pread, The student youth are exl'j~IIILlly decisive iII the preparation of public opinion rur t"o\'(llution on R nationwide scale and in winnlug ,'.' , Ihe vacillating sectiona of the population to the IO>"II,II,,"'lry cause of the oppressed and exploited masses, 'I'hu militant rnass tlcmQuotratjon. of Januarv 2G .",1 :1II~11 havs succeeded in laying bar" the b as ic 1'01" """ • of the entire system. To the "nti~e nation I... " haen exposed the rapacity and brutality of th. 'Hull ur-revclutlonary state that i~ in the service of , Irnperialisrn, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism. II,,, "lduro of the corrupt and fascist terrorist Mal',llo"'clly ordering all the servicea of the Armed I II "Ilk or the Philippines and all metropolitan police !, "II 'It' k the people can never be eraacd from the ,,,,,,,1. "r the people. On January 30-31, AFP chiefHi ,l,llIeral Yan, Philippine Army chieftain General II I II ti( r dlieftaiu Ge.neral Rava], Defense Foree. chiefI j I. till/wI',,) E$pino and the commanders of all other I.. , ~",'.'kc. were in Malac.lIang to do the bidding of II, h r",,'I"Loomm"nde!'-in-chlef, The cvenes of the nigh! 1"1 I .tr l~rc more difficult for all the reactionaries to III 1.. 1 I "tid mlarepresent than all the previous massaJIIII j 1.1 Ihor nets of terror ism committed by th,e Ma 1", ""Will reactionary regime against the people,
o

,,"<In 1. in the countryside

!,

50

Fr!(ST

QUARTER

STORM

OF 1970

TURN

GRIEF

INTO RS\'OL1JTIQ>!ARY

CoURACE

51

The militant mass demonBtl'atious of January and 80-31 are cerl;Ilirlly a further development of the protest actions of the pl'.violl~ decade. Th~' are also the harbinger of a more turbulent revolutionary storm in the current decade of the seventies, They are Cle£l:rly the sspresston of the revolutionary nspirations of the broad masses of the people for national democracy and against til. Inrelgn, feud.l and fascist oppression and exploitation, A. U,S, imperialism, feudalism. and bureaucrat capitalism increase their oppression and exploitation of the people, thsra is DO l'emedy but for the workers, peasants, students, the illtelligent-sin in general and the pro1:rl"essivc sections of the nationnl hourgeoi.sie to increase their teste .. tance, The use of eounter-ravolutionary violence, rest..ictive procedur •• I1IId double-talk will only result in more intensified ravolutiouary violence, "Pile objective conditions tor making revolution are extJ'enlelv favorable both lnternatiunally and nationaUy. We are now In the era of Mtll'xism-Leninisml\,(ao Tsetung ThoU¥"ht when imparfalism is beading for total collapse and soctallam is marching toward W'01" 1dwide vjctory, In every m aj 0,1" c.'Ontradietten in tile world today, the people'a revolutionary force. are rapidly isolating and dc.feati"ll" all the forces of COUlltar-revolution. The. oppressed nationSI espcc)a1lll 0 A~ill, Afl'iea and Latln Amsnlca, are dai.ly delivering d.flndly blows on impet"i.nHsm and soeial-Imperfalism The proletariat is unceasLngl1' fighting the bourgeoisie in capitalist and reviaionist. countries, Althougb the Impertalist and sceial-Impertalist. countr-ies collude, they also contend with each other: likewise, the imperialist countries maintain the same kind of d<>g-bito-d<>g re-

Hr'UKhip, The sociallst coun tries of the People's , """H,' Olf China and thnt of Albania continue to Id 10lfh the ll"l"ea red banna r of the proletari all I t I 41'W.Mh!p against imperialism and social-imperialism. I III I : rea t Proleta r ian Cu 11ura 1 Revolution has trans, "",,'d tho People's Republic of China into the great lIP IL,(· iron bastion and center of the world prolel' III ~'I·vulution. l S. imperialism and all the local reaetlonartes III .. "tlite of bankruptcy, desperation and bysle,'i., II imperialist rnris tara, the Marea. puppet resc"1 ~l\' 1·t.~R'ime fran tie about the Communist Party is Hu l'hl lippinea and the New People's Army. about I ",1,1 !rramh of the revohltio~ary mass movement .1 II",ul the spread of Mao Thet"ng Thought in the II I! l'UlIlItry" U,S, lmpe,I'ialh!lTI and the MnTC~ pupI I .,'U,nHlry regime are so bankrupt and desperate ,I 1hi1,\-'nre now increasingly allowing the japanese I ., I I" nnd the Soviet revisicnlat sceial-imperialieta I III hrllill\b~ in the oppression and exploitation of , 111)li,u~ people, in tbe maintenance of the counterhi n, IIWI'Y state and iu the retntorcemeut of U ..S, 1,,.11"1 domination. The ?1Rl'COS puppet reactionary • I' kC4 La m j srepresant it.!i postu re i),a na ti on ill ~ nll' militant mass demonstrations of January ..II :111111have exposed it as fascist puppetry,

II"

I,ll I" III~ Lies of ~1arces Concerning 1111111111 1\tass Demonstrattens

I II I, ""I strange that Marcos, t tu pcrlnlism, should try to III i litnnts of the mass II I" '!Q Hud 30~81 as "Maoists"
'14 I'll

the ;faSCIst llUppet pinpoint the most demonstrationa of or, to use .nPP1·O'"

52

FmST

QUAR'l'~

S~ORM

OF 1970

TIJRN

GRIEF

INTO REVOLUTIONARY

Couaacs

5:1

pr-iate words, adnerenta of Marxism-Leninism-Mao T •• tung Thought. He is utterly afraid of the fact that the Cominunist Panty of the Philippinea is the force at tbe core of the revolutionary m aaa movement in the Philippines. He has the demagogue'. illusion that he can isolate the universal ideology of the proletariat lIfarxiam-Unini.m-M ..o Ts.'tung Thought, by calliuS' "it D ·~foreignU ideology. Be is merely repeating the old tactic of the reaetienaries of 1896 who sou gh t to isolate. Andres Bonifacio as a IfIfcl'eign Rgent for having been inspired and gu ided by the old bourgeois democratic ideology of the F re ncb revolu tion. It is a futile and worn-out tactic of those who actuaJ1y represent the counter-revolutionary interest. that are alien to the true national and democratic interests of the Filipino people. It ia in a way ,,180 equivalent to expl'eaaing contempt for bourgeois philosophy or Christian theology by merely dismissing it as foreign ideology without going into the concrete analysis of its elasa basi. in Philippine history and society. In this era of the impending collapse of imperialism, it is Marxism-Leninism-Mao T se tung Thought that can give ideological clarity to the national democratic revo.lution of the Filipino people. It is the great red banner of the Filipino proletariat, 1l0W I.aaing the nations 1 democrntic rrevolution . It i. til. theoretlcnl guide for the correct nod concrete analysis of the history, problem s, motive forces, targets, ta.k> and .tages of the Philippine revolution. Even if Marcos, the terrorist puppet of U.s. imperialism, shouts a million times about the ·<'Maoi.ts", he cannot conceal the fact that he ,. the political hatehetman of the foreign and feudal oppressora and exploiters of the
U

I 1111'111" eople. p He can only succeed both by hi. ,,' d. and deeds in showing the antagonistic differ""" between his real puppetry and the patriotism ,r ,·Ilmmunist. who seek to apply tbe universal truth I Murxism-Leniniam-Mae Taetll"g Thought to the te practice of tbe Phi.lippine revolution. He has "Iy suceeeded to ""II the attention of t1o. revolutionjI\ mnaaes and youth to the need for the living H"ly end application of MarKison-Leninism-lIfao Toe• IIIIN 'rhought. M urcos, the fascist puppet of U.S.. imperialism, I~' Ic confuse the issu es of the mili tant mass deil IH"trntions by raieing the "Issue of communism". II III,. only made" fool of himself by doing so. We ""I1"lInists recogni.e that the nature of Philippine , , I, Iy i•• emi-colonial and semi-feudal find that tne I! ing issue is national democracy. The issue now u IJIt.' Philippines is neither socialism nor communism, I, Marcos is really raring to have a debate with """,,,niot s, he should 110t seek it from modern revi1,,"I~I. and academic bureauerate under hi. executive I '\\Ill', All that he bas, to do is to make a public I Ietnent of b is views on the Programma for a Pee,I II'. Democratic Revolution of tbe Communist Party f 1100 P hllippl.nes. T h. Communist Party of 'the l'IoIII)1).ino. will ohlige him with nn answer. Tbe Hit Ullt~cll;y of the imperialist slogan of "communism demoeraev" will certainly be exposed, By this he should know that he cannot make any counter".,·.""Uonary propaganda against the Party and the N,w People's Anny without being rebuffed. It la as Impc .. lbla for the Marcos puppet reneI hmn.ry regime to remove communists from the re-

"'II'"

..

'I"",.

"'"U"

54

FIRS"

QTI_'lRTBR

STORM OF 1970
, In,

TURN

GRIEP

I1<iTOR""OLUTIONAR"

COURME

55

voluticnury mass movement as it is impossible for i to remove all ·the fish from the sea. Not only ell the Oommuniat Party of the Philippines par-Hcipa in the national demoom!:ie revolution hut it also do lend the national democratic revolution. The revol tionary mass movement today would be lacking . atreng'th and consistency without the theoretical gui ance of M.,·xism-Leninism-Mno Tsetung Thought on the ru-actieal lenders hip of the COmmunist Pa.·ty the Phllippines. The mere the reactionary stn seeks to attack this truth, the closer that stale sh come to its grave. The militant lnHSS demonstrations. of January and 30-31 have thoroughly succeeded in laying ba the counter-revolutionary character of the Mar puppet reactionary regime. They have ,,100 turn M,"·""", into " blnbbering fool in contr as t to the po he has taken of being an expert in bionary dun I tactics. In hi. extreme hatred and fear of the peop he has been compelled to shew off hi. criminal, i thuldafing; cowardly and mendacious character. JlI.Ilunry ,30-31, he lo.t nil ehanees to pas. on t blame to hi. subordiuates •• be was clearly the 0 directing the 'Concentration of tho reactionary miltt I'Y and police in and around Malacai'iang Palace. WM clear that he ,,"'IS directly responsible for t murder, maiming and mess arrests of rlsmonatratn In a, futile attempt to rationalize tbe murdo rnn tming un [l mass a l"l"ee,t.s of stu dents nnll other p triotfc demonstrators and also th. mobilization more than 12.000 troop" from tho Army, PC, M nines, Special Forces. Tabak Division, Task Force L

Navy, Ail' Force and the Matt-acorn and the Ma"II" Police Department, the USAF FE puppet war hero 1'lh'I:l tbat he was put under siege by "men with II ev i1 p IJ.1"PO~e" who were. determ ined to eeiee .M AI ".""""g Palace from his fam ily and that h. such It Knl)d commander ..in-chief that he succeeded ill wardh'lI oIl the attempt at a palace revolution. The truth "" tlmt he surrounded I.>y unarmed people who Itl"C engaged in dlreet demoeratic action and who had I I su-m themselves with stones, placard handles, botrI,. lind the like only when they had to defend them. I hoes from the murderous rampage of the fascist ln'utcs.

W"

"''I.

The g1'0"" mtsrepresentation of reality in.viulbly I. HI, to a contradiction of terms that the sleek, es t II",' cannot avoid. M one turn. Marcos claim. that 11 mUtbmt musa demonstration ..· of Janum-y 30~~n was t well-organized act of rebellion. At another turn, 1,.1 slnnders the mtlttant demcnstrntors as. a mob ellAIIKod ill destructive anarchy and vandalism. In the ntue ln-eath he describe. tile m iii tan E mass d.monIrntlou as a well-organized -plot to seize power that 1 jnl. either "communist-inspired" or I'not communlst ...
IUHpired As
ll •

the present clrcurnstances show, it La patently • LJig lie for the fascist puppet chieftain Marcos to ",,,Im that the Communist Party of the Phllippines Ill' any other group was engaged in deploying unarmed I"·,,pl. to implement a put.sohi.t policy, It is clear Ih" t M .. i-eee is despeon tely ill n oed of an excuse for Ihi' murder, maiming and mass arrests of the deuronstrators.

F'QlST QUARTEl'l

STORM

OF 1970 110'1,,",. lor the fasci.t puppet chieftain Mnreo. to ,',,'m that the Communist Pal·ty of Ih. Philippine. IIlI Ihe New People'a A rmy would vic late their basic III hu~iple.<;j_ He seeks to. cover up his c.rimes "with an utt-eommuntet, hy'steria_ Tile dirtiest slander that the fascist puppet chief1111"seeks to make against the Communist Parly of Ih,' Philippine. is hi. statement that h. can torn «rumuniat if he wants to but that fa,· his love of ,I, ru "eracy he does not want to, The Communist "0,·1,\' of 'he Philippine. he"~~y len. Marco. that he I II Heithru' be a eommumst nor b-e a lover of demo'''"Y, U. rejrreaenta the counter-revolutionary inte00' Is that the Filipino people, the Communist Pnty .r the Philippines and the national democratic reve1<,11"" are so del" r minedly fighting againat. He has nu] only robbed the people but he 11.$ also directly rred blood debts in tho eou ... of performing his null-national, antl-democrattc and anti-communist role Ir being the top running dog of U,S. imperialism ~ultl such e..-xploiting classes as the comprador bourIIoj8i. and the landlord class. He can seek alliance II'IU, or even membership in the local revisionist regroup. but he should never dare •• ek it from (It" Comm II ni.tPo of the Philippines, The f,aaei.tpuppel chieftain himself appeals hyIHIl,:'l"j tica Uy for "ca lmnesa" and "un ityH aften" murderIlIl{, maiming and arresting en masse unarmed deluoustrators engaged in direct demOC1~atic action. Not ",lI.fied with fhe fascist brut.lity that he has aI"'ndy inflicted, he still threatens to use force again,t l he people and gloat. that he has not even used 1/801h lOr the available fO,'"(le that h. can use. H. brazenly
I

The fascist commnnder-in-chtef Mare"" has actually 110 ranson yet to fear a coup d'etat by any reaettonary faction though hi. brazen UBe of fraud and terrorism in the I".t elections h,," severely exacerbated the internal contradictions of the ceunter-revcluttcnazy state. The reactionaries, including the Nactonaltsta Party, the Liber-al Party and the emergency CIA gangs like the Christian Social Mov.ment, the Citizens National Ele,'t""81 ASSlmlbly or any other, are at the moment muinly eeneerned with peddling the farce of constitutional convention 10 deceive the 'People. with the .illuslon of "democracy" and giv'e new bleasinge to imperialist and feudal privileges and, ame with exerting every malicious and brutal effort to stamp out the flames of the revolutionary armed struggle in the countryside and militant mass actions in the city, The Marcos puppet reactionary r"gime is still one with them in this evil enterprise. For the gene,'al information of ].Iareos Ilndbi. cowardly ilk, tbe Communist Party of the Philippine. and the New People's Army are now engaged in a protracted people's war which is at tbis moment in the initial .tage of strategfe defensive in the country.id... Th. Communist PlUty of the Philippine. and tbe N People'. A ,·my nl''' not p "tech ists, They firmly adhere to Ohail'm"" Mna's a tl'stegic prfn 0;1'1. of .nciroling the cttles from the countl'y.ide. All counter-revolutionaries should rest assured that the day will surely come when the people's armed forc ea shall have defeated the reactionnrs armed forces in the country. ide and are ready to act in concert with general uprisings bl' workers and students in the final se iaure of power in the city, It is simply rna-

I"."

.,V

''''If'''].

,'!,.

58

Fr~ST

QUi\RTF.R SronM

OF 1970

TURN GIlIBF INTO REVOL UTIONAllY

COUR.\GE

59

Irnplles that he tan always murder, maim and arres more people whenever lie: wants to. This inccrrlgiblt terrorist is renlly ill need of ii lesson from, the people The }fal'colil puppet reaetionary regime bas ag gravated the conditions lot' a revolutionary war. Th fascist puppet Marcos can no longer go to any pa: of tile country without fear of {acing the wrath 0 the people. He is no longer in a poaition to embel Hsb the lncreaaing oppression and exploitation of til people with catch-phrases and token acts. He ha aggravated the suUe,-jng of the people in the cit and eounta-yeide with too many massacres. The :(asc.ist 'Puppet chieitain Marcos can no longe stay in Malacaiiang or go anywhere without bein eouepteuously surrounded py too many armed guard But even then the people will alwavs shout their in t\ignntioll against him and his regime. They sno their indignation whenever they merely see the plctu of Marcos and. the reactionary troops and po1ice. No amount of tr-ickery on the part of the Marc puppet l'eactionary regime can absolve it from i cruninnl responsfbflity in the murder, maiming an mas" arrests he Janu.ry 26 and 30-31 demonstr tors. Tbe Filipino people see through auch b.-ioks " try ing to use til 0 Cathol ic clergy aga iIlst the demo! sl:r ntors by holcling a Ith.n nksg lving mass" on th Mal"eaijang g rcunds immedtately .fter the demonstr tion or by !lutting the notorious military cr-Iminal R val side. by side with Cardina 1 Santos to make sham appeal Ior "calmness" and 'isobriety·r,; holdi congressional and pollee investigntjous to wltch-hu particular mass orgm}iMt.ions and their leaders 01" t put the- blame on everyone except M,nroos and hl

umstara ~ asking students to separate bhemselves from HilI workers and peasants or the students from each ~It he r t calling fOl~ opportun is~ j. us ing an ti~commun j Sit .~lt'monts in the mass media to undermine the revoluj Ilfunl"Y masa movement; closing the schools and pr-e\1 uting the demonatrators from giving due honors to IIwh martyra; advising parents and school authori~ II~II to restrict the. actdvitiea of students; saturating II,.· eill' with troops and putting the people under mlIn wy su'rvclljuuee ; putt'ng the blum. on the demonIt "lura f01- the deatb of then- own fellow demonatral'lI : uslng the lOCH} revisionist renegade.'! to complain Imill u "purely anti-Mlll"COS Hne" and to speak mereI uf "an emerging pattern of repression" or '~fa.-sI hd [u tendenctes": and so many other tricks. All of 1111\1' trtcks have on I)' intensified the just anger of Ilu' people against the 'M81'<!.08 puppet .raacttonary .re11111' lind ull ether enemies of the 'l1at.ional damocraflu ullution+
o •I

or

I I"'~e the Fascist Puppetry of Marcos md the Troe State of the Nation
Tbe January 26 demonstration was essentially a on the true state of the nation to delUI lilt lhut mendacious "state of the nation" address I 11,,1 r,,"ciat puppet ehieffain Marcos and to Con,I, I U II !ILO gatheri ng of the people's oppressors rind Ijh~jh'l~ in Congress. The reactionaries, including 11,1 lu,·..1 revisionist reuegades and the Catholic eler!HI\I its political sacristans, sought but failed to III 1.1t'IH"ll~u~.nl. the mass demonstration as a demoasrreIltlt, Iu endorse such nonsense as n "non-partisan" ~11~"t 111.llon:,] convention or "peneeful ravolu ti 011 'I.
il wUIIJo1h·[~Lion

60

FmST QUM'!'''''

STORM

OF 1970
r".cl.t
Wlli"

TURN

GRIEF INTO REVOI.UTIONAJlY

Colll\AGI:

61

Fearing mass oritioi.m and the exercise of the peeple's democratic ';ghts, the fascist despot MRrcos gav. verbal instruction. to attack more than 5.0,000 demonstrator a asse mbled outside the puppet reactionary Iegfslahure. He was incensed that a green papier mach. crocodlle with a U.S, dollar Blgn symbolizing his greed and puppetry and a block coffin symbolizing hls suppression of democracy were hurled by tbe people at him and his firSt lady, hi. well-known partner in corruption. Jn seeking to terrorlw the people with tbe brutal attack of 7,000 troops and police on the demon.traters on January 26, h. created tho immediate condltions for the more militant demonstration of January 30-31 which wou ld unfold even more forcefully his fasci.t puppetry t-o U.S, imperialism and the irrepressible asph'atloM of the people for national freedom and demccraey, The two demonstrations, especially the lAtter ODe, h ave Bounded the keynote Dr the true state of the nation, They shall serve for a long time as a clear statement of the Irreconcilable eontradietion between the counter-revclutionary state and tbe bread masses of the people, The Mendiola massacre ls nothing but the cnlmi.nation of n series of massacres and 8$Sa5ination~ perpetl'.ted in both city nnd countryside by the ~lal'CO' puppet regime, It is also a dialectical development of the shameless commission of fraud and terrorism ill the last elections. III firm OPPOSition to it is the kind of revolutionary courage and militant nnity rnanife.ted by ten. of thousand. of demonsteators who counter-attacked the enemy troops and police wave upon wave for more tlian six hours. While from the

puppet viewpoint of Marcos he deserves ".llother medal from U.S. Imper-ialism, the Filipino people 111\\.1(1 become ever more enraged to give him a oneh III medal. Indeed, in h'ying to ward off the small I.IIIUO.A ju.stly thrown at him and to retaliata vlndte, IIwly "gainst the people, the fool hlmaelf has pie],ed "I' n big rock only to drop it on his feet. 'J'he Marcos bnand of nationalism hAS resoundingh heen exposed by the people sa fascist puppetry to 11K lmperialism ana to the local """loiting classes I 10" F ilipino people have learned even more "hAl'Ply IIu, ne",,""ity of waging armed struggle to overthrow II,,· nntional and class oppress;oll and explcltaticn. lUI Lflsely nt a time that the reactionaries are trying 1III deceive them with such n farce na the 1971 COD. ,II tit tonal convention. The striking truth of people's " i. being embraced by the people at 8 time that II," ,','oetl on aeies arc at the end of their wit and "".,," lo concoct gimm.:ick. and to strengthen their IU.II'hinery of suppressjon. '1'1.. ugliest faaturea of the re aetdona'ry ~t.t. in I "'~Illl-colonial and semi-feudal society have become Ij~lj censpicucua to be camouflaged by mere rhetorics. I u,h.millble to the entire natdon now are the blood1111nl)' use of the police trained by the U,S. A.,I.D, " "I,] tile viclous mUitary manipulated by the JUSMAG III "counter ... j:nsurgency" to suppress the people; the lilt. u~IIQn 'of murder ganga like the "Mcnkees", Spew , ...1 1"0'''00, Home Defens" Forces and the Barrio 111111111 De.fense; tha all-round U.S. imperialist control ""'1 Ihe Armed FOl.... of the Philippi" •• ; the com, 1,1"oli use of private armies and regular reactionary

62

Fmsl'

QUAlm~!\ STORM O}< 1970

'I'URN GRIEF INTO REVOL t)"fIONAQY COURAG"

63

troop" ill terrorizing the P"4Ple, eJlpecially during !he last elections; the puppet indoctrination of reactionary military officers in the National Defense College and in U,S. milil.ary schools : the eounter-revoluticnnry orientation of PlI1T and ROTC; and the expanded us. of the deceptive concept of "eivic action' to displace civilian personnel with mi1itary personnel and perrerm espionage work on the people. 01" the concept of "crowd conh-ol" to break lip workers' a.liI'ikes, peasant actdona nud damnnetcabiuna, It is futile for the iIlarcQs puppet reactionary "elOiD1e to boast of having' a limitless amount of military Iorce to suppress the Filipino people under the slogan of national dtecipllne. The reaeticnnry government iG now in " state of bunkeuptey sfler incur-ring huge intemal and external debt. in the course of intensifyi.ng the foreign, feudal and fasdst cppression and exploitation of the broad mass es of the people. Even lhe fascist troops and police have long found their gove:rnment salaries to be inadequate; that is why they engago ill all kinds of extortion activities and ill the process they have become isolated from the people. The whole nation, especially the worker-a I)e..lsants and urban petty bcurgeotaie, is now ter.ribly suffering from Inflution, devaluation, lncreasIng unemployment and higher taxes. Tbe national bOllrgeoisie is fln,ling itself crushed by a tight credit squeeze and the excessive tmpoatticns of the international monopoly bourgecleie led hy U.S. imperialism. The masses of work. I'. and unemployed, with the .".i~tance of the urban petty bourgeoiaie, especially the students, are bound to launch soon even more

I mH'r[ul nrasa actions against the counter-revoluttonI ~ atnte. 1..n the countryside, the people's war is 111. lIuC'jng eve]' more vigorously against U.S. imperialIII and the local tYT.mt:s. 'l'he Marcoe puppet reactiolIRl:;Y regi.me kt'!eps 01.1 '1"'Hting that it has been for tll. purpeee of "delupruent" that it has incurred extremely heavy debts ,,,I n lIuge Iereign trade doftcit. The truth is that i IH' l\lul"tos, puppet reactionary regime. has only been t,.pluman~ing consistentbthe dictat6.'li of U ,8. impe,I ilil'llU (,rrecommellda,tiona of tbe International Man""Y Fund and the World Bank) to improve the ,,,"'''structUl'C fOI" tho colonial exchange of Philippine t \~ materials and fQl'cigll manufactures especially I, ..,,, Ih. U.S" to facilitate the huge profit remitI "4'4~S of U.S, monopolies and ulso to extend credit III Ihem Em' their local operations. to inten9jfy the. 1II1.rt-exnor-t operations of the comprador bourgeoisie •. tnl to reinforee the hold of the nacenderos on a,R'cicul· j 14H', The ;'I..1arco;9 raacelonm-y I'ngin'lC has faithfully """ U,S. impertalism and the local exploiting classes I, 'IIuse iii! r iJlg-leaders do not only eDjoy the statu. ,I compradur-s and landlords but they also exact theil' 1\1 II share of exploltatton through graft Rod eorrup~1IIII in theil' ca_paclty .as bureaucrat eapitalJsts. III intensifying theil' bloodsucking activities on Jill' Filipino people, U.S. Imperialtam and its local IHI,ge.s have also calculated to create the conditions rill' the raactionury government to beg fOt· "stabiliza110m" loans and pr.fe'"entiaJ trade from the United 'I ..tes in exehnnge for the perpetuation of parity I'hlhts and more imperialist privileges in the various
U

64.

FmST

QUARTER

SWRM

OF

1970

TUR>I

GRIEr

INTO

REVOLUTIONARY

CoURAGE

65

, lIit,e for the National Demecrafie Revolution aspects of Philippine society. Already the local reactionaries whlch include revisionist renegades, pseu'I~he: militant mHS;S demonstrations of January 26 do-nationalists and Chris.,tjan "soclalists" have already :10-31 have clearly spelled out the urgent ueed set the ground level for the continuation of U.S. imI. tt thol'oughgoing national democratic revolution. perialist pl:'iviJeges under the Wl'U5 of such legisla'.," people who have experienced the f.scist terror tion. as the Investment Incentives Act and tbe Magna t 111l1! ize now the need for such powerful weapons as Cart a of Social Justice and Economic Freedom. The prulotarian revolutionary party, a people's 9rlUY and secret. negoti3tiolls enncerulng the Laurel.Langley united Iront to b. able to strike back at the enemv Agreement and other negotiations concerning other , , lively and to achieve national democracy. It hu·. treaties with U.S. inl.p.erinli.m are being .ynclu·onized 1111it' ever more clear that the\'ast mnjority of the with the wen... n ing condl tions of Philippine ".oeiety 1111' 11,0 people the pro letarla t, the pe •• on ts, tho and also with the f~,rce of Consti tv ticnal Convent! Oil h II T'le.tty bourgeoisie and, to some extent, the nEi'", in 1971 which CRIl on Iy be exp ected 'to sanctiou once , II III bourg-e.ojsie ~ must unite under the leadership more the foreign and feudal oppression nnd exploita110" prclet ..t-tat and its pal·ty against nil thosa folion of the Filipino people. local tyrants that use the Mal"COS puppet To dleslmulate their treasonous character', counterIhmnry clique as their pet running dog. r.volutionaries have started to misrepresent themselves I'be necessity of propagating the Programme for as nationalists and to dllut .. tho ranks of democrats I I "plc~s Democratic Revolution of the Communist in an attempt to mislead them. Advocacy of relationa th .. Philippine' has become urgent among Lb. with the revisionist countries. especially with Soviet 'Io"II"",t3 of the demonatraticn •• nd in the entire socit'l.l-imperio,lism, is being misrepresented bv the M8.l'FrOID the ranks of the militant dcmonsbracos puppet l'eactionary regime, 'the Lava ~revisionist ruu be drawn those who will dedicatedjy spread renegades and other 'reactionaries as: the cornerstene ,I Ilut into practree Marx.ism~Lenirdsm ..Mao Tsetung of an "lndepandent" foreign policy. U.S. lmper-ialiem II "V ht nnd the Party Programme. The P"..~y is ie actually behind the plot to cover up its inr,re.sing I',,''',ed upon to distribute to them the Guide t01" oppresston and exploitation of fhe Filipluo people by 4 mal ~e~~;t.~erS' of the: ConmHudd Party Qf tht: aocon1oiLnting J apauese m i\ itarfsm and Soviet secl nl1'1''''',', S.!ectecl Wo,·k. af Mao T.oh"," and Quo· imperialism ill the Philippines. Reeling front its eCG(nmt ChaiTma1t Jlfao T8tl~ung and other basic nomic and pclttical difficulties, U,S. imperialism j~ in ""d I.to materials that can inspire them to fight ItUrll'l'!alisrn, feudaJianl and bureaucrat capitalism need of Japan a. it. fuglaman in ,A..ia and the Soviet 1111 "urrect way. Union as ib collaborator in the strategic imperiaUst I I", ""ly way by which the Filipino people can alliance to oppose the people, revolution, communism I' il,," Philippine revolution forward at this stage and China.

"" ,,,,<I " "r

I.

u'"

66

C:O.JJ.f..)
FII!.ST

dlj""';Y

.. J

...... ob;I,51"
COUI\.AGE

Q U AlITER STORM

0, 1970

TURN GRLEF ~TO

R~\'oL\j"nQ>:A!ty

67

": OUr )lalianal hiato,'y ;, to unite with the Commu .. mst Party of tho Phllir"ill~s and th N. A"ml' on th b .. .e ,. e" Pcopl.', . -, • e' asi. of the Program me for " Pee I.' Democratic Revolution This p . p• L '. .• .' rogramme '· pon dSl<> h,e prllle,p,,] demand [01" national dem d ·I·! . . . oorncy rna • hy th e rrn I ant mass demons trit!inD fJ . 30.31. s ot 'anua ry 26 and

We Dote with pride that the miiita t '. th d .' . , n. m"'Jor,ty e "monstr,.tors MJanuaty 26 and 30-81 wete' the s!".dont .. vouth, We urge them to "eek f' th .,'_ to . . ',. ur er:t. e. 5 up port . oJ workers an d peasanta, contingen ts of" whieh wer.e In the demonstrations. It is by en]II.rging..! of and eu.uri~! the support of the workers and pea~ants·~ fOr t h.. rrn IItant !lla '8 d emon.tralion. of the student . you til t h. t the. .b·ulrgl e for ns tional democracy· canbe waged more eHe.tively.

The ahldeDt ~oulb. can take rsu advantage of the f."ct that they come not onll' frO'm every area in ""eater Manila but alse from every province ill tho who le cou ntry. They are in i ,·ery good pcsi lion to p"omQte revolution throughout the land and. they have lb. ability to learn from the masses '.ndconc"ntrat. their' eencrete loarning into r-evolutionary d.emands under the th""retl",,1 gOl;dance "Marx is.m·LeniniamMao T."tung. Thought and the Programme for 3 Peop let~ Dem oc~atic Ravelu t ion. A parti"\11~r form ot· organi za tion that· the, stu-

or

w. ~rge the student. to undertake Ihe folloWin'g: . 1. Make 3 living sto.dy and applfcation ot!>f.r''''m·l..en'nism.Mno Tsetung Thol(ght and the Pr ... gramme for a People'. Democratic Revcluticn : 2. Raise the level 01 revoluticnarv "on.oio~s;,,,,,,, and practice among tha students throughout the CO"". tty,:
8. Go to the workers either in place. where th~y ,,:,oJ"k Or Iive a nd ass: "I them to • asu me the revclutionary clB.s I.adersh;p; 4. Go to YOU r resp eet; ve towns or b. ref 0.". if yOU anv ,and promote the revolution in- lb. ccunrrvside and -on- a nationwide scale; and .

dentsca!! adopt is ~ prop.lI.g<1o team (of at 1".... 1 ds three membera) wh ich U'unies tb.e sp""i1ic task of aroUSing and mobili.tlll!" the students and workers in a well-defined area in the ol~l'; or the students, pea9A1lb!, f'arm workers, the natlnna! minoritie.a~d 1Isbermen ; n a welt-d efined area in the provin cea, The mass work of. studellt prope ganda teams in urban areas and in pro,,,nc"s close to Man ila wi II ro.'lult in bigg.,r and more articulate demon.ah,.tions and more powerful general strikes. The mao" work of student propaganda team. in the pro~ine.. will create the be.t "nllditiona for g~ttinl!" hold of a gun and fighting the armed counter-revolution succ ess fully. Tlte minimum that ,;Can be dono by~lh. student )'outb i. to sha Ib" • uperntruc! UN of the semicolonia] and aaml-feudal soddy. For them tc engage ;11 a cult u ra! ravnl u.tion or revo lutionan' p repagsn d8 is of deeisi oe lmportanca ill the nation al democratic ,·.evolution, They can .asist in building up the proletarian re""lut;onar), loader.hip ,an.d the nati<>ual democratio orientation. TheY can isolate the enemy diehards in au inslitu ticns s, the var i0115 branches

tt".

h.,·.

S. Wag. a protracted people', W3r on tho basis of maes work ag.;n"t U.S. lmperiallsm, faudallsm " find bur •• ucj-at capitellsrn.

en

88

FIRST

QUARTBR

STORM

OF 1970

'I'URN

GRIEP

INTO

REVO(.U'l'JONAnY

COURAGE

69

and levels of government .. the reactionary pa.rties a organizations. the mass medial bualueas chambe schools, churches, yellow trade unions, bogus peasa asscciations, and the whole. gamut of the imperrali and feudal culture that are now opposing the rna current 01 the militant mas. demonatrationa of Ja uary 26 and 30-31 and are .""kinll' to uphold the p sent r~actionary system, Tha student youth who take the initiative forming their pl'opag"nd. teams should b. confide that manyothol" are doing tho same, If they nCit yot members of the Communist P.a.l'~y of t Phillppines, they ahnll cer-tainly be approached by t Party (01' recruitment 01- Ior cooperation ott the bas of what tbo)' have already contributed to the natio democratic revolution. The student. youth should f confident that there are cadre. of the Communi Part)" of the Philippines at every strategic point the whole eountrv and among' them are former .t dente who have .rernoulded their thinking and DOW ill the crucible of the revoluttouarv armed stru 101.. They must realize ~t this early stage that propel ~ revolutionary mass movement there must a re\"olutiollal')I party lit the core to serve 9S t • tanda I'd-bear ..r of the revo 1\1 tiomu'y th""''')I. The people's <10m oeratic revo) utio n ;s p retr act The stu~ent YOllth should be persistent, hard-workin austere, patient and alert. shedding off their p'e bourgeois individualism. impetuositjl or excessive co tion. So long as. they persist in revolubionarv stl'U gle, they shall become 10011'.,"<1 and man)' of th shall become preletarlan revolutionary cadre s.

l'c you the student youth, the Communist Pam , II,.. Phi!ippille8 and the New People's Army three quotations from Chairman }fao concernII

ad-

IhC! youth:

The world is Y0l:.l1·S as well as ours, but in ~hc last analysts, it is yours. You young people, lull of vigor and vitality. are in the bloom of IIro, like the sun at eight or nine in the mornlng, Ih" hope is placed on you. I

How should judge whether " youth Ie u .l\'o~utionary 1 'How can we tell 0' The~·e can Iluly be one ur'lter+cn, namely, whether or not he 10 willing to integrate himself with the broad musses of worker-s and penaanta and does so in Ilr~lc.tice. If he is wflltng to do eo and actually does so, he is a revolutionary; otherwise he is u non-revolutionary or a counbsr-revclubionaev I r today he integrates himself with the masses ul' workers and peasants, then toan,y he is a revnlubionary j if tomorrow he ceases to do so or I urns round to oppress the common people, then he becomes a non-revclutionarv or It counter-revolutlonarv.
I' •

IV"

..

The intellectunla often tend to b. subfeetdve und individualistic, impractical in their thinking lind irresolute in action until they have thrown themselves heart and soul Into jnass revclutlonary xtruggles 01' mad. up their minds to serve the in" tcrests of the masses and become one with them,

7U

FIRST

QICARTER

Sl'OR"J 0.
6

1970

lVarkel's, peas. ants, 8tudents and progr ."ve tUBI., ulllte! Down ":itll, V.S. imperialism. oap,tal,sm I Down '~'ith the [.ociat :u:tlOnal'Y regirne! Be rescluts feel" ,. • '. 110 sue" to Win vlctory r Due Fear Long to struggle. neither acts feudalism of the

7'"

in tell ee-

and bureaucrot puppet

Mo,cos

reo

AN THE
:l'

'r'.ice,

FEBR ARY 12 DE~mNSTRATION

surmount

every

difficulty'

do re 10 win! nor deAth! rna ss demonst,·.tion. to the Filipino Army! Toe;"ng Thoughtl people! of Jan uary -

hardship

The February 12 demonstration at PIlwI Miraud,a .hows beyond doubt that the revolutlcnary mass movement has already grown to such an extent tb;t it
cannot be trifled with. It is the fruit of a long period of consistent revolutionary efforts, especially of re,'olutionary propagandaduring the last decade. The revolutionsrj' mass movement is nOW thriving ou ebiective conditions that are e.dremely favorable for advancing the national democratie revolution. T~e February 12 demonstration a.t Pia .." Miranda" attended' by 100,000 people despite clever counter-re-_ volutionary efforts to sabotage it, has strengthened the revolutionary spirit of the broad masses of the Filipino people. It has stirred simultaneous demonstrations in almost all major cities, provincial capitals and other places in the country. It is fired by the

til'. the militant 26 and 30-31 r

Victor.\' Long Long

will belong

Long Jive the Communist

Jive the live

Party of the Philippines!

New People's

M.",ism-L.nillism-Mao.

A}IADO

GuERRERO

CIUl.i,-",."

C"''''''''misl Part'll of tho Philippi"..

DANTE

r"",mrlnde,.-in-Chief Ne.u.' PeoplE's Army PebruarjS, 1970

or

selfless sacrifice of (.our student martyrs, thousands gravely injured people and hundreds of others arrested en masse by the fa .•cist brut". under the orders of the Marcos fascist puppet clique acting on lIehalf of U.S. imperialism and feu dalism, The February 12 demonetration proves that the Filipino people are courageous in the face of enemy

71

72

Fm$"

QUARTER

STORM Os

1970
I'

FEBRUARY

12

DeMONsTRATION

73

intimidation and deception, It brilliantly ahows tbe .trnggle for national denlocl'acy is surging ward ever more vjgorously under t:he powel"ful i mlna tlcn of tbe universal ideology of the proleta Mnrx:ism,Lenini.m-Mao 'I'aetung Thought, Never fore has there been such • demonstration as huge the February 12 demonstration in tbe entire hi. of the revolutionary mass movement, not even in 1945-50 peri od. Ms .•cos ''Nation al ists" and Lava Revlslenlst

Renegades

if"tics of the struggle, of gl.,..ing over tbe fasclot IIII"lity and puppetry of Marco" under the gui.e of ,IUK concerned with bigger Issues beyond the CUrIII las ue. The reaetionery line of the La va reviflhtl renegades ran counter to the correct Line I nl Marcos is a fascist puppet of U.S. imperialism chief repJ"ese:ntative of such local exploiting classes i he comprader benrgeotaie and the landlord cia as, breadentng the Ieeues, we should never belitt1e rnllltant mas. demonstrations of January 26 and I I (and (he ",:iminal responsibility of lIlaroo.) 90 the mas" mobiliza tien
I

ill'

That the February 12 demonstration was alm completely sabotaged by counter-revolutionaries sho deserve the keenest perception and stUdy, The M coo "nationalists" and the Lava revisionist renega worked in concert with each other in a vicious tempt to se uttle the demonstra lion by usi nil the tic of r.lsing the red banner only to attack It. In a calculated attempt to minimize tile ro.p sibility of Maroos "s a top running dog or as a fascist puppet of U.S. lmperlalism and as the eh political agent of the local exploiting classes, Lava revisionist renegades took the initiative of p dll nil' throng h the lItPKP spokesman as .arly February 4 the erroneous line that "Marcos Ia 0 a s ma Il, although si.gnifieal_l't pa.rt" of the nee-en nial-bourgecis political system" (whatever th"t mean and to complain about a "purely anti-Mal'cos lin Taking the pretense of being more left than Left, the Lava revisionist renegades actuaUy td to maneuver rna sa organizations into tbe idealist a rightist posi·tioll of flying away fr<>m the ccncre
If

I n a counter-revolutionary maneuver, the Marcos Henalists" echoed the Marcos line of intimidation I "pl'eadinl!' fear among the people that if the milII 111 mass "movement were intenatfied Marcos ntight I" foroed 10 se ek fUI'ther support from U.S. impe,1"liBnl or a CIA coup might OCeUl', And tho Lnva I Yll1ionist renegades, a1ways boastful of their conI' '1Ion9 in the innermost sanctums of the state and .0 hopeful ofmannn from tbe Mal'COS reactionary '1 ime, converged with the M8ta.o~ "nationalists" on line ot i.ntimidation against the people, Th. I~hti$t of their "Left" phraseology is to 1""tUfy Mal"o. as on. who neither belongs to the I »rt ncr to the RiglJt, as one who is not at all the ,,,'Illcipal t'ightist hatchetman of U,S. lmperietlsm lind ,"",,"stie feudalism today and a. one who do.. not '"JOY the support of the CIA. The Mareos "nati<>and the Lava. revisionist l'enegadeS would exculpate Marcos from the murder of four '11I~ent herces and two other people, tb. maiming
til

'''II'
I

II,.·

~9'.llC"

FIllST

QU1!!rER

STOJ\M

OF 1970 perBDna l income and employment in the reactionary

i5

or several thousands and the arrest of hundreds of people, What a treRcher)' to the ~evolutionary movement l There was even the insidious and slanderous attempt by these collnter.rexolutionaries to picture the ,'evolutionary mass movemeiii as a plaything of " the CIA if it .ontinued to take its militant course, What was the result of the errenacua lin. of intimidation and deception of the Mar""s "natIonalists" and tha Lava revisionist ren"gades? It led to a "dialogue", ampty concessions from Marcos !lnd a v i I e agreemen t 10 call off the Feb ru arl' 12 dem ens- J traticn, Til e La ca revisrontst re negades celebrated their treason the morning of February 12 with - a press release in the name of the bOUrgeois pacifist. organization BRPF that "dialogues with President._ Marcos rna)' be resorted to only as an occasion to further intensify the national democratic struggle," In another press release of the same morning, the r evisionist renegades through the MPKP spokesman announesd that they were in • quandary •• whether to Joln OJ' not the February 12 demonstration in·s vile attempt to confuse the masses. It was good that the genuine I•• ders of the revelutionary mass movement were able to counteract firmly the malicious efforts of the Marcos "natienaliats'' an d the La va revision ist rene,gades, Tb ey tea li zed tlla! the dialectics of revolutionuy struggle is COncrete and that an)' politieal struggle develops atep b), step, The.\' were clear-headed enough to .e. tb.8t the more Marcos r esorts to violence lb. more will the people resist, OIl)Y the Muc,," "nationalists" lind th~ Lava revisionlsts will cower with their philosophy of survival in an at1empt to protect their lucrative

.t~t.i,
"',,'hal

L",·"

were the resnlts of the ,',.Ious attempts to suppress the militant mass demene:: .•tions of January 26 and 30·31? A bigg." avaIHncbe of mass protest, which F~bruar)' l2 .. , N~w, ~Ioroo. the rnsetst puppet chieftain ~hould , e "h ze that h. can no longerinlimidate or deceive :he people. He OIl" ju,t imagine how h. would fare if 100,000 people marched on Molacan"ng Po lace or even [f o~lY 1 000 actlvlsts would choose to go to Ihe eountrvside l~ fight hia rightiat regime, The more he tries to . timidate or deceive tbe people the more will be ae~:l.rate downfall of the counte[-r~volu:;~naty state r which h. is nOW the commander-In-chief. n If the fascist puppet chief'tain M.rcos should come to the brink of being overthrown and the CIA should try to salvog. him or put another puppet in his plac .._ then lb. revolutionary mass mo.em~nt w~ll only step up its revolutionary .truggle, especially In the countryside. How much nicer it would be if the 'D,S, imperialist. lind reactionaries in the Philippill.' can no longer boast of their regular elections! That would b. a striking manifestation of hew strong the tevololiooary mass movement has become. Indeed, before an entire ecunter-ravolutionary state 8.'1 that of the Philippine. fallS, it could com. to be steered br a serlee of tyra.nts and it will certainly do its worst with the aid of the imperialists, But this would not deter real revolutionaries from fighting continuously from on. phase to another phase, It is .tupid to blame re"olutionaries for the ri •• of fascism and th e supposed possibility of a right!.t coup

t the state

w~.

tn.

76

FIll.'-

Q()'\R'rEll

STORM OF 1970

FUROAIU'

12 DSMONSTR,'TION

just as it Is stupid to blame the heroic revolutlonan Vietnamese people for the aeries of "igbtist and the large-scale invasion of south Vietnam U,S. imperialism. 'rhe Vietnamese people have tinuad to fight fiercely against the chain of replacements for Ngo Dinh Diem made by the The Swindle 'fhat FaUed

uSerious consideration" amounts to same tete-a-tete with the Movement , Democratic Philippines, Marcos defended these known U.S. agents as "nattonaltsts". What about who has. been a CIA agent since his Mageay~ ,hl>'Hf And Marcos himself who bragged of CIA in 1965,
II.

Wb" t were those thingll exchn nge for callin g aU the tion''l He promised thirteen

ncthings:

1. All in tar-dapar-tmen ta I committe. constitnted immediately to undertake a hensive review of American aid fouudations to find out if these are or Ilot to the nationalist aspirations of pine people and whether these should be 01' not. Parrleular attention will be American influence in the military, 'lduC<lticmR

Gu,-

labor field., Another committee of running is nnother rarce. A "review" by it is m'.aninl!le,,, for the l~evclutiOl'Lary mass movement. bona ivo rev lew Q! all these hn ve all:e.dy in the progl'ammea of militant ma,a Orl~a)liz:~t;.onl. and the Communist Party of the Philippines,
ol}s61'uatiml.:

economic

and

3, The nationalist sector shall bnva a choice all appointrnents to vi hi goverurnerrt departIil.lllb and educational institutions p'3rtic.ulnrly i.n •• uuantion, labor, mUiwl'Y, ugriculture, economic I'llIlminl!' bodi es and the University of tho Phiiipulnes, The recall of the appointment of Atexander ~ycip and Leonid es Virat" to the U.P, Board of nogonts will be studied. What does Marcos mean by "nasec-to!""'? Besides, offering' government ofto bribe revolutionary activists is malicious. '11"uLI'Y U.S. imperialism characterizes the highest to tlJitlutees of Marcos. 4, T,'.do and cultural tie. will be instituted with Eastern European countries immediately with Ihe se nding of officioIly accredited representatives, 'l'he possibility of securing losns or aid from "" id coun triee sha 11 be explored, OftlciRI attitude toward Peking and ]\fo,eow shall b. taken up immediately with the Foreig" Policy Council. vtIt1"'" 'I'his is obviously the booty being t.uR'le.d before the Lava revisionist running dogs of n'let soeial-impei-ialiem for their cooperation wit}, I", Marccs fascist puppet regime. U.S. imperialism I ••• II!read), instructed the Marcos fascist puppet clique

members Exe.cu ti ve Saeretary cnor, Finance Secretary CeSQ1' Virata and Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile shall be dered eer-iouaty.

"j,,.

o,....

FEERUAaY

12

Dr.MONST1'IATION

79

78

F1J1ST

QUART£a

SrORM

OF 1970 tbe death of four students and two non-students and the maiming of hundreds in the Jan. 26 and 80 del1lon.tr.tion •. I n the case of Manuel Alabado, O.S. TobaeCO Corporat;on union official, the President w'iU order the prosecution of Tarlac provincial cornmander Col. Tom." D iaz. Oitr QbSf/T1Jatilm.: t'Inve.sti!'.atioo,s'· and "proseeutions" of military and police authorities have always ended up in their exculpation and commendation in cases where they eommit the crime at the bidding of Mar .. ccs himself. Is it easily forgotten that Marro" commended and promoted his military accomplices in the murd .. r of the four students and two other people. maiming of thousands and mas., arr es t. of hundreds of people? 7_ The znIlitar", harassmen t, "urveillance an d wire-tapping of the U.P., p.e.c., Lyceum, the headquarter. of the KM., S.D.K., M.P.K.P. and otber na Ii ens Ii 51 group" w ill be stopped im m ediately. OUT obaervatio", So many times has Marcos previou.ly made orders for the military to stop it. harassment, surveillance and wire-tapping of the headquarters of erganisations and homes of in,dividunls. the 8. Material families of ••• is tanca will the victims of be the extended January to 30

to accomodate Soviet social-impetialiam in line with the global <ounlet-re"olutionary alliance of oppMiJlg the people, communism and China. This is no con. cession. Relations with So\·i.1 social-imperialism or the so-called "community of soc.ialist states" r.ferrtd to by the Lava revi •.ioni.t renegad •• will only add to the i.ntenSification of the exploitation of the FiUpino people. The Soviet Onion is no longer B aociali.t country; it has become capitalist, SOCial-fascist SOCial-imperialist. Soviet soeial-Imperralist "loans" alld "aid" ate no different from U.S. imperialist "loans" and "aid", as proven in the. cases of India, Indonesia and so man~7 others.

1
I

and:-;

. ::

-:I

5. Court charge. against the .taff members of the D,,,,,,,guete Times will be recommended' for dropping. Majority of the cas es filed for tbe -.0; Jan. 26 and 30 demon .trations win likewi.. be dropped. the President will lake a "bend baek-" ward" attitude towards cases that cannot be compromi.ed in the lnterest of peace and order. Our ob•• rvation, There i. no prima facie evid."ce Bgain.t the .taff members of Dumaguet. Time.. The charges against them should h-ave been dropped a long time ago at the fiscal's offiee. Witb regard to those charged ln connection witli the demonstrations, the reactlonary .tat" has no right to make eharg •• invokillg the name of the people il it cannot even pinpoint the murde.rer. of oil[ people and all tbe .POl'petra tor. of the maiming and illegal detention of demonstrators. 6. Th~ President will order of military and police authorities an jove.tlgation responsible far

It ia callous for Marcos to put 011 the bargaining table the question of extending material a.nistance to the familiee of the Victims of hi. fascist brutality.

rally. Ou.t· 6ou"vati,m,

60

FmllT

QUARTER

STORM

OF 1970 I
Villi

FEllRUARY

12 DEMON'l"RATION

81

D. President Marc,,' ',vill proclaim a Educational Fund Campaign to last. 60 enable youth-peasant.Ja,boT group.s represented raise funds for the advancement of nati O~U' ob sm'vation::. So M 9 rcos wants to arehip over the re-voJutioIHU"Y mass issuing a proelamation to guide it In and fund campaign. The tn"get of the revolutionar nUU!lS movement becomes the principal motive after one dialogue. Thai Is a big joke. He gantiy under .. timataa the ,.evolutionary prQoiems will be. made, be d isbanded. Pampa nga Gov, Francisco mucenc and Angel.. City Mayor Eugenio will be requested to gO abroad so that elemen tjl and private nrmies w hich are not bero of the AFP servtcee in thetr disarmed and arrested, The Horne Defense Fore.. will Lor possible scrapping and the dissolution Special Force. and their reintegration to se ,.\OCe8 .hall be effected. Ot~-r Dbsm·oa.tion: How many times have his miJitflry henchmen "disbanded" H,e Thi. beata the cat with nine !i"e s. People's Army, through its policy can do this. Marcos has the temerity to say that Is the best among the devil. and it wants to oval" Angel es City in the absence of N epemuceno Su.a,l:'e.z.
LUZOll

as Marcos promtsee to reassess the Home .Forces fOl" possible HscrappiD~' and "disao~ Brig, Gen. Garcia is supposed to have ned" and "dissolved" them by Pl'e8S release. nil, and dissolution in the dictionary military henchmen are synonyor rein tegrntion into the same ~,,"l;'r-revollubioD.l"Y armed forces. administration will consider an inrease in minimum wage both to Induatrlal and IIgdcultural workers. It will undertake a thorough nmhe of the 'O"al/" problem in Negro. with the Inll".dinlo dispatch of 15 impart'"l investigators. II will also conalder • profit-sharing plan tnvclvhllt private industries, ""'''''yatum: neal wages have rapidly fallen unItIO l·ighti.t regime of Marcos. Mere eonaiderauf wage adjust,u1enl at this stage ts meanlngless .'" the workers themselves hold general .trike. will cert_lnly come again into eontllct "'ith "I ilitary. Hn many times in press re teases, Marcos and have investtgated the ."cada problem and they launch an Fin vestigatin g"" expe.A
1
j

"Prcfit-sharing" Is 8 device being propagandized paeudc-nabionahsts to cover up foreign mouopolv III",I of Philippine corporations. It is also a deI", for captu.ring the meager savings of workers 1111 di58uading them from exercising their- demo, 011, ri ght to .trille. 12. Govemmen t hospi ta 1. and mod 1<8! services p!lrticular!y the PGH and Dr. Jose

no)".

82

FmST

QUARTER

STORM

OF

1970

FSbBUAR y 12 DEMONSTIIATION

sa

hfemorial Hcspltal shall enjoy priority other government programs. Tbe Medicare program sban b. and a broader coverage will b. proposed elude work era in the private sector, 0,... Ob8trll<>tion: These things were many times before to other organizations damonstr a tiona. 13. The administration shall give top to the demand. a nd problem. of sta te and universities. Our observation: These things were promised 80 ny times before to other organizations in other monstrettcns.

The Lessens That We Have Learned

The Marco" "nationalists" and the Lava .ionlst renegades apologize for the Marcos regtme that it should not at all be blamed fer "accumulation" of wrongs left by Hhis:tory". qulckest ripcate to this bit of idealism is that the Marcos reactionary not only b'ying to perpetuate the im1>."iailiat feudal oppr ... ion of the broad rnasses of but in his role as a fa ••. ;.t poppet 1. also us. every possibla cruel mean. to iutenoify it. tainiy. Marco. all by himself cannot change the cum ula t iO~ of historical wren gs without the of the people but what be bas been doing Is to aggravate the oppression of the people, One important I•• son ~hat has been gaiued revoluflonary militants in the

",I .;",,"utinll' the February 12 demonatratdon is uuuntaln initiative and independence in a united ul Ilf various organization::! and 8J90 not to engage Ii "II n ited hone' with the Ln va reviston i st renennd Marcos "nationaltsts". It is impossible to I r~ united front with these eounter-revolutionary ,,,"b'als who will only lake every opportunity to the revolutionary mass movement. After the Movement for the Advancement of into an Instrument of Marcos "nationand modern revisionism, the r-.lal'oos ''IlK'''" 1 .. II~tsn and the Lava revisionist renegades are maneuverIng to sabotage further tlre ravolutdonmass. movement outside the Movement for the 'Aucement of Nationalism. The Lava revisionist !!I Htlde.:llhave been particulm-ly clever tn sneaking Ihe r ..nka of militant orgnni za nons ,..hi Ie at the time 81a"d"fiug the militant rnass demonatrnn or J'uupry 26 and 80·31 as nctions going "along .1IHrHIih'ous ndventurlst line". It should always b. kept in mind by all 1"'01.II"" revolutionary cndr-.. that a firm. clear and II "-!"l!t political line is necessary to undo our doubts, ,'H and vaetllationa and frustrate tbe most clever d ••ituurs who try to creep into the revolutiona,,), '"," movement. Those who have been misled by tbe hU'f'ns "nationatlsts" and Lava reviaionist, renegades 1I..uld \'ectify their errors, They should uot be misled , nny attempt of the Lava revisicnist renegades to "",\' up their ugly trneks even if they go to tbe • tunt of attacking the Marcos "natlonaltsts' because ! hll (orrner have bigger pretensions as revolutionaries ,'Ithougb they are in fact counter-revolutionaries and

84

FIRST

QUARTER

STORM OF 1970

they always make it n point to tionarje9. To underscore the heroism of the masses in tan! demoustraticna, tho leading activist. cease to make too much proteatatlona about pacifist intentions and to broa de. ijl th"t they be inliltrated by "provocateurs". The central in lbe January 26 and 30-81 demonstrattons the masses were frontally and criminally the fascist henchmen of Marcos and that in turn couuter-aetaekad in ccurageous The leading activist. and the ma ••••• hould from pOinting tha accusing finger at the the most fo,'thight manner. The maasea IIave correctly taken up the e,.y, "Makibaka, huwag' matakot!" (Fight, don't cowed l) Thts i. certainly far better and mora spiring tban the bourgecis-pactfiet top tune aha U overcome" of the local l'evisionis.t There would have been no February 12 if there been no January 26 and SO·S1_

THE FEBRUARY JIII,IC MEETING

Awakening Rises Higher

18

I'he February 18 Plaee Mi!'.ndn public meeting, widely called 8 people's COl1g,o", has proven the Dew awakening of the Filipino people against Imper-ialism, feudalism and fascism is rising and can no longer be brought down by the , I llunsu-Iea w-ithout being inflicted with more pow(011 blows, Muss partfeipnticn was even larger and even , vigorous than the February 12 public meeting, of thousands of people fl'om all walks of life tho pluza and filled the streets radiating' The public meeting was definitely larger held by the reactionaries of whatever parIII' organization. The people who came were in outrage and shouted 11"11' determin"-tion to smash U,S, imperialism and local exploiting' classes oil on whosa behalf ~r"I'Co, fasci.t puppet regime Ia resorting to the uf murder both openly and secretly, All throughlha public meetlng, the speakers and mass parti35

86

Fmsr

QUAR1'l~R

STORM OF 1970

FEBRUARY

18

PUBLIC

MEETlNG

87

eipanta vigorously demanded the overthrow of ,""IIt1y, the demonstrators were able to make imperialism, feudalism and fascism. "'lOy into the embassy grounds and building. to A dramatic pre •• ntntion re-enacted the U.S. whatever they could as Ii forceful expression quest or the Pbtllpninea, tho local mimicry of people's protest against the transgression of dent imperialist culture and the brutality of ,,,v","ignty and territorial integrity by U.S. puppet politiciana. It gave focus to the heroic 111 nlism. sistance made by the studenta against the I h. fascist puppets converged on Roxas Blvd. to troops and police in what is now known as the their master, All major serviees of the reof Mendiola. armed forces and the metropolitan police Many people also came with with all their available forces. Immediately, denouncing Japanese imperialism Irul U.S. military officer in civilian clothes took imperialism as p"rtner~ of U.S. imperialism. lover the puppet troops and police, local re\l'Tsion,ist renegades wanting to sneak into Hili once more they were outwitted when the mass mass action shuddered at the comuruhenslve scope 1lllnlOnstratOI"s. broke up into -Be'vl;1:l"al group'! and the protest. P,'CviOl,.II', thoy had gloated over eked such alien •• tahltshrnenta aa Oaltex, E~so, fact that the fascist puppet chieftain Marc",. I and other Imperialist enterpriaes. They been singling out tho "Maoists" ns hi. enemy avoided doing hurm to petty bourgeoia and maldng asa urances that be would cooperate with bourgeois establishments, witb the exception reviaionist ccunter-revolutionarlea. " iro.sip center owned by a p •.id back of the Mar. From Pia," Miranda, n wave ot people f"""ist puppet r.gime who has been virulently in lhe direction of lI{alacaiiang Palace. tbe national democratie movement. Nev.,.. outwil1:ed, practically all the fascist brutes there were plainclothesmen and hooligans <lithe city police to the crack troops of the 1"[1 by the roM!st puppet chieftain Marco$ and naries deployed themselv •• in the vicinity notorious co-puppet Villegas to indiscriminately fascist puppet chieftain'. fOl'tification. Br'illiantlll:;I""k private vehicles and small establishments in " the people marched wave upon wave ~1I1" attempt to smear the high prestige of the U.S. "mba ss y to their just indignation I ,,,,,,,strators. U.S. imperialism, the No. 1 enemy of the All through the night as the faseist brutes arpeople and master of the Marco. fascist. puppet ,. lou and beat up people at random, tile number gime. t those ,..,sisting tbem swelled. The resistance of For the first time, Iohe cut ...· and inner II.. people of ManUa spl'Md as far as the student e>f the U.S. embassy were broken by uIlrters of Samp a toe, with that porttcn of Claro charging with sticks, stones and horne-made , Recto Avenue bounded by Legarda St. and Que""o

."P''''.

88

F1RST

QU"RTER

STORM

O~

1970

FEBRUARY

18 PUBLIC

MEE'rL.'1G

89

Blvd, as the focus. The patriotic .truggle the fa.cist brutes ecntinuad until the we. the f~lIowing day. People threw evel'y po ss ible po •• ble object at them from wlndows and >"Oof The. Puppets Apologize to 'I'heir Imperialist

The lIlarcos fascist puppet regime, through old running dog of U.S. imperialism, had iy prepared an abject 1I0te of apology the U.S. umbaasador and CIA agent l'lYl'oade hi. not. of protest scoldin If the local puppet, their "dereliction of duty". At the bidding of imperialist master ... all the 'local reacttonarlca the patl"iotic mass action 8~ '(riotous vandalism". truly deplorable puppetry of thea. reactionaries came obvious when the people recalled that the government had not even cured to make a three diplomatic letters 01 the Phlllppine government concerning the murder of Filipino" U.S. perscnuel on three separate occasion s. Insinuating themselves in a meeting of ment tOt· a Democratic Philippines, the Iuticnary revisionists masterminded by tbe gang raised the questtcn of whether to not the patt"ionc attack against t;,e The kin d of qu es lion rajaa d by these posed once more their utterly react ion" ry It also came to light that a small pack counter-revolutionary pretenders had joined the Miranda public meeting only to try v.inly to OOU""ge the people f,·om marching to the U.S. b.s.y.

With .1I vehemence that they could command, enemies of the national democratic movement 1IIIftemncd the revolutionary violence employed by the ~~1UIHns.tl''Utors as something veeriI1g from the subpeace th.t they wished. The reactionaries '1IllIpletely obscured the counter-revolutionary violence JlII"".h.d by them against the people. The cruder 1''''III.gllJ)dist. among tbem complained most a bout the .• UHnnt assault on the U.S. embassy. The more cle1 umong them attempted to diseredlt the main cur, III or the public meeting and snbsequent demonII 11ion by t:omplai.ning about tho peripberal actions. ,I Ihose platnelothesmcn and hoollgnna ordered by Ikilh )/[arc,", and Villeg.. to attack private vehicle. 11.1 small e.stabli.hmenls_ The big hullaballoo raised by the reactionaries ,hlllll the well-placed blows agaiust U.S. imperialism 1"111 by the demonatratcrs was actually meant to "II''''ITO the fact th.t seores of plIM!otic demonserators "'"0 br IIIn ll.y trea ted by the reactionary troops and I",lic" In the \.icinity of tho U.S. embossy and ~fa10""il&ng Palace. No gre.ter harm could be mode by II,,,.. fascist brutes only because the demonstrators 1111,1lear-ned how to resist and outwit them. Th. broad masses of the people, Including poll lva elements in the metropolitan newspapers, whole1,,,,,,·t.dly welcomed the pat.ciotic attack again.t the II K embassy. In answer to the raaetion a"y com"II'nts that it was uncalled ror, they angrily retorted Ihilt the demonstrations had cost U.S. imperialism ,,"1~' a few dollars worth of glass and fur-niture. Even If tha U.S. embassy had been leveled to the ground, II,,· Bn'OODt of des truction is nothing compared to a II,

1,,1"'0.

90

FIRs',· Qu,mTEll STOl\M O~ 1970

Ft:BRUAllY 18 PUllLIC

MEETING

91

day'. pl'ofit or bloodsucking by U.S. monopolies the oppressed and exploited Filipino people. For the last seven decades, U .S, :Empet'ialism continued to enjoy t.he fruits of conquest which tailed the murder of a, least 250,000 Filrpincs the Piliplno-amerfcnn War. Until now, U.S. base personnel continue to murder Ftllplnos soot-free with the fulf protection of their ment. More powerful blows agninst and its local puppet die-hards are The symbolic attack against. the U.S. but appropr-iate pad of general preparations tor Ballgu.inary struggles to reeist and oust U.S. r-ialiem. Even as the puppet reaeticnarles to unleash camnalens of suppreesfcn. the people are bracing themselves for and more. determined revolutionary

mol'. revolutionary violence begets more revnluticnary tenee, the fa""i.t puppet chieftain Marcos called C<lrnp Aguinaldo provinei",l govetnQI'i! and city and instructed them to organio:e "strike fcrees" tbe people. Little does be •• em to realize ean no longer intimidate the people who are increaSingly angry at him tor intensifying their ploitatiou at the bidding of U.S. imperialism and local ruling elaeses. Many, if not most, of the students now him in the street. of Manila will themselves

Faseiat Puppet Chieftnln Marcos Field of Combat Refusing to learn the lessen that

"von to their respective home provinces to ext he issue of imperialism, feudalism and fascism ."xrwess them in the most concrete terms that will lea I'll from the rna •••• s themselves. As 0.1 ]lOOp le in the provinces 11a ve already sea "ted IIHluifest their indignation against Ma,["Cos as the I pelittcul representative of the entire rotten sysAs armed force is being prepared against them local tyrants, they should eonsider as a good for exposing in a sharper way the tybeing suffered by the people and 101" proving' Ht'l:eS8ity of people's war in the countryside. As (I"ld of combat Widens, the Marcos fascist puppet L' and its imperialist masters as in Vietnam will their- financial snd manpower resourees more ed, Marcos faSCist p~ppet regime cannot always people. It cannot indefinitely shoulder the for "loyalty" rallies and for a bigger milmachine. It will do So on!y by aggra vsting [uflation th.t has already beset the nation and .'xposing further the malevolence of his puppetry • U.S. imperialism. U.S. imperialism itself ts 1I0W I ""Fou.ly over-extended all over the world and ia IHI~j·j.ng grave politiea) and economic eriaes. III ,II" long run, the foolish effo." of the Mar<:o9 tascis! 11~'11Il'it regime to save itself witb more vicious means III only t:•• ult in it. more rapid downfall. At tbe moment, the euunter-revclufionary dual d ;0. being employed by the Marc"," fascist· puppet , ~Ime only reveal the desperate situation Into which II 1108 plunged its.lf. At ODe turn, it tries to sound hllfl('ious in boasting about 50,000 fascist brutes; and

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yet even at this early stag. militant have already shown greater number and ed mtlltauce. At another turn, it tries sweet and cajoling and yet it is l'uthle$sly as j,ypocritical by the objective course of and by the powerful .naly.i. made by the munlst Party of the Philippines, now M."xij!m-Leniniam-Mao T se tung Thought as the retical weapon, The Marco. fascist puppet "egime lance the revoluli01,ary mas" movement ih leader. aud aclj"vists. But it can no long.r "0 without nttncking the p.oPcle and committing The Communi.t Psri;y of rtous political errors. PhilippineS is nOW deeply embedded among the masses of the people. -Awl B(tyan

THE FEBRUARY 26 RESISTANCE

kruptcy of the Entire Reactionary State
the gove:rnm ~11. twas ]&i d b.ute on February Ti'irst, Philippine fascist puppet chieftain Mar"nd Manilll fa"ci,t puppet chieftain Villegas, perIrying botb the Naclcnulfsta and Liberal partie", ired to make use of their executive powers OV61: military and police to quell what was planned Iht., l\iovcment for no Damocratie Philippines as the I session of the people'. congress. Second, the Senate-House committee allowed a paid agent tho Marcos fascist puppet regtme to bog the limehi In "".ting slander against tbe aetiviata and orpru:ticipating ill all previous demonlltraThil'd, the Supreme Court which "lwlI.Y. 'takes in its seeming aloofness and black-robed pomallco more displayed i!~ ugly nature aa a callous II'" ru tl1' of tho state. The reactiollary a tale has in-led to the use of all its appal's tuses fen- coercion, Itt urmy, the police, the prisons and the courts, to WIJr~$$ the J:a.ging national democratic movement. A], 80 •• ,·Iy a atage in the cultural revolution for 1101 people's democratic revolution, all branches of the

93

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tilt.

FEBRUARY

26 RESIST/lNeE trllly compose tbe

95 mine-

govarnmen t, ha ve become exposed to mstruments of national and elasa oppression. it is .tarkly clear that revolution Is the best of edut;at,ion. Without revolution, there would be mls-educatlon and the perpetuation Gf lies. tloual ani! clnes oppresslou would go on so long wrong id."s and fal •• bopes would still pervade olety. Truth which cannot be hod in the i. nOW flaming out from the crucible of the tion ary mass strugg Ie. Despite the decision of tile Supreme holdi~!!" the privilege of Villeg.. 1,0 use power to prevent people from assembling, UpOIl thousands of unarmed people still CO'"rllge.oW ••• embled at Plaza Miranda on February 26 able to demonsn-ate that the real minority of tionar-iea ill Philippine society are r-idlng 1"0 over the real majority of the people. by the stupid decision of the SlIpr"",. Court. 1,000 Manila policemen and another more than Metro-com and armed forces men came in full bat ))".01' and chased people out of Plaza and beat them up. Those who were ;n,Ii."rirninall harmed by the police included people who were crcsalng the public plaza. By its own acta, actionary state bas shown that It is merely tho name of the people to oppress and harm people, The only reason why the real minority eppressors and exploiters ill Philippine society been able to boast of a "aileut majority' previously there was yet no revolutionary such intanslty ..s tb. present to show who

majority The

and who

real minority Is composed of the exploiting whose die-hards do not even make one per III of the population. The real lnajol'lty fa camI of the working eta sa , the peasantry, the Intel, and the patriotic businessmen Who together marc than 90 pel' cent of the population. It the absence of revolutionary .trllggle that the I minority can usurp the name of the toeal rnajorby employing deception and violence. The teal hates revolution because the reactionary sovparties, organizations, schools and other pa'"II'o,n,.H. would b. debunked as nothing but tool. r "ppression and exploitation. Revolution brinp out I" real majority and isolate. the real minority. Arter challenging and exposing the brutishness of police at Pia •• ~lirnnd", the people proceeded ill a of waves to the Sunken Garden. The reverse what Mareos and VIllegas expected occur-red there. III' demonstrators .sha,rpened their determination there 1111 chu'ified who arc the Irienda and who are the "",,,;e. of the Philippine revolution. They took apeI I note of the faot that tho ':'.ctionaries wet'. trying ,lio.,'edit tbe national democratic movement by illlIhllting provocateur. into the demonstration in order wreck petty bourg.oiB and middle bourgeois .. tabhmenta and also evoke anti ..Chinese Chauvinism. Prom Ibe Sunken Garden, nll the ten thousand I ""'''8t1'''I,0". marched te the U.S. emba •• s. From 1111 points of the eity, other demonstrators came to 1"{u''Ce them. The police. b[etrocom, PC and air 'iI' men were tbe,.. in full force, Defiantly, the
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RESISTANCE

97

demonstraters threw stones, sticks and bombs over the heads of the fa.cist puppets the U.S. embassy. A running battle ensued between the demonstrators and the f".elst puppets. A main of five thousand demonstrators stood calmly in of the U.S. embassy as the bulk of the puppet ere of U ,5. imperialism cowered and became aero sa the long fence of the U.S. embass)'. same time, the rest of the demonstrators in groups ran around in circles ,{lS fast as lob a home-made bomb at the U.S. emba as s. • ingle militant was caught in theproc ess, ssme time, demonstration marshalla BaW to it that hired goons of :r.t1ll"COS and Villegas would not as much damage 'On emnll eatabliahments as Tb us, •• veral of these goon" were en ught and with blows by the demonstrators.

The Lie of Liberal Democracy

Upon the instructions of the fo.eeist puppet tal» Mnl"Ws through a hot line, the cit)' f •• cist pet chieft.in Villegas gave order. to IN out more against the demonetratora, This was after boc.iot brute. •• timgted that the dsmonstratcrs run out of smmunttton. But then at tbe same the demonstrators had decided to move out in and in various directions. Under their theory of "hot pursuit:', the brutes gave chase to the demonstrators who to be vanishing into thin air in the Qulap" paloc areas where studant dormitories abound,

an

" quandary, the puppet fools ~e.ort.d to th" bragof throwing. tem- gas bombs at mere spectaund into the windows of student dOl"mifories and I. I' pr ivabe residences. When me poop]. .imply , ~u'dout of the area or were smoked out of their the r eactionary troops and police as eumed them demon .•tratora, gavo chasa and mercila as ly beat I up. As more people got hurt, with truncheons, bu tis an d tear goa bombs, reaistanee and anger f as t in the neighborhood ns on February 18. to shreds all pretensions of the reacstate to academic freedom, the reactionary and police smashed their way into the Philip . of Commerce over the obj"dian. of the president, arrested sud beat up everyone on the camp Us an d ILa 11sacked every rcom. members and students wara forced at gun 1 10 sit down ot the college quadrangle, were heaten PI-~jme more and were taunted by pOliCE: and conI IIIIJlI"Y men. The uniformed rascals also went pinking up things to p(>Cket and planting what would eonstder ns e\l"idenee of "subverstve" actiIee, February 26 unfolded the In-eo! the .ntLre reactionary 8tat e. I Ihe sam. time, they bore out the revolutlonary " rnge of the people in the face of ad versi ty, As. • "live teacher, the reactionary .~ate showed thai 111111 "peaks of democracy and cODstltutlonal rights it II .duall.!' speaks of the privilege of the people'. ru.."I ee to oppre •• the people. This lituth is berne ut ."peei".IIy in time of ertsts for a decadent politIII "ysllem.

On F'ebruary 27, the fasoist pupp.t ohieftain coo pompously declaimed about liberal democracy . • aid that the reactionarv state vMS in no danger a revolutionary overthrow but at the same time threatened to employ more force against tho se d or" to demonstra te ago lnat hi 0 fa"ci"t puppet He even boasted of having under hi. employ atives and radicals, as proof of his eracy". Thi. could be nothing but a bigger "liberal demOC1"RCY" in this period when the people are profusely shedding blood for the new eratic revolution. Deftly making use of Villegas who is under blackmail, M.roo' ia masterminding an nist by.teria calculated to silence tbe people, now adopting tha tncbie of espousing "liberal cracy' ana of blaming everyone else (Osmena, CSM, .Iesuits, ete.) fol' a po.sible palace or aasasai nation plot agai Tl st him to amokesereen tnsaue plan of ass ••• \IID.t1Dg these be fren~;edly locked as "Maoists" on the day following the aacre of four student!< and two ethers. The of asaaasinatdon has characterized the Mnrcee puppet l·.gime, especially in the prcvineea. It be fooli.h for ODe to tail to "e. the sinister behind ~he well-publleissd :Marcos fear 9f "i.a".iTlati and insistent references to the principJe of servation. It is nothing but a flims)r excuse assnsama tion of others, in the face of the mass protest gime. -Any Balla1l

THE MARCH 3 PEOPLE'S

MARCH

IL is now clear that the issues against U.S, imtntlsm, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism are
understood and grasped by the Filipino peoA strong proof of this was the People's March 1111'h was launched last March S. The March :I People's Marob enrued tbe cheers, and support of tile city residents as it .,1,,<1 from tbe boundary of Manila and Que~oll II paosing through the di.tricts of Sempaloc, Sta. ,111., Tondc and Binondo where the masses of worklind poor peopla in the oity dwell. Like nn. ODllillg wave, the ranks of the marchers grew biglind larger numbering more than 20,000 when it ,·hed it.. tonvergifig point at Plaan Lawton. An.w· it proceeded to the U.S. embassy and besieged hi, hated symbol of U.S, lmpertnllsm in the country. Thig is a hard blow to the reectlcnary enemies h" have been desperately smearing the militant de«nstrators and organi.zntioos in the cit).r })y eprood. the lie thnt mass actions and demcnstrations do , •,I cnj oy the support of the mn~.es of the people. The 23·kilometer march which lasted for six '''" shook the whcle city. Angry .log",\!"
I,

"I.

99

l.)' 1'1' )'/11'1,1

'~"wJ.·
\.

)'~)

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100

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QUARTER SwaM Of 1970

MARCH

:I PEOPLE'S

MARCH

101

with "U.S, lmperiausm l", "Down with "Down with the fascist puppet Mal:cos!n live tne Filipino people t·~ thundered everywhere, ever-rising euthuaiaam of the marchers was animated by their spirited chant: "Makibaka, wall matakot I" (Fight, don't be cowed i) workers, students and lntellectnals, the Mul'co, puppet regime panicked like a mad dog, the reactionary state aent thousands of armed troops, police, M etrocom and special supnress mercllesaly the demonetrators. As gUDS, truncheons and tear gas bombs were USCo parse the marchers. M.any were beaten and Many were mtjllstly ~ll'l'ested and jailed. During fieree uttnck by the fascist b~asts unleased by the a.tionnry state, a student aguin died fighting que Sta, Brigida - .ddi,,!! one more. to the ]jot of ro es who have sacrlfieed their lives tu tbe city and ,he coun try.Id. to con till U 0 th ,'ough to the end strllggle for national democracy. The people once witnessed how the ~1arc"" fasoi.t puppet regime 011 behalf of U,S, imperialism and feudalism ruthlessly supnresa the democratic rights of the monstraters, However, the bloody suppression o.f the March People's Ma,'ch failed 10 intimidate the masses workers, student and youth who joined the h ~, la'li!l111ction, It only goaded them more to r..sO!ui'\\.truggle tor national democracy, With I, lntionary\ &;'urage, they fouQ'ht back the fascist
7("

III

military troop. with stones, bottles, placard handl es 110me-made born be. While this revolutionru'Y and courageous struggle 'hp city has inspired the armed sh'uggl. waged UH~ r:oLtntrysiae by the New People's Army UDder leadership of the Ccmmunlat Party of the Philipit has also shown how urmed struggle in ths would enliven with news of victories the nhttionary mass aetinns and strugglE!! in the city.

the People's March

~l'he March 3 People's l\fal'eh ts another wave Ihe h.igh tide of mas. neticna and demonstrattcna the past month. of January and February, It is the national democratic cultural revoluis now increasingly I'aging allover the 'Phia cultural revolution clearly explains the aa",,"I democratic character of the present .tage of l'hllippine revolution. 1t shows th,,! it. main ,"ts are U,S, imperialism, loeal feudalism and capitalism and lihat it. motive Iorces are I workers, peasants and the revolutionary section 'h. P.ttl' bou rgeoi sie, 'rhls cultural revolution sharply points out that , uni), road towards the triumph of t.he national I·mil(,Tatic revolution is armed struggle under the ,h'r.hip of tho working class and the Communist I IIl'Ol' of the PhiHppill"", Th. cultural revolu.tioD is 1'08ic preparation for nationwide advance of the I ",do'. war In tbe countryside, The People's March bas brougbt closer and :made urgent to tbe breed messes of the people the

eC

"'Ii'"

fll'JW'f

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FIRST

QUhR'fEH

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Or 1970
tur

MARCH 3 PWPI.E'S

M6BCH

103

necessity of the sb'uggl. against U.S. feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism. It ls now ly understood by the broad masaes of the tbat the ruth]." exploitation of U.S. imll&rialism its local reactionary allies i. the root cause oj .e,,·ty ami oppreaaion of the Filipino nation. [bey can correctly interpret the present of the peso, high prices of commodities, merit, widespread hunger and saffefing, corruption in the government and decadent It is also widely understood that only through stru gg I. can the people br-lng about the downfall the enemies of national democracy. The People'. March ts a clarion call for widespread and more intensified mass nctions, cially among the toiling people. The strike by tens of thousands of drivers in Manila paraly zed t'·8l1l1po,·tation in the Tho t these strikers coord in a led wl tb ting youth ond student. Is a Sign of a ing unity among the people, especiaUy the and the student youth. Th ar e i. no doubt that March a People'. March g~vc testfmony to such n t·j otic un ity. 'I'here is DOW 8 very strong that a storm of workers' str-ikes would shake ill the near future side by side with the armed struggl. of peasant fightcr~ Jn Enemy At Tactics of Deception

It'll of the people. It is important in the atrugnational democracy to recognize the various II or deception, to (!."<poseand oppose them. II!'"ding th. list of the target. of alander and 'I~". of the reactionary state and the pseudo-revouu-lcs at'. the Communist Pn,'ty of the Philipthe New People's Army and other x.vQlutiooru·)' "r gani-mlions. An example of t11i. is the fake published in the PMlippi". Coll.gi"'~ of U.P. , em-rying tbe patently forged signature of the runnder-in-chief of the New People's Army. I"~ I"ted in tll. fake letter that it is dangerous for ",tudent.s to continue their demonstrations aga-inst imperialiem, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism uu•• it might end up ill a coup d'.tnt like whnt in Indonesia or that it might pave the way " more n.thl ess puppet of U.S. imperialism. Thi .. J( shameless attempt to "over up the condemnable Ilputl'Y of thel"eac!ionary Marcos ndminlatration to . Imperiahsm and to wash ita hand" of the blood in the city and in the ""iry"ide. 'l'lli. trick of branding g.nuifie revolutdenar! .... n, mles of the people can no longer deceive the IIIUU~es who now recognize WIlO their friends are and h1l their enemies are. MOl"e and more people now "'I'pt and grasp tbe correct line and leadership of 11111Communist Party of the Philippines for • vichlr'ious national democratic revolution. Another eounter-revelutlonarv intrigue which is imed to whip up hatred against atauneh supporters ,r the people's democratic revolution is the racist nti-Ohinese Iine peddled by CIA agents like Bagat.

present, tho enemy is cudgelling' its think out WilY' to destroy or weaken the for national democracy. The policy of the other face of the same coin of the fascist

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105

sing, aeabs like Oea fi.nd B em .ndez and nth. r1I Th"ough a put-up and fake student orgaui •• tion, tln reactionary state has attempted many time. to ml lead the masses of the Filipino people in thai 1" strtl1 !rIo al>ail,.t U,S_ Imperlahsm, feud.Ham and bureau urat capitalism by eBpou~ing a, eo-called Ifauti ..Chinc)l lmperialism" battle,c:.l'Y. Yet the. anti-Chiuese l'aci.Hl are actually agents of botb the CIA and the Chiau bandit gang. The Ftlipinc revolnt Ionaries appreciate and Tt cogni.e. the fact that the People's Republic of Chj,,~ is the iron bastion of the international r.vol~tjon""~ movement and the staunchest ally of the people. "I the world in strug"gJe against U.S. Impertalism, nw dern revlaionism and nIl reaction. The Rad-baitin tactic of the die-hard anti-ccmmunlsts becomes rtdl cLtlQI"lS now that the mnsaes 0,( the people thcmaelvc m.. fighting their I'eat ClU9 enemies. The reaotIonary state has been getting the holl' of the counter-revolutionary l'evlstonist Lava eliqu to di""redit and sabotage true revolutionary orgftJl izations, By hoisting it. banner of "peaceful approach.' the revisiontst Lava clique has betrayed the massv of the people by closing its eyes to the murder, torture, illegal arr •• t and other fcrma of pel'secutien used IIY the Mm'cos ra.ci.t puppet reg-ime, AD undeniable example of the despicable count"" revolutionary trait of the counter-revclutionarv "0,,1 • ioniet Lava clique Is the slander levelled by the Lava-contrcllad Malayang Pagkakaisa ng Klibataang Pi lipino (MPKP) against the porticipants of tbe March 3 People's :!.lucb. While the demonstrators foullht back in self-defense against the f"".i.t military troop.

.""rdLng the U .S, embassy, the extremely small band revisionist traitors separated it ae lf from the massIl( demonstrators, sat it O'l1t there in front of the unmindful of the bloody suppression of the Mru:ch and enjoyed the prctectlon of the M"h'ocom no less. The MP KP also issued to the press denouncing the ravnlutfonary r •• orted to by the workers and students in defense against counter-revolutionary violence. group even boasted that they .had nothing to do th e U.S, ooub"s.y .trugg I•. satisfied in accusing the demonstrators as _~.,,'d.I"", the reactionary government fielded it~ hired and agents to infiltrate the ranks of tbe deU;i:trHtOl.-S. These goons. and agents were instructttl stone an d d•• tl·oy small p ,'1vat. est., b]j shmen Is jng it appear that the demonstrators were TIIi!lS· for these acts of destruetton, Th. flushing of a plainclothes Metl'ocom agent who lobbed a gas bomb amld.t the damonatrators was a clea r of this dirty tactie of the reaetdcnnry mill1ny lJUint a bnd pielure of demonstrations, It is argued by the enemtes of national demothat mass actjoD:S and demon$tl'ation9 81"e causthe criais In the economy, The trutb, however, hnt the growlng dieeon tent of the masses of the • in the ccun tryside nnd in the citi e. is caused be very servitude of the Marcos reactionary reto U.S_ imperialism and felldalism . Tlu'oughils .hired publicists, the reactionary state ,Iosp.,ately trying to describe tbe t1emonslr.tiono Ihe making of R Hnoi:sy" mtnortty". The eerlea people's march", have belied this, Everybody

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knows how the mas •• ,; of city residents have appr« elated, joined Or supportcd the demonstrati OIl 5. Nil eeunter-revolu tt no r,,'Y P!'opn!':anda can deny the 1",\ that the national democratic revolution wiH aohiev victory because more than 90 per cent or the rnn.s~I' the workers, the pensants and progressive int('1 lectuals 111"' on the side of the revolution, The vilification enmpaign and tactics of deception of the enemy against the national democratic 01o,'. ml!Jlt will never cease, and the mo re they will be [11 bmsiiied as the: revolution advances, Indeed, to IJ attackerl by the enemy is n good til in g.

The fast l."i;sing revolutionary movement can no k"'~.r be stopped. 'rhe broad masses of the people r.1 now certain III \'icwl1' because there is 00'"," the !Tect leadership of the Communist Party of the utlppinee which is guided by Marxism-Leninism-Mno Thought. the months to come, there will occur more inand more widespread mass action" that will shake the regitnc of U.s. imperialism, feudaLism buranuerat capitalism. The mighty crushing thot this movement will deal the enemy will open wide!- the road of the national demo-

Broaden the Revolutionary Front

While we loy bare and fight the ccunter-revolu tiona>'Y schemes of the enemy of tha national ~"m uratic revolution, it is neeessarz to expand the reve lutionatl- front. The present excellent "."olu,tlon", situation offers the be.t oppol·tunity to unit. undo the banner of national democl·.tic revolution all I classes oppressed and exploited by U.S, imperralia feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism. The past mass actions and demonstrations whit' have wen mainly pnrticipated in by tile youth "" • s tudents have shnkan the whole nation and have fear among the ruling classes, It must be r-eecgni ...,1 tI1~t these patriotic actlone constitute a fOI'wllrd sl~ towards a more intense struggle of the broad m""r of working people for national democracy. Ever revolutionary must devote his full attention and l' tort. to fiI'mll' integrating tlte actlvlttes of tb. youil and students to the workers' movement in the eil and the peassnt mov ..rnent in the countryside.

-A"O Bauan

MARCH 17 POOR PEoPLE'S MARCH March

109

ON THE MARCH 17 POOR PEOPLE'S MARCH

Hundreds of thousands of people once throngad the .treetll of Manila and suburbs 17 during the Poor People"s M81'ChIt the aer-ies of mass actions. in what is f'i.."t Quarter Storm of 1!Y10 launched of workers. peasants, student youth and '''''''I',•ssive tellectuals ill the cities and oountryside to o_ ,eltLOn"cr'., their persisbent struggle agalnBt the evil. _ imperialism, reudalism and bur •• uerat capItalism. •• -eh 17 Poor People's Marcil was another srare . th it}' tion of support made by the messes In ne c . tho people's democratic ,'evolution, particular!)' ~o" armed st!'llgg Ie now being, reaolu tely waged y Communiet Psrty of the Philippinea and the People's Army. The Mal'ch 17 POOl' People's March isolated and excluded the black bourgeOl" l.lRvn's, the Pbilippine agents of modern Many (ff those pr,,"iou.ly h""dwink.~ by ter.revolutiona1'Y tool of U .S, irnpel·.i.ah~m the political bankruptcy of the revisionist and adopted tile slogans raised by the revolution •• ,
masses.

108

The March 17 Poor People's Marchstal't.d beI neon with the four groups of marchers coming I Cour separate pointe: Quo.on City, Makati, Oawun and Tondo. Wave upon wave, the marchers IIt' rged at the uni versit,\' belt in Sampaloe aree _ numbering' tens of thousands, they were to and joined by thousands mere of cheering coming from the many colleges and univerthe a rea. From Sampa lac, the march era through the maln streets and avenues of Maou its way to Plaza I1lotion es in Tondo to conthe public trial for U.S, imperialism, feudalism, Mnro"s fascist puppet regime and other big eneil PI' of the Filipino III asses. au nd reds of tho uaands filled tile sidewalks as r es ideuta poured out of theil' houses to applaud , )";11 the march. Bverywhera .till more people from hurried to reach up with the gigantic The people cheered and shouted words of and eneeurngarnent. 'fhe.YI espea,jnlly the POOl" of Sts, Cruz and Tendo, manffestcd their suphanding out to the marchers food and recigarettes and cash contributions. The rchers became even more. enthusiastic in holding I h their banners and placards. Newcomers reinrred the march and made it, even more vlgoroua and llltnnt, Workers came out of tho factories to ebeer the I rehc... and express their support, Thousands of 1_"", left their chores and joined the rnareb. The II")' people in stores and mar keta pauaed from their i1rk to watch and cheer the massive march. The

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M..\RCli

111

March 17 Poor People', March once more exposed lie that nafiunal democratic mass actions do not joy the support and sympathy of the masses of people, Tho intense "Ummel' heat and the blistering kilomater meandering trek to Plaza Morlones broke !he revoluticnary spirit of the marcher s. ger and th.irst and fatigue never made them the ranks of the march. Thousand. 01 le!lflets nnd manifest" •• the Jssuea of tho struggle "gains! U,S. reudalism and bureaucrat capitalism were to the people along the way. G'·•• ping line of people's democratie revolution, the lofted banners and placards proclaiming, "Long people's war 1"', "Political power gl'O"''' out of the rei of a gun", (~People's war is the answer tfal law" and "Long Iive the agra rtan Through their placard. and banners, the nouneed and condemned U.S. Imperialisrn, and bureaucrat capitalism, All throughout the march they sang revolutionary "OOll'" and chanted now famous chant: llMakibaklt, huwagC"Fight, don't be cowed !~~). The. Poor People's no part of the gl'OWing cultu .. l revolution was aimed to arousa and mobilise the a. people's democratte. revolution.

nnd tried, Effigies of the criminals were dieon lne stage at Plaza Morion.s, Various kers representing the participnting orgauizationa ~roup$ in tha march took turns in .tating and I tlK the colossal Ci·imes 'Of t.he people's enemies. l'ointed out as nmcng the biggest crimes commitU.S. imperialism against tho Filipino people 'I'ha devaluation of the peso and the p"8dioe Iuteeuntionnl usury through the International Mo1')' Fund. WOl'ld Bank, U.S, private bank. and imperialist banks; .~j Economic plunder of the Pbilippines and suI".orit remittances by the U,S. monopolies; H j Masterminding the f".ci.t suppression of the 1111nopeople and the manipulation of the MarcOll t regime, tlte milltary and police against the t .Lic mesa movement ~ and 11 'I'ransgressio» of Phjlippine sovereignty and ,!'IInry and er irninnl ads inside ""d outside of U,S. I ry- bases ill tbe countr-y. Mare"" fascist puppet regime Was held resfor the following crimes' Rising pl'; cas due to puppetry 10 U.S. Impathe oppression and exploitation workers, peasants, students and other patriotic .....nts of tho population by U.S. imnerialtets, land141'1 nnd bureaucrat, capitalists; :11 Ccloaaa I graft aud corruption; ,1) Fascistic acts of his .rcgtmc like maaaaerea, IlMSinations and other coercive activities suppressing
I he

The People's Court

The pubhc and bureaucrat ]lm..,b 17 Poor exploiting and trial for U,S. Impartallsm, capitalism was tne People's March. The big opPl -e ~sinl!" the Filipino people

112

FIRST

QlJARTER STORM OF

1970

MARCH 17 POOR PllOPLE'S MAlt!· u

11.1

People'. demoeratic rigM. in both city and side ; and 5) Fraud and The masses of workers, peasan ts and youth attending the public trial shouted their m on t and condemn. tion of U.S. Imper! al ism an d M""<0' fascist puppet regfm e, The Manila fascist puppet chieftain was also to trial for his complicity with U.S. impertalism the rascist puppet Marcoo regime in the brutal pression of mass. actions and demonarratione city and £0" the murder of Beven young tors, Genuine labor leaders took turns fake labor lead ... s like Ople, Oca and others in&" out their crimea against the Filipino uJi."\S3. The elerieo-fasclsts, the. Anti ..Oommuniat and tno 1QC.f1.1 Kuomiut .... :rng- reactionartes were exposed and denounced. The reactionary courts, gress and the reactiona ry mass media were also and condemned as instruments of U.S, and domestic feudalism. Peasant lender's also denounced

true "rmyof tho people "1r"III~1 IJ H h"I'" feudalism and bureaucrat capibtiitull 1\ 1,-,1'\" l~lIZ' was cheered the longest when Iw \tIJU 1'l1j(IIHlI . 1111: "As we have the people's. march, IIii' 1I1'1l1l1i;'i'j and the people's 'tribunal, we 11mI'., I hI' rl"~.' u!'my. too, the Ne.w People's Arm.". I ""HUt 1I~lll Now People's Army 1" 'Phis expression of support for the N~w r'I'n'llt~!'" 1\. which is under the leadership of Ull~ ("orin.".! I'"rty of the Philippines, ia to be .xpo"l,>rl r"""r ntnaaea of demonsh:atora. and marehera hi Vlj l\' uf (ILot that they clea riy recognlee the truth of ChILIre.,£no's statement.: U\Vithout u people's nr-my, Lhc I have nothing," The people's nrmy is the inHLruIor- .",,"utlng the people's judgmellt.
til.
4

Mo~e Fascist

Viole.nee

counter-revolutionary acta of class eollaborabion, tulatiouism and beta-ayal like begging of from the Marcos fasci.st puppet regime, with landlords to oppress the peasant. anil 3ctivities among the masses, A!te~ the repudiation of the .gang.ter clique, the thousand. of the trial publicly acclaimed the

C"'"S

Ilafore, during and lIi.reh 17, tho 10.81 rem-iea led by their fasciat puppet ohien.i" tried nmke use of their power to counteract the POOl' III !t~Is. Marcn. 'l'hrcugh the reactionary rna". media, the Marcos I.t PUppet regime spread the lie that the marchers commit acts of vandalism and destruction to At the sa me thne, it save order. to the puppet chieftain Villegas Dot to i•• any tally ue Vfltegae at first refused to grant the permit for march 011 the fl.im.y ground tlult he did not know "",,ally t.he parsnn who applied fer- the pel'lllit. But jj"lI"i ng that the broad rna."." of the people would "h through with the march even without the per-

"ft.,·

114

FmST

QUARl'ER S1'OR~

OF

1970

MMCH

17 POO11 PEOPLE'S

MARCH

115

mit, Villegas

issued

it at tile .Iev<;uth hour

much dilly-dallying. Having failed miserably to stop tho Poor pl.', March, the Morea. f."ciat puppet regime ed to viulent means. At the .tart of the llce, hired goons ana plainclothes military tors lobbed tear gas bomb. .t the ranks marehers. Obviously, it was an attempt to and disperse the marchers from proceeding to JIIloriones. At Plaza !';Iorione. before the start public trial, secret agents of the reactionary ment hurled R tear gas bomb ill the dh-eetien • tage. They missed thei r tn rget and instead exploded neal' a ~1·OUp of children. This serious injllries to the children and uiseomroce entire neighborhood in the vicinity. tors ,,,I .. r~"d themselves and caught one the pet of Jobbing a home-made bomb at the marchers, A bottle between the marchers military brutes carne when the march the U.S. emb nssy. Thou,and. of military troops tho bridge. l.ading to the U.S. ombaSsy. But marchers overp-owered them and broke through cordon. NOOI· the U.S. embassy, the brute. their tear gas bombs at the marchers. The retaliated by throwing- their own home-made at t.he ene,my. The police and military troops nttseked the marchers wi th their tr uncheona an d )lta.nY marchers were .injured but they fought rageouBly with their placard baudles, stick., bottles and home-mad. bombs. Utterly fascist b..ut ea fired their Il"WlS at the people,

... iously and \njp.,.ing several others. The battle [01" some hours u:ntilthe marchers dlsperaed. III then on, the pobee and the military troops beat lilt arreated the remaining marchers who were lola to slip through the cordon of the reinforcing nnd who were helpless as th.)' were unarmed. 'I'he fascist brllta.liby inflicted by the ]lbrGOs {allI,"wet regime Oll the partkipant .. of the March "uor People's March will long remain in the of tho people. It shows how so utterly af ra id MllfCOS r.sc;"! puppet regime Is of mass crtticlsm II would resort to brutality and murder .

Prairie Fire
'I'he revolutionary .t,·ug-gle of the masses 01 tho ,,1110 people against U.S. imperialism, feudalism I Iurreaucrat capitalism Is vigorously developing "Khollt the country. Ne\'er before have the manties and provlnclal centers witnessed a storm nmsslve I·allies, demonstnatlcns and strlkes as ill months of January, February and March. By ,'lHl of February alone, the masses in the connulu have launched " eueeesslon of more than 40 democratic mug actions of unprecandented I':ve.o before the hi.tor;c January 26 and 30 masrtemonetaaticna, students, teachers and progressive in numerous coUe,ge,s and universities iJJ I ". outside of Manila were already holding protest Ik". aguinst the reactionary educational system and hlflt the national ertsts bred by the 1I18rc08 puppet The storm of rallies, demonstrations and

us

Fmser

QUARTER

STORM

OF 1910

MAl\CH

l? POOII PF.oP"~ 's MAIlcli

117

strikes in Manila greatly stirred the maasea people in the ccuatryside to action. Open mass Ifl... $0011 CAught fire among the peasants in such province. as Negro. and Laguna under extreme landlord oppresaicn. Not to by the deliberate silence of the reactionary dia were the indignant voices of the workers in cities and provincial centers who struck and demonstrations to demand Increase in wages up wlth lJ:Je deereasmg value of the paso about by devaluation. Following the Maloch S Peopla'a "March and Match 17 P~or People'. March, the massea of ers, peasants and student youth in a signifiCAnt he,' of provincial cities and capitals peraisted in ing their own people's marches. Aside from local i8l!ue. and problems, lJ:Je people in the side joined the attaek again.t U.S. impei-laliam, dalism and bureaucrat capitalism. Through their ifestoe.s and banners they expresed their support the national democratic struggle. The re,rolutiomll"Y mesa actions in the aide were likewi." brutally suppressed by the fasolst puppet regime. Tn Bagnio, Cebu and many demonstrators and youth ilctiv:i::Jts were arrested and eh argcd in court. Throu gh the bureaucrat capltali.to, the PC provlnelal command local pollee, the Marcos puppet regime unleashed eist violence upon the rna •••• in the countryside. provincial "strike forces" was purposely terrorize and cow them. However, despite th"struggle of the masses in the provinces more widespread.

Undeniably, the "evolutionary struggle of the o! tho people in the city and countryside has inspired by the heroic armed struggle of the People's A,'my under the guidance of the ComParty of the Philippines in NortherD and CellThe victorious and successful mllit."y of the New People's Anny in inflletdng to enemy bronp" ha ve greatly encou raged of workers, peasants, student youth and in Ie llectuals all throughout the country to their fight agamst thel r exploiters. and ep-

-Aug

Bay,,,,

JANV AllY 30

INSURRBCTION

119

oj

AND THE JANUARY 30 INSURRE

By JOSE F, LAC.<BA (PMlippin.. Free Pr.••• Feb\',,"ry

JaI1UQ,y 26 seemed ."plo"'Ve enough - but it a whimper compared wiih the horrendous bang ,TruluRry 30. The papers called January 26 • 1'1 Jal'tllary 30 was something else. (iThis is 110 a r-Iot," said a police officer. "This is. an tion." And the President ""Iled it a revolt revolt by local Maoist Communists." January 26 Was "Mondsy. On Tue.day the deuta met to pion " series of new ..-alii•• police bmtality, and the President conferred with lice offlelals. On Weilnead a ;- the Preaident 'had a with some student leader. in Malacaoang. On day four groups of demcnsbratora, one of by u.r. P residentS. P. Lopez hi.msetf, tnneou s demonstrati ona R t Mal.Mllang, Mabotnilad. On Friday several other .tudent hol<l n sit-in outside the Malae.afiang gates ju~t uS their rnanlfestation was about to end. nH hroke Ioose.

118

Tuesday, about 120 Ieaders, repr •• enting S6 school. at least a doe en national youth organtzatiene, at the Far Eastern University. NUSP PresJ opson of the Ateneo presided over the meeting, during which a resolution was demanding the resignation of certain officia!J; luw eurorcement agencie., and Friday was set as B~arMnlr date of the serlea of rallies, While th,e t. were conf"rr!ng a! the FE U, the President a huddle with law enforcement officials in He told them to be "more !ol.,·ant to r utu I"B leaders of the: COU.Il try piland ordered .them rop the cha ..·ge. against tbe students arrested on 26_ Wednesday, lIlayor Villegas announced that the lla l'{)lice would atay aWRY from future demonto avoid trouble, but they would stand by, beok and call iJ; violence erupts." The NUSP Nation.1 Students' League ,,,jeoted an in,,;meet with tbe President in Mal.caiiang, Saypreferred to have the talks on Friday. Angroup of student leaders went there anyway heard the Pr ... ident .a)' , "I pe·r.onally do not to have anything to do with the C<>n.titutioDal The Senate and the House created a to In.eatiga te the "toot c. uses of demonin genel'a I:' The Manila police filed comI s of alarm and "caudal against 18 student. caught the b.ttle of Burgo. Drive. "The whole world In felment and youth is on the march," said Btl.· . General Vicente Raval of the PC. "It i••• that, in our country, we take the greatest care ,Ieali"g with the problem," He proposed the im-

1.20

Fm.ST

QUARTM

STORM

OF

1910

JAJIlJ,V!Y

30 INSURRECTION

121

mediate acquisition of "non-lethal equipment" for II police and urged th.t they be re-trained in "the hiUl1 sensitive science of dealing- with demonstrators." Thursday, there were four groups of demonsttors. Students rrom the Philippine Nonnal Colli and members of the College Editors Guild of Pltilippines beld separate ralliaa. Students from University of the East gathered fir.t at then moved on 10 MailarniJad, where trouble avoided when a policeman whcsa jeep waa atoned ply drove awny without "fight. When the UE dents left Mnlacanang, the UP profess'!.rs, led by P, Lopez, I1.lTi ved and were angt ily reprimanded the President: "You youl'Sel" es are vague and fused about the issues you have raised against government." Th. Pre,<ident challenged any nist in the group to a debate, and when a leader accused him of using the army and the Forces in the electj<>ns, he asked: "Are YOU beral1" Meanwhile, police re porters agreed distinctive uniforms When cove-ring avoid being stoned by students and clobbered And then it was Friday, January SO. Again~ there were aim 1.IItane.QUS To Congress wenl members of the KM, the SDK, MPKP, and othel' mllitant ·groups. The NUSI' the NSL rnarehed to Mn]acailang. At about three in the nflernoon, Jopson, Ilugan of the NSL, and other stlldent into Malacafiang for a meeting with the Sometime post five, the ralty at Congress to an end, and the demonstrators marched laeafiang, arniving there a.t about six.

specific event preeipitated the battle that out to other parts of tlte city, and laeted till the next day, may never be known. The stuwho came from Congress claim that" 8S they approaching J. P. Laurel Street, they heard somethat sounded like firecrackers going off. Whell got to ],1alacafiang, the crowd was getting to be It was growing dark, and the lamp" on the gat. had not been turned on. There 'fSind.ihun ang ·dfJ:w! Si1Mtihan any ita"WJ~1 obliged, Ib e lights went on, and the" ! a oock b lasted out on. o,f the lamps. One by the lights were put out by stone. 0, sticks. A commotion was now going all at ihe Mendiola of the Palace. A fire-truck inside the Palace advanced and trained it. hose. On the student TIle students retreated, and a brio! period of followed. At about seven, a truck from the MaFire Department, re spending' to an alarm, came from Sm. lIfesa, Its str .. ns dead, and slowed d.own rront of St. Jude Church, The firemen probably to blast awny a t the students, but water must be scarce. Nothing but all ineffectual, sputspurt came out of their water cannon. The charged, the truck backed off - but not fa.t The firemen who wore not quick to flee got

W""

rebels now had a captured firetruck at their They drove it towa rd the Mendiol." gate

the breach surged the more daring They had apparently come prepared

for

122

FlRS1'

QUAR1'ER

STOEt.""

OF

uno
over
Illgh

J>IN U AR Y 30

lNSlIRflECTION

128

the assault. The)' lobbed molotov. "lid plll-boxa •• ntu the Palace grounds; the flan_les spread down the rosul when the molotovs crashed to the ground, the nllil and broken piece. of gla!!$ se attered when the l,iIl boxes exploded, Once inside the gate, the reb"l, stoned the build mil'S and set fire to the truck and to II governm'HI car that happened to be parked nearby, Before tilt could wreak mere havoc, however, the GUllrd Batallion came ont in force, They fired 1,,1 the nil' nnd, when tho reb" held their ground, fi' I ten,' gas bombs at them. The rebe retreated; few who were slow on theil' feet, or were bUnded the tear gas, got caught in the Paino" grounda were benten LIp with rifle butts nnd billy clubs good old-faahioned fists and feet. About tltis time, reinforcements from etabulary ar -r ;,,.<1, later to be joined by the nrmv navy, and the Metrocom_ The pattern of the 26 battle was ..epaated ; the milita,'y would student" would retreat; the students would attaek, the militnry would draw back, At about the scldiera bad gained control of Mendiola and Laurel. The student. were holding Tuberins, an d Claro M, Recto; some had retrca ted down and into Q,lIiapo, whei ... looters look advantage situation in the Lacson Underpass, breaking windows and grabhing jewelry and shoes, On Tubel'ias, when I got there at about o'clock, the students wer'e turning away all Th •• oldiers were at the corner of Tuberia. and dtola, and steadily advancing, The students held ground, hurling rooks, until they heard the sound

cocked, Then t.hey scattered, "orne jumpwall. into the yard. of houses, othere "OIUD tartly let in by apartment inhabitants, I witb 9 small group that took "helte,. at the of a dark alley, A boy of about 12, in slipa resldent of the place, saia there was out if we wanted to take a chance, He guided the long dark winding alley, down 'OIl~I'OW past wa 11., smell inil' of unl no, past aeeeesorle a Incadea, until we Came out. to our Claro M, Recto, end of Recto, where it hits Legnda, the were mas •• a, tense, turhulent, fl.ingin.!!' rocks insults at the men in uniform they looked Constabulary troopers - guarding the bridge that to Mendiola, In the center of the cross formed Recio, Mendiola, and Legarda Wag a burning jeep, flames n bdght yellow curtain separating the From tbe left side of Legal'da came more were other demonstrators there, and hail to guard the b"idge against two students, one ottacldng from the front, the attacking from the side, It was at this point, with the students closing r rom Recto and Legn rda, that the troop... started - rnt-int-tot-t<r.t.-tat, the sound of a Thompson gun into the ground, Duat and tiny exploded from the cement and, Where I stood, behind the fronl ltnes, I felt a sudden sharp pain in my chest, I'm hit, I thought, when spot. of blood on my 8bh't f,'ont; but ainee I fan, 1 gingerly unbottoned my ahirt. Imbedright below my r'gbt nipple was an itty-bitt)'

124

FmST

QUARTER SToRM

OF 1970

J>lNUAAY

30 INsUIU!Ec:I'roN

125

pleee of cement. I carefully pulled it out and "'" examining it like a je.weler scrutiniz.ing BOnte precloue gem from the moon when, before my eyes, thenl passed a student, supported by his comrades, one 1)1 hia hands - the !'ight, I thi.nk - now nothlng' mon than R mess of blood and burning flesh, the finge,' dangling' Ilke dead Worm. attached to by R few threads ot broken bone s, I WaS standi ng there in horror student, limping, Pell into my arms. I recognizetl him I", b. one of the students who hnd come with us ttl" ugh the nlley from 'I'ubeo-iaa, wound on his l'ight leg, below the knee, and ancther on the outer ankle bone, A bystander watching froru the sidewalk helped me oar,'Y him up Claro M. Roell" where we found a white car - a Taunua, I think whose owner was good enough to take us to the U1 Memorial Hospital. Tbere they treated my vel'Y mill"r wound, but they could do nothing, they said, for 1111 boy who had been shot in the leg. W. the" took taxi the owner of the ca r had gone back to tI" battle scene, looking for SOltJ. f"uternitoy breda - 111111 brought our ward to the Orthcpedic Hospital, wheu at t.hat V"IOYmoment, a bad luck would have it, emall tire was raging On one of the upper floo,.. The did .om.thing to the X-rays, and the inter" had to put the wounded boy'. l.g in a cast, unnh to cheek if a bullet was in his system. The doctcra at the Orthopedic Hcapitnl agreed 1< let the wounded student stay for the night, until hi Eriends 01" relatt ves <Quid b. contacted; and the by stander who had helped me carry the bOl' now me to his apartment house in Sampaloc for coffee

lu·.

It was about midnight. When We were place, we saw that Leg.tda was still in So we fOl'got an about the coffee and off to battlefield we went again. The d.mol1stmtors had captured an army truck the ma.rket, near a PNB branch, and a noisv on what to do with it was going on. Som~ ted to push the truck into the line of Metrocorn (H'rny men down the 'road, but its wheels had been and tllj. proved til be a difficult task. Others to burn the truck dOWIJ_. an d in deed aomeon e lighted match into the aheeta nf palle,' ~that ,I u m ped in. ide the truck. Another demonhowavar, qUiCKly ju.mped orrlo the truck and out tha fire; the hOUBeB Wei'€! too elcse, ha , ,'P14 nating idamay 'yang 'fuga te». Ie the debate continued, two more 4l"my trucks their headlight 011 the domon.trators and moving' forward, followed by tile soldier". The started throwing stones. Some toughies in WllO had Come out to Jotn the demonstrators but kept awearing under theh- breath they had 110 stock of homemade arrows, "'Me!'l went the shout. t·S'!~mttko ,na. kamo! Rato The soldiera kept advl'lneing, and tbon they firing wIth Thompso1l8 lnto the ground. We e"cept for one boy who did not even .aIled to everybody to return, "Bdlik kayo: he crtad, "Him/i magpap~"p"ulok '""'0 a",'ol.8o I don't know what happened to him, because ancther round of lidng started, I found mys"lf dark alley, witb a new !troup of cornpaII

126

FmST

QUARTER STORM

0 F 1970

J"NlJnRY

30

!NSURItECTION

When I got out again, tile 8"my truck was and the soldiers were back at the COI",er of Recto "Iii Legar<la. A long lull followed, about 30 minu! Then the soldiers started to advance again, SOm'''h hurled a molotov cocktail at them, then chal'K eocking thoir guns and following us right Into ,1,,( alleys where, as before, Ihe demonstrators found d, being opened to them, or people at second-floor dews wa I'll in g them wt tJ> gestures abeu t the I of soldiers in alleys the damonsbratora would entel' aomeb ow got sepa fa ted 1rom all my compa" ion" n foun d myself al]' a lone un del' a mdahan, si ttill II: damp cement. The resident of an apartment hOI across the aUey saw me and d iscr.etly turned off Quiet once more, I emerged from "lY hId place and walked out into a skeet from which I see the church on Eal'D"haw, There was a group of students clustered at the door of an sorts, talking animatedly, and r joined them. I listening to them relaba their experiences When, the corner of Bamshaw and this street we were a squad of Melrocom men appeared, Everybody except myself, two students, and the occupants acce •• crla, who wO'·l·i.dly told us to get ill if we want to get hurt. In the t da rk, din lOy, eeaaorla, the two students an d I stayed fOl" a hour, seated on the steps of very narrow gulpinl!" dOM! S'lusea and g]u"es of water, tAlking ill whlspers - "RebMusy(m fla ito. b~·od/' said u.ntil. the coast was clear. It was three o'clock in the morning when "arne out. Later that morning, tbe papers said

g"'"

127

students, some of them non-demonstl'ators, had killed, Feliciano R<>ldan of FEU, Ricardo AI. I' of UP, Fernando Catabay of MLQ, and BerTaus. of Mapa Higb School. Almost 300 <teo raters and by.tanders were 8ne.ted; most of we,', detained at Camp Crama. 'I'hat night, the P"osiden! 'PP.o,..d 00 televi,ion inform the nation of the "premeditated attack on ~l"{jvernm_enL.t all .net. of reba-man a:nd subversion' h lb. military had suece9~blly repulsed, "T~" that nbtempted Ix> burn Mal.oaftallg'," he •• id, not a mob of students, nor were they Simply 18t1l," They "'",'ed rea banners, earrfed tha flag portion up, "alled the streets thoy OCcupied areas,': and shouted uDa.nte for PI'esidentl'1 ";tid the President, "these were men dedian evlJ purpose, and that is to destroy MaPalace [md/or take it over," Th. plan to :r.r.la ea 6al\8', he went 011, was hatched by or both ot two groups _ "one ot them DllIumiBt.·in',ni,..d and the otber one not Commul

~~

Both groups were Ullder surveillance. nation, the PreSident had • me.sage: tim! tbe situation is under eontrol. Rest that We will malutain peace and order. MaPa]ace is ","On guarded, but mOl'. than this and our government is wall guarded, There takecvm- by any group of the military 0,' of the governmellt. In the matte" of the preparation plans of ,..action agah,st nny attempt to take this government, the action that will b. take" be well-studiad, deliberate. cautious, and legal,

128

FIRST

QUAR'tER

SUlRM OF 1970

and there wlll be no attempt to curtail COnstitution" I :fl'eedom." To the !'insurrectionary elements/' he gave warn lng: "Any attempt at the forcible QverthrQw of tlu government will be put down immediat .. ly. I will "", tolerate nor will I allow Gorrununisl:8 to take over." The same day, the nation learned th.t the retire ment date of Gen_fal R •• al of the PC, whicn was 8UI' posed to be on February 1, had been postponed I., April 1. The eneiri! Armed Forees of the Philippi" were on red .Iert.

: Man.ila. potteetire Pll11ip~i ne Colwllmcr-ee. T(!nSa,C~ 'he IMJno and flrf'est ar!. I"."fae ind1HUng co! .. 'dt!tll DT. Nemesto

an MaTacaiia1l9 !tartS.

a,GRT: The Januarv 30-31 demonotration: 1/1. attack

BEL<>W: The PItIUpp!n. jlllO is overturned: the dem()·nstrut01'S: d~late. W4T agaimt President M Brew. RleRT. BELoW: Stud.e11f.8use police outpo.t to open t~. qa res oj Af glacaiiano Pat@e.

B.£LOw: Th{" storm at MalacQ.11:ang mou.nts, dem.onstrflf. use s-to-ne.s: ... sticks, slingshots, molotou cocktai.l$ and piH lm.•
RI_(,llt'I:

TUns in
ftlGBT.

government fear.

CClT

is burned

whi.le

a MetToco?n

tors is itl turn

OELOW:

A Mo.1lila fire truck esed agaiMt bll;rned by d.emon,s-tratoTs.

demo." I

LEFT' A famous placard.: Marcos portrait witlo labe! "Chief of Monkc~~.

.!~

RIG~T:

hoi lil1g of

the New People's At"mg. A. threat made.

people's
",aT

placard

i.

LEFT, e~l.oW~ A'Pl antf-Ma7'cos poster ~ Marcos is pictuT~d as

Hitl&_
RmIlT. BCWW:

/iTSt

pOpI11arized_

People's Mar"lo: tlo. Dante pl""G,d is

The

II"'"

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PEOPLE'S lVIARCH
By Joss F.
LACABA

People's March, the)' "ailed it, this latest brainof the Movement for a Democratic Philippines, !Let of protest conceived in outrage and fear _ Over the police raid on the Philippine Colof Commerce. fear that the raid waa the presage: " wild witch hunt to com e. Th. march began at two o'clock in the alt.ruoon ~I.rcb 3, Tuesday. The day before, the je.pney , \ ers of Great", Manila had gone on «trike to de. and 811 increase in fares .Ild an end tp tong col. lion by polleemen, By the time the march was ",I)' to start, the drivers of taxis and busea had IWI't) persuaded, by word, fist~ look, or fire, to join 110'je"pn.y drivers' .t.rlke. Virtllally all public ver,'I~. hed disappeared {,'Om tho streets of the city I f1rn1"e 1:1000, and quite a Humber of tbose. pru'ticiI,.ling in the People's Mal"" had to walk, such w •• tlUlil· devotion to their cause, from home. school, or ,iI"co of work just to go to the starting point of the I personauv know One student who, in the

'''II'"

129

130

FIRST

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STOll"'" OF 1970

THE PEOPLE'S

MARCH

131

bent of the noonday sun. ",alked all the way Sta, Ana to the Manila-Que201l City boundary; there be walked the entire 23 kilometers of the pIe's Mareh. and then. late in the night. after driven from the U.S. Embassy, walked acme to get home. He was not the only one who bell of a lot of walking that day. The People's Maroh alone took at least six with only three brief periods of rest it from someone who walked with. tb. WuB uo picnic. T he hot .aun ass culted you]" sweat poured down your back, crnmns poaaessed legs, and your throat cried out for water .every of the way. The cynics who sneer a student. joining demonstration. and say that all they to enjoy a holiday, being too lazy to study their sons, should try joining the next People" March. would be good for their eyn;'al souls, not to their onion.skinned sol es. They may also he on rprised to demonstrators do .njoy popular support. It bas become fa.hionable to put down the monatrationa as the work of a tiny minority of radicals who spout high -s ounding slogans that meaningl... to the man in the street, and who theIr senselese acts of vanda !ism against even cent property owners have olllY alienated 'he whose support they most need. There is n . of talk about the Silent Majority, those nothing more than peace and quiet, and few rdorms in tile roverpment, but to be in as.~decorQus a manner 8:S possible. This sbit.

comfortable people who talk of tho Silent "jori!y in air-conditioned coffeehouse. have picked II Ill. ph, as" from American new~magR.in.. wlthLit unde .. tanding what it really means, In tit. UnibI States. the term ref ....,. to the middle- and the ..rking-cla.s~ AmericfUls who, being beneficiaries of hI' System, have no complaint against the governand are therefore resentfu) of til. neglected and minorities the blacks. tl,e chieanos, the who go out ill the street. to prot •• 1 nthe Syst"m that neglects and oppr ..... them, Silent MajorIty in the United States, it is clear, silent from contentme:nt: they bear no gr-ievan~e~ the Establishment. being tbeJDSelve. pillara of Establishment. But 0'''' Btlent Majority, consisting of leg-ions of unemployed and the uno eremployed, of peasan Is workers who do Dot get their iust ohm -e of "0Hlt~/S goods, are silent out of fear, reaignubinn, or j" pair. Our SUent Majority are the equivalent 01 H! $ufiering mtnorities in the States, and their sir I nee i~ not a sign that they have DO grievance ninst the System which go~" by the name of " emocrafic government. against the E.tflblis,hme"t ",te up of the members of our oozy oligarcby. Wb,," HII' newspaper column ista apeak of "the publie..." they " not refer to this SilCJ1t Majority of the poor and flO' oppre es ed who make up 90 % of OUr population, IHlY refer to the few who can read newspapers, ~lch television, and ride around ill car. or taxi a. address themaalv es to "the peethey want to reach, not the
I

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1970

133 cannot stop ths denl01l&trntions. Th. student. make up the vanguard of thesa demonetraftona be a minority now, but the noiss they are even. the. violent actions they are takJng-, .'co to mspira and embolden our Silent Majo"ity ill the factory and the tenant ill the hahave b~.n silent fOI' so long, accepting of oppressron with hardly a murmur" are courage, .haking off their legacy of nnd daspalr,

e.hQ'Pkaeipers and car cwnec-s who are so eaai ty furious by the sound of shattered glass. Th isis not to condone. windew srn 8:B bing I.n car burning, but blame must be laid where the bl",,, belongs. Destruction of private property is deplol ble, and the r-adicals themselves would b. the fir to stop it, if the private property involved ts ill I ,vay connected with Ih.it· fight against imperio I feudallsm, and fnscism. The trouble iB, as the icnla have pointed out, they oannot stop the '>rall provocateurs from infilt.rnting their ..anko. They hll taken step' to ,lisciplme some eludents with .nord tendencies and the hot-blooded omong the proletariat who take part in demonstrations, but can they do against the government agent who", do .not know? That there are people linked ill way wlth the government who try to discredlt movement can no longel' be dlamiaaed as the of healed i.malrinption.. ~1al"'Mil!log nhot'>JH"ld"~1 mix with newsmen to gather evidence students; COSEC stoOg.. demonstrate with bearing the pictures of Mao and Che ; and on the police beat can testtf)' thai some in civvies mingle with the demonatrators. to spy on them, which would at least be un able, but to lend them to trouble, or to bl'''n~ theil' g-.thering, a~ that tear-gaa-wieldlug Met'" a""geant tried to do on the night of tbe MB."h. Suppression and inept attempts to dlacradit demonetratcre rna" gladden the bourgeois who about the price of plate gl... but can tlut anyth.i.ng tho.1 does notintel'fel" with hla

a,""

In"'OU'nUJnJ<

SUent Majority rna)' not underatann the .logona, they may be unable to tell the between. feudalism and faSCism, but when the .tudents sllautillg, '"M.bull,,!! an9 lJIabu/tall a"g ma"ggaga,ual Mabu.h.all <mg they know it is for them the stud,;nts it is thair "ights the atudenta a.CO upand wh.en they see that, ln fighting for in uphoJdmg tbell' I'jl/hts, the students are to fMe bJudg-eo". and btl IIeta somah ow til e fill.a wjth hape, and it will not' be long b.to,.~ too so out Into tbe str".t" to join in the tight. , the Silent Majority wlll no 10llger be silent the noisy minol'ily wHl 110 longer be a minOrity: Already, more and more org-snit.tions of peasants. 1"S, and the V.fl r Iou IS professton S, In el udln g even it 0,· not) a KM Fans Club, are takl1lg part activities of the radical Left 11 there are mora of them, it may not be from lack of . but because ot the .";gen.cies of living, resldues of fenl'. Yet, a. the evltlen ce of the March ~~ggest8, many of those who do not. not, 0" cannot join a, 'e willm" enough to give

'''.g_

FIRS"'

Q lTARTER

STORM OF

1970
"lbagsa.k!!!
trlpa.glaban

THE
any
any

PEOPLE'S

MARCH

135

encouragement and suppot't, to cheeu on their thers who are fighting in their name, The marehere a ss embled at the Manila·Que"''', City rotunda between neon and two o'clock. At two they started to line up Oil Mayon Street, group h group, fOllr abreast, The,'" were probably less tllIIl' 1:1.\'0 thousalld a t this time, but their number W"" III swell us the morel' prog resse d, woula triple and sl'lIl out to sidewalk" and traffi.c islands, until there "''' no point in marching four abreast, The original group thttt left Mayon two carried the streamers ot the Kilusan ng K"IJ.. t,aang 1I1akatl, the Nationalist CO~PI' Execllliv. BO"'11 of San Beda, the Katipunan ng mga Kabalanng 1\ mekrattko, the Samahsn ng Demokrablkong Kob"t" 1lI1, the Araneta University Foundation, the Slu<l"III Cultural Association of Arnneta University, the M. bate Youth Movemep! for Justice and Reforms, AKSIUN, tbe Malaysng Pagkakaiea og Pillpino. Members of the Kabataang were everywhere, but theil' streamer and thelr II card. would join the march only at the Universil)' , Santo Tomas, At the head man currying a eu rious placard. "Immoral mov Lt' it read, "fruit of imperialism, f,,"cism, and feudall~II' He clearly didn't bel ong; but the youngst"". srn iled and let him he [<It the moment, pl'obnbly didn't want to antagonize him so the day, Later they would succeed in him into the middle of the processton, me •• age got lost in the thicket of placards and ars beal'ing the more familiar slogans:

"Maltiba1, .. !
"Pe.(rpll/S

i1>lp~ryaU'1nO .. t 'Piyl«laU.mo!" d&mok'raayO, /n Bu,.au matakot!"

p(lmba.:nsa.ng anSW61' to 'martial lalo.u

'loa:,.. is the

"CSM, CCMM, Jesllii.s c/e'ri"·/Mci.t • .' Other organizations would bring in their streamand placards .t varicus pOints througbout tbe The more visible name. were the DatUI Islam the Youth for 11 Democratic Society (MIT), Mereho:nt ~rQ:riDe Academy. tbe FEU the Maillytlng SamahAn ns Knbat.aang Pillthe AlliAnce of Manila Unlve,'s,ti .. and CoUege., Sllmabtmg Makabayan ng Pandacan, the NAFLU, Pagkakai aa ng Magbllbukid sa' Pillplnne, the SillCultural AII.!lociation of the University of the the Kib,sang T8g.pagtag~yod ng Famball,s!lg the Socialist Party of the Philippines. From Mayon Street, the marchers, preceded by Jeep with two loudspeakers on its roof, turned left Dapltan, where a repr~ntative of a squatter took the mike to denounce the destruction of shanties on the Araneta-Tuason Jot in Que.oD They turned left again into Governor Forbes, by the UST Hospital, where nurses and pawere gathered at the windows, and crossed before turn ing rl gilt in to E amah. w, At the of Lepanto, they were met b)' the sight of drapes below the windows of the Philippine of Commaree, and a SigD tha t,'end : "Dea th freedom," Tbey turned right into Aznow by a grOUP from PCC who bore a coffin marked DenwkrasU4 on One aide and F» •• dan, on the other, They turned right

13G

F[.ST

QUMTRR

STORM

OF 1910

TktE PEOPLE'S

MAAcK

137

into A venidn. gave the traffic: Clutpost at the. corner It' 00"01'0 J rew !loisy thumpa. and turned 1,,(1 luto Tayuman to go to Tondo, They now went thr()Ll~h Juan Luns, Sand., 1\'[0l"one.s, Que.sad., Morga, ..rid A.su.ncion, and came out on AZCU"l'aga. Down Az.I"11'1 raga they marched, no sign of fatigue ill their d '''' mined atepe, until they were once again 00 Aveniri. Here they reeted for a. few minutes, slumped on rfl;l~ and sidewalk, and then the.y marched 8CI;0.' ~111 Arthur Birdge, from which one thunderous pillbox w. dropped, and proceeded to the Post Office buildl"i where darkness overtook them. Alo~g the way they Sang tb.\.o· songs, natlun anthem .Itematillg wifh the Internationals, and 110. chanted their slogans, and they made up new tollal! fn-cbeek slogans to the tune of ecmmerctals and 1'''1' ular songs. liSiga1w 'ng ba.yatt/" the laader of group would cry out, and the members of his would ehout back: ~jHi:magfliJ..:.at}d" Later tMs undergo Il li~tle modiftcatlon. "$lga," "g bolll"r>' went the cry,i and the an8W~1· would be: UTltIHf/ There WiI!! the lalllihRl' "MG/r;ibaka! H"Qrt{} ,"uta!'", and its new v'al'iation, m"gillg the speetatl?r-s to 11M ticipate in the march: {(MetA-isa/mo.! H"tvo.g ?l~a1wfl<li' The improvised slogans and songs were Tlll'my ..3.{una7mz.1la 'ram (;I! Est l~d·lI(L-n.t6 ini'" t.he ron~

0." ,.

erg called to theil' A '$0. pusa ,r

Iii'"

watchers. K rdabacw I

M lM·t08.

httaJ"

lh

chanted. To the tun. of Part<p""""g wnrds the end of tho march:

HY!~'

"M<Ul,ili,n

""

tune of the Pspsi-Mleiuda Heart Crown cf G1yen.l nQ 'W:WP41j! CY ye-1'C& na. 'lamau!" the tune of the Tide ccmmerctat: "B"yb"Oi11' 'Intli.s It-c.hit 'Jttl wala·ng aal.ct.,';J The marchers were in high spirits, and the obsympathy of the crowd cheered them up. The br-ought out water, b re ad, and cigarette. for of the streets, dropped coins and into the boxes In the hands of gil·l. fOI" "kcmtino lw:df'ibusytm/' and clapped and when the beneficiaries of thair goodwill "Mab"",,y anu 'mua nagb'jbiOlLY nu t"big! any lilY" tlagbibigay "Y U"apay! M~b"h"y '~!l1l 1!agb;bjUWj/ ".0 siga.,·i!yo!" Only .. n og". a hem'! of stone could not be touched by it all. Before seven o'clock, the People's March was over, the action was just about te begin. MaSlled in front of the Post Office building, the .11 tired but elated, decided on their next The darkness had apr •• d. On the .tEPll of the Offie. stood a eheerl III: throng. b.. ki 111: in the of I.be television l<l.ig lights. Somebody hauled the flag, prepnrntory to the Singing of the nannthem, and was urged by the erowd below war: JlAuU lmla~ ittr.l1.s/ Sa pula} sa tp'tt.i-a!H was q uic kly hoisted up, but the cry down streets, down on the plaza, was tnslstent, and was brought down again. .As the demon, tried to put the red side UP. hew •.ver, the Somebody mad. • foolhardy, and futile, to seale the flagpole, which must have been feet high; finding the pole too slippery. cllmblug It too dangero,"". he ga". up the at-

138

FIRST

QUARTER

STORM OF 1970

THE

PEOPLE'S

MARCH

139

tempt and instead tied the flng neat' the baSIl pole. Then the national anthem was sung by tb ,I, monstrators, in their usual manner, the last line ut tered wi.th vehemence: "Any n",matay ".any da),il iyo!" Eve"ybooy's attention shifted now to tbe otl''''' where the j••p with the loud-speakara was park',1 Orlspin Aranda of PCC took the milee to Jlllr".t. 110 •.t()ry of the polio. raid on hi" school eampua, 11 was f onowed on the j.ep by n young mall who IVO" h, trcduced as Ii jeopney driver; b. looked like 80U, one I had seen before, and as f~r u I knew he no more a ieepney driver than I am a bu~ con but he did make the important point that one drivers were earning leas was the Increase in of gasoline, tlres, and spare parts. aU commod produced by Arne!'i ea n cartels. Anotber speaker a student firebrand who "sed to shout:

ang ."ua bag.nll Bonifacio .:_ at iva'v "lan,

I~'lig einol", but now was bra-qe 01' foolish .. n name names. "Ma.bu.hay si. Dasue!" he cried, acclamation he re'<eived was t.rrii'io; but I fear hi. life. Finally, Ramon S.ncbez of poe, his hoarse bees use h. bad stayed by the mike the .march, asked the seoembly' what it wanted where it wanted to go. 'l'h~ answer was almost nimous: USa E"m,ba:s81l!" So bega.n another mareh on The Emba •• y. At a quarter to eight, the bulk of tbe was spread out over the street that cuts through Lune!a. The vanguard had already turned tbe ner of T. M. Kalaw, headed for the U.S. The el'Y ranll' in the nigbt: "Makibqka! B'warl

Suddenly, from ill front of the Hilton came ee 'rs~ilitting bang molotov or pillbox, it was tell. Tbe bulk of the demonstrators reand the vanguard found it••1f on T. M. KaIsoleted from the rest. ft eeems that some MetrQl'om men in a jeep had seen acres the Hilton, and some Impulslve men at tile head of the p r oc• sston had begun .tone the uniformed enemy, unable to wait to get The Emba.sy before starting the attack. No. however, OQUld say if tbe exploslon bad been by the Melroeom men thsm •• lves, or by Ibe I t was, at any rate, an un wise move, it cut the march in two. The boy, at tbe the match had to wait for the body of deto gather eDough courage to tollo\\' them .. 8: 13, the siege of The Emb"".y was over. Guardia Civil was out in torce, and .>'c.pt for group waving MPKP bann er s, who staged 011 a trsffic island across The Embassy, the lna,ns·traWI," bad all se arnpel'i!d 8W8j'. There wer .. farther down Roxas Boulevard down United N ations Avenue. Th. and the Manila pOlice, fresh and .".,getic, theY bad not walked 28 kllomet .. rs, now h egan m<>pping-up operation s,
W,,"

too tired

to run

and

find

out

where

the

I stayed at the corner out my notebook, and a true reporter. This Frankle, who had bee)! shot ill the leg nigbt of January 80, and whom I had taken a hospital, was well again, weI! enough to join

140

FmST

Q1JART&a STORM

OF

1970

THE

PEOPLE's MARCH

141

the People's Ma1'cb, and h. L10W stayed by seeking protection in ml1 privileged status as a mem be.' of the powerful press. 'fog.tber, we followo,j squad of policemen walking down the Luneta, lu ward. Tan, In •• arch and ill pursuit of demon",,'" tors. Prom Kalaw and t.he entire Ermita. area enlll the sounds of shots, separate shots, obviouslY frlltll l'(fv'Olv-ers. ,.,. Two Mnpalad Liller buses. filled with cr •• 1 halmeted cops, passed by Ag.iiilla. On Ag,.ifilla 1.:1, ete itself, n unlfol'med policem.n and a plump mall civvies carefully knotted the oh'ing around • R'" bo". "Probably teal' gas," whispered " H,mlld III tographer. Somewhere ill thia vicinity, two stratora 1 knew, a boy and a girl, .at bencb and pretended to )Je innocent ~•."~,.".,,I., .. The· cops accosted them o.n)''"''1, order-ing the to open be,' bag; she did, and waved h.el· aanlt napkin. in a policenllln'. .Intlea face. k4yo!" the cop barked. "My sidekick and I fell in with the tog,' ..ph ..r and decided to hitoh a ride In hi. Moke. The Make was parked at the "'ouch of Sh'e.t. along with seven jeeps tinea with clothesmen earrying truncheons, flash lights. ami tolized carbines. Th •••.• even jeeps, 1 wes told, prised I.he advance assault party that was leave for Mendiola. They must have ble to erupt 011 co more on wh8t, to the already " historic .pot, the place where their ranks met their d.ath, Tbe j"eps, however, went into Taft, past barrie. de" •• t up at the corner of United

more barricades at the corner of Orosa, near and finally ended up Oil the l'ight slda of church, where waited seven more police Ieepa. ! Regroup~!j cl'ied one plainclothesman. regrouped, they prcceeded to the BoeoboOlJ]y n few meters away from PSa They fla.!hed their lights into apartment knooked on al>arrnlellt doors, peered und .. bushes. r followed one IlIrge group plainclothesmen into 8 dark yard walked in b)' sheets. The yard was a ",illi·jungle crawlvines and cluttered with $.011\11 trees, various b".h es , and weeds, At the other end of the a stone wall round which plainelotbesmaa spotlights WeI', gathered, fillshing out hiding 1II<lns'l,o,to,,,. III the middle of the )'.rd was • shanty, 8 dreary tin-and-cardboard .ifail·, beneath the overhanging branches of " teae. U nder the tree, in near-total darkness lnated only by bha distant lights of the TV crew, a scene straight out of the Mnrqui. de Sada's Silholl,ettu of f01f1' figone a crumpled heal) in the buahea .t the of the sC""ggly tl'.', three huge one. .tanding him Ilks witches around a cauldron, The CArried sticks, and the sticks we.re in permctlon, I could hear the sound of the sticks thl'ough leave. and twigs, lundlng on human The dull wllR.<:king sound. were unmistakable, once 01" t\vice another sound I ntervened t(Jk! the sound "f a stick on kneecap 01' akull.

142

FmST

QUARTER

STORM OF 1970

Tim p.,opu's MARcil

143

rlEJ'wag po, h/1uag po!" came the whimper und the cries from the grollJ1d, "Hindi po "kQ Wah"" Suko Ita po aka'! T"",,, na po! Ma~~kit pol 'PO' alu) la~abant And above him, barka, grunts, growls,

I'

magdemonatration

kayo

'/)u.k.a8l

Ta1fo!

1'aya!

HitHI

pal", Waba,. ha! M«gd.",o".lrflU"" kayo bukas, fill" -nan kol' I ebood there paralyzed by • mess of emotlon ra-ge, ouhage fl"u:stratioI1 fear, and hate tlll~ through my mind went murderous thoughts. TOll. ples tllrobbillg, hands shaklng; I turned awn)' the scene, went around the shanty, walked tow"'11 the TV lights. At my back, the thrashing 11 ,I stopped, but the moans continued. "Nak,."a Ill. ~ a",U pangalau Mong 1'St1ttg 'yonJIJ the g'l~Y the TV camera a.ked me, pointing!o the underneath the scraggly tree, I wanted ho him. Wh'.n we walked back, tho three had dropped the;" victim into the eleal'ing en other side of the shanty. H" was • young man a little moustache, and he was covered all over dust and gr ass, "M ",,, .. bfJ.1jrm ka, <1"0 I" .aid on" bi 8' guY wi th truncheon. 1'(Ano ba't hindi ka, htmayo d'yoof <
l J

f,,,

TheIl, 'and only then, did the TV lights focus the victim. A reporter with a notebook Imelt the ground and nsked: H,l.hw'n,g pa1l,ga..f-an 'mol The bo)' blurted out a nama that .. cunded like Quezon_ A plainclotheeman waved away the and stood over the young mao. "A" .., taba.ng hindi lea. tata:go 1" Aug"elc quezon with supreme effort made it hi. f""t - and immediately crumpled Like • cloth I wasn't oven aware of what I was doing, but he hit the uround I was at his side, offering to hl.s limp arm. We wobbled ln that o&" the two of us, surrounded by hostile eye •. 1 asked, was I going to do with him? DalAi" .a oapital," came the gruff reply. 1 d,..gged the young man out to the atreet. tUn~gya..~·~ d':yanfu oR pla:inclotbeaman standing outside fLsked. IINfJ'Pal,~ko;' I sald, 'tON, o'Y/' the quick rejoinder 1~adapa!'J behind me, "/""di ""palo

"Ma:.~~it 'Po! po 1t7<0 ",,,katayo."

TI""'"

/<0

'PO

""g

pilla!,.

".4arte-arte pa ito," growled the guy with truncheon. "Tavo sabi!" And he 8\YUng young man'. legs with hi. truncheon. The young man stayed on his back The plalnclothesmen backed away from the

lily sidekick, Franki.. WhOUl I had Instructed to In the Au.Un Moke, came rushing to help me Augusto Quezon, The transportation strike was yet; there were no othel' vehicles around the polio. j.eps and the Austin Mak.. Into ALlstin. ~roke went Aug,,~to Quezon, but the Hedriver aald thoy had to follow the police jeep. were to get any news : they could not milk. to a hospital. 1 cursed the II erald under and if it makes any differenea I also this magazine I work for, fol' not providilLg reporters with transportation. I 108$ ¢Uf"ing the

144

FIRST QUlIl)'l'E~ STORM OF 1970

whole world under my breath. including and .. pe.i"l \y myoelf, for lacking tbe guts to curse out IOlLd Pi"!lUI', someone who sounded like an 'offi"", ord er ed me 10 put Augusto Que""n into the 1,·",1 jeep. The convoy of jeeps, with the BeI·ald'. Au"lI" Moke at the tail end. then left Boeobo, turned civil' into Pad"e Fau r a, turned left into Dakota; at (II corner of Hettan, the lead jeep stopped, and way II the back of the convoy I could see a limp form beln carried out of the lead jeep lind dumped on the .1,1 walk. The convoy then re"oced its steps, back II Bccobo, where the lllainclothe,-!mell e.ntered H taurant to flush out demO!1strators who hR'l shelter there. All the light" were on bore, II<> truncheons could do no work, The demonstrut« were told to go home. With Frankie, I walked back to Dakota to for Augusto Que""". H. was no long.r on the walk. A by.tandiO'· aaid a white cal' hadPru!sed and taken him ill. We walked down Herrnn too to the l'GII. Augu.to Quezon WM no longer in emergency ward, but his name was Hsted dOWH tbe dcctors' .beet. The enky after his name "Mauled bv truncheon." Angus'lo Quezon WDS lucky. Enrique g,da. Jr., uf LYceum was "mauled by
tOOJ

MODERATES AND RADICALS

By RODOJ.,FO G. Tu~Alj

(Tk. Al""il . Ti"'~68 - February .

n,

1970)

Stll.
t'rLlnCIWHH

No," days a,'. d,·agon.,-idd,,,,, 'hG ",g/<tman R;d •• "pon .161J']J: a drunken 8oldie-ry Galt loa." the motlter. murd .. ·.d at I,~ do.,., To C1'aw! h! ".,. OW" blQo(/. and 00 .co!-/rrr,
'£/'$

and clid 'not survive.

11. was incredible. President Ferdinand Mar""s hardly out of the flrat month of hi. unprecedented term when pandemonium broke loose in tile : students - tbe vel'Y students who made bim last year's mock elections - "lashed witb the and governmen t troops. was as if Pandora's pox had been flung open The crack (If the police rookie,' dubs on young signalled the .ta,·t of the war between the stuand the police 011 Jan. 26 but nobody aeems as to what caused the Jan. 30 demonstration erupt into a miniature revolution. The Jail. 30 convulsion that shook the nation left students dead in the streets. turbulence before Congr •• , and Malacanang nation's attention but many are still in Over the why, who, where, and what of demonstrations. however vague the country's idea ahcut tbe Illusive of student upri.sings, most Filipino pa145

'~iOI<t

Cal.

~w'lJt

,"itl.

' ..... 0'·...

146

FIRST QU""TER STOll};! OF 1970

147
'rlleJ' are led by Remana of La Salle and Fernando Bariean It is this group that has developed some working relationship with the left-wing sector studentry, It has also been responsible for the i~.eue of Urising fa$eism'~ a common ground the moderates and the revolutlonary ll"'OUp. Roman .a of the NUS, a senicr A.B. economies explained; 'lStudellb are more united now. ruu would never find the NUSP, NSL, or K1I1 same rally. 00 high ,,"I\S the feeling of autagamong riva! g,"Oup.. But now tbat the r anks closer, we hove been trying to emphR-aize the Isthat would unite us more." Needless fOI'Ce is part of the uria:ing fascism" th.t has united the moderate. and the radlcal s. both persuasions di.sagree on vartous aspects "irnpE,ri"li,m" and "feudaUS"m," they are term. that )10 longer taboo in the campua. Th@ Kabataaug' Makabay.n (KM). which is headed Nilo Tnyag. remains the radica] nard-core of the movement. It has now found allies in the Power Ass embly ot the Philippine. (SPAP). Reuben Saguritan: the ~fovement for a DePhtlippines (MDP), which coordinated tbe ,.ally; tlle Student Cultural Association of UP whose p,... ident is Lusvimlndo David; the Demokratikong Kabat.an (SDK); and the Movement, whIch engine.,·ed l.at year'$ Inonst.rat:iorl. in Lyceum, FEU, US'r, and UE. student g·I"OUp' massed before COng...... on 26 fo,' two diffel'eut purposes. The NUS-NSLcombine staged a raUl' for a non-partisan Coneti-

rents and adults were snccked and horrified to see "II TV teenagers and undergraduates being bludgeoned unmercifully by r-ookie l'olicemen and members of t.llI' anti-riot BqU8<l which WD. supposed to have be..n tram ed in the ungentle art of suppree.ins: riots. If Jan. 26 is remembered for the. rain of truu eheon blows, Jan. 30 will b. remembered as the nighl tbe fired-up .tudents, waving n red flag, "eapturetl" a fire truck nnd used it to ram through lo:l.lac.Ban~' Gate 4. it) a manner reminiseent of the storming the Bastille, A survey of student leaders who participated ill the two demon.lr.tions showed that tbe students wer. not led and dlreeted by OM mastermind organl"~ tion. Al! the demonstrating student leaders were Delh lsta, but, remarkably, a. new, if somewhat strllllM" alliance, has been formed. whose ldeologtcal $pectrmn rang". from moderates to the radieala, from the trill vent- bred to the militants. The moderates are led by Alenean Edg"" Sop"", president of the National Union of Studenls of th Philippines (NUSP); Portia llagan of the PhiliPI,I" Normal COllege, acting president of one ,,,ing of Iii National Student League: and Benjamin lI1aynigo, ." retary general of the Young Christian Social M."

meat.

The.e are the active "eforll,ists who believe lh_ are left of center but who are viewed by the leftwl"
8.S conservat'ivea. Howevel", the NUSP ,md NSL, themselves their 'progressi ves," or the more a,ggressive or fl ... -thinklng elements who have found it eas i r ,
I

'TOUPS

148

FIRST QUARTER S!QRM OF 1970

MODERATES

Am>

RAOICALS

149

tutional Convention. The left-wing student who were first asked to coordinate with the marched to Congress to protest tho deteriQrating sb'I of the nation. the rise of "fascism," and the perpi-t nation of "lmperialism" and "feudalism." The left-wing students do nat believe that a euu stitution CAh truly embody the aspirations of the I"''' pl. unless Philippine society first undergoes h,,'1 structural changes. In the we rda of tho K.M'. Mon ico Atienza: is on Iy through the trausfcrma tion of the basic I" wer relations in Out' society thai a t.,'uly demoe .."lt .society can COnte into being." The leftists fear that the Nacionallstas and 1.11t er Ilill will us. the C<Jn.Ututional Convention "to ventilate their own ieaues." The moderates believe that Constitution could be evolved but b. a "long struggle." Bariean is afraid that "President Marcos 11"" his cl'edibility" with the students although he and Romana still believe that on abort-term demands, the release of funds or the disbanding of c.rl~ groups, it i. possible to aee eye to eye with the Pro

left-wing leadership believes in the tnevitaviolenc. and, if present conditions persi.t. in inevitability of a revolution. Kilf spokesman Atienza explained: "We believe going to the people, in politicizing the people. Once have been politicized, they will know what to Whethe~ moderate 01' radical, the atudents are infeeling alienated from the system. This or the principal reasons why student activism. confined to the Unive"sity of the Philippines, mushroomed ill other places. It has spread Lyceum, Philippine College of Commerce, Manuel Q.lle'on low schocl, Univeraity of the East, Far University, Fe8ti. Jose Rizal College. and even sectarian schools. Becauaa the System ts suffocating or doe. not. up to its own slogans, NSV. Portia Ilagan noted the "growing impatience" of the studentry. The activist it·oups have become magnets for the who feel estranged from the Sy.tam and developed the itch to condemn the abus es of powby rocking the E.tabllshment.

deot.
Du t as Sta. Rom ana insists, "in ing feudaliam or others of the like. tiat. with President M.. rcos," The radical left rule", out allY dialogue or .UOI1l of reeoneillation with the Pr ... ident. The P is no longer On their icale are concerned,

THE

ApPEAL

OF 'I'f1&

ACTIVISTS

151

THE APPEAL OF THE ACTIVISTS

By RoooW'O G. TOI'AS (Th_ M(U!ila Ti." •• -Feb"uIlry 6, 1970)

the Liberals, the students have automatically assumed Ihe role of the fiscali."r, "The student protestor. speak ill negative terms, .penk of intangible targets. They know more about what they do not wlmt than what they do want. We like the police, we don't Like the President'. reason P res iden t Marcos is tho target is head of a captive state, a state of the powelite. So it aeems that real clamor "OW is not just t<::t change M,arcot1, because. even if you put guy, the state will remain • captive state . ls n wny, the state should be more broadlyIt should be n ,·epresent.ti"e stale, fa,. the of the people', and by tho people." atudsnts of St.. Romanu's persuasion soand about the alte.natives, the left-wing activlsts more positive fi,bout their aims. Dt's 1\Ionioo Atienza pointed out that Kabataanz Is for a national democracy or 8 change in power rela tinn. in society In ra "0" of tb. people, "The K~I is made up of 12,000 members all over country with a following in factories and in rural of around 30,000 people. Our activlsta go to rueal areas, to the factories} to coordinate their Qn.1 democratic functious with the peas.n! and workers and other sectors of the population. The hasica.lly nn orl!tlni~ .. tion that demands the of the impe";ali.t and feudal powers in the pclnrisa lion of iS5u.. h 9S sep"""ted Ihe stuInto moderates and radicals, but both groups outrigbt nthillats, devout Catbolics, rabid Mo.rJ<·

.Despite all the pleas to keep o.IJlI and sober, OJ,. people, p.,·t;.UI.l·ly those in the Greater Mllniln have been. agitated and are lllten'ely curious the thinking and eornpoattion of tcd"y'. campus It i. the student activists who feel most francbised and who are no longer satisfied with Iy going thl'ough exams, "tt<lnding proms, in their ROTC uniforms, or cheering thebidols ploy. Thes e etudenta w.nt to get things mOl I" some fast, others much fa.ter. opinions has separated the mere reformista from outright radical s. But, hitherto passive student a,·ganization. definitely gone beyond "student welfare" as their and have moved into th •• imple arena of protest itics. NUS' Chilo St a. Rornana sxplained : now 8 growin!! fe.ling that the students ndequata preparaticns beeausa with tIle dcwnful] 150

152

FIRST QUAR1'ER STORM OF 1970

THE

Apl'RAL

OF THE ACTIVISTS

153

ists, varra and "Commander Dante", and a of our version of the hippie •. About !he hippies, a female KM "They an very few and tbey have not lated but repudiated as well" It is true that mauy left-wing students un,.o,,,,n,l>lll! admire Bernabe Buseayno alias Commander 26-year-old leader of the New People's Army in tral Luzon. A I.tter of hi. which was published l.st year in the UP Collegian enhanced hi. fora a number of students. It is for this reason that man)' students in the Jan. 80 r8Uy, "Mabuhay si Dante," j-eaign" end "Dante fer Presrdent." The radicals think of Dante as the new Bonifne But in fhe campuses, in the center of the spectrum, may still be found the llnol!i.liated committed who merely respond to particular becau se it is the tJ>iDg to do. The.e are the the leftwing leaders and the government are at the moment. Some student activi.t. feel that Mala.aimng like to .see the ranks of tbe students divided it could win this gl"OUP over. How do tbe groups view violence? HWe emmet in eonacienee condone we must view it in the proper perspective," says president Ed.gar Jepsen. HAs the mirror in our and the Booi.ty we live in, the bitter lesson we learned is thi.: that we have no choice change tbe society that has made this sensel ess Ienee possible; much 80 that w •• hould not la.y

.0

on any Single party for the blood that has been spilled for we aU share in this common having allowed society to gO on as it is, that we know better, this sooiety has to unci t.,hel'e are only two ways to achieve this - by peaceful revolution 0,' by violent revolution, put, we have CIIO'·O"to take the peaceful l"Othrough tbe Constitutional Convention of 1971," Hagan, leader of one wing in, the National League, declared that the NSL "choose. the non-violence in see.ki'ng changes in the govWhen "II peaceful means have been exwe may be willing to get into violence." young leader added, "LeI LUI give the Pres ia chance. He seems to be sincere now.' rebel members in tile NSL. like Nelson NIlEriceon Baculiuac, who support the group Naclnc, d.isagree with Portia and aloe more to share the views of the leftist leader s, Navarro expressed this dew, "ConsideTing the I ibility of a revolution in the Philippines, ••• I think we have laid our cards on the table... Now It the Matco. administration "'6'·e to suddonly renli ze IIIIlt it has to admit the injustice of it. cause and .,!itulate to the jllS! dictat.. of reason, then it is ussibla we will have" peaceful tt-an"iti.on. We will hnve a just society by jiasalng lows and prn~'il\g every unday. However, histon teaches us, and this can. L\LlI . evaded, that there naa been "0 ruling class in b ueloty tha t hag voluntarily of ito own will _ Ir nnsferred its powers and privileg-Cil nut! surrendered I, oppressive machinery to the people at large, "0 I Ihfnk tht if the ruling clique led by the Marco. ad-

154

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STORM 0,· 1970

ministratiou does not want violence, then I sbould pea •• JuUl' surrender to the inevitability special change bas to take effeot, that the maeses b. liberated from oppression." Atienza, the spokesman for believe that all the nrogressive should l'CC(Igni • the nee ess ity of getting • 90 that they will be able to fight off lhe encles of the govei-ru:nent, because, as said, 'we who wiah to lay the cannot ourselv es be kind.' HConsidering the present situation. revolution is inevitable, and as Mr. N 3:\78I'fO Ib",'. is no instance in history where the I'uling willingly I"a.nsfel'cd its power to the oppra ase d." Atienza explained that jot members l\taoista, but "alnce their outlook as should be ccmcrehenstve, they should study that can be of belp In their .tl'ugrle for formation of Philippine society," It Is worth noting that rndieals and the gree9i"es both recognize thnt student pOWGl' is only 8$ for 83 it is all extension of the people'. 8.1". A. KM's Atienza put it: "'I've eousider the dents ns a minority and transitory stratum ill After they have graduated, they join the ".!,aba.l,mlrl 01' the Huks", 01' any other ol'ganizatiml, tbat you cannot speak of permanency as far as .students arc concerned," Th e acti vi.!.' view on tbe concept of stu den t POWI e" should for". leaders to 1'0 ss '''55 tb. present .itlll tion if they hope to ac t intelligently. Surely ."oiell' as it is now, is vulnerable eo student militnnc;"

\ NEO.COLONY IN CRISIS
The rapidly ,leterioJ'ating plight of the "",.~". "I I'llipino people pro,'"" the utter bankruptcy ur '"" r!JloniflJ politics epitomi.zed by the reactioDfLl"j't 1,J~(Hl!tll uutiQllulist pohciee uf the fascist puppet Marcos. M.II ('liS' sham nationalism is evident ill b,is l"efml.u.1 Hlill (Hi lure to institute geJ1111ne nationnliijt indu~1.I'iIlIl~1\ ,ion and t.horoughgoing land l·e!orm, 11is cent! uuln." Rervilitv to the i-efus-bished foreign l)olicj' of 11L1~ I'nlted· States, hjB docility to American and J :lIIOIU':t'! IPlperi9.1ist investments in the countt·y and 'his hi leu.Wed militarist and fuscist suppression of genuluo national demON"ntie Ol"ganiLatiolls and nctlvlsts. The .e)'iOllS economic cri.i. tbot presently Ill.guo. Ihe Philippines eloquelltly speal ss the bnnkruptc)' lOr an ecollomy manipulated by U,S, monopoly cUld· IILII.ts, Japanese imperiali.t. and Kuomint"ng ",;LC· lionary cnpit.li.t~ in close coUabor.ti,m with the local l.mllo,'ds, compr·"dol's and bureaucrat capitalist •. The deepening crisis nnd WOf'SEln in g poverty of eu I" people will only give tlu:!:1Jl ore reasons to rise up and m brenk the mODopol)' of political powe r ccncentrated in

tn.

or

tha bond. of exploiters and oppr •• sera . It should be clear by now eMt no amount of revohltionary 1lhrnse.monge.riug and impl·ov'i8.ntiOll~ )55

156 can pine tlon ern t

FmST

QUAllT£R

STOOM OF 1970

A NEo-COLONY IN CRISIS

157

thoroughly satisfy tile basic needs tl,e Fil people short of a national demeeratic revel aimed at U.S. impertaliat, f.udali.t und buren capi talist power. As the Seventh Congre ss ot the Phtlippines ope today, Rab.lanng Makabayan presents to the Filip;n people the real state of the nation, In the inters of exposing to the people the conditions in the coa try, 80 that they may aet to change them. the joinswdoy's demonstration in unity with progr sive and national democratic ol"gan.izntiona and -lndl viduais.

or

Neo·colonial

Politics

The r e-election of fasci,st puppet Mal""', w largely attributed by the bourgeois press to hi. court ship with natlonalism, Seeing his own bankrupte and puppetry in his presidential opponent, h. ex plolted the logic of "the Jesser between the two evilH by Haunting his avowed "nafionajiam", Ills slni:stot motive, however, was to capture the vote. of the ioteUjge;ntsi8 and other progressive groups diaenchanted witb hi. reactionary polici es , If the fascist puppet Marcos ever used the word naticnallsm, it ill only because he had to make political compromlse Desplte its peetension to na tj Onalism, the renetdonary Morea. administration has not departed from the eolonial fo,'eign policies of the government. Instead, it has strengthened and deepened its commitmenta to the neo-cclomat schemes of the lmperiaU.t United State. and Jepan and soeial-nnp~riaHst Soviet Union in Aain.

Nowhere could this reactionary and anti-nanonalist position of the fascist puppet 1Il... cos admlnlstration be amply demonstrated than when the Philippines sent the PhU<:ag contingent to Soutb Vi.tuam. Now th at the P hilcag has been exposed as a mercenary force, its withdrawal is only a fnee-savlng device 011 the part of the Marcos puppet administration. Moreover, even in its attempt to put an image of .-!luting an independent forelgu policy, the Marcos administration is only supplementing tho United States' I,olicy of feigned withdrawal from it~"l!gr.s.ive ngn lnst the Vietnamese people, Unfazed by the embat-raasing revelationa of the Symington R~pOI·t, the fo.ci«! puppet Marcoo once more demonstrated his unswerving puppetl·Y to U.S. Imperialism when b. convened the client-stat es of the Iinited States and Great Br+tain in A.ia through the " as oeiati an of South eas t Asian Natlona (ASEANJ IjY ualng the convenient excuse of l'cviving diplomatic u li~5 with 'iMnla.ysia . However the ASE-AN trtes III camouflage its de facto military alliance charact er- behind the label of It regional economic group[ng, it is expreSSly a collective security arrangement 11, Asia. One of its expressed aims is to "secure neaee and order in Asia in tho fRce of comrn un 1st threat in Scutbe as ! Asia" .. One significant feature of the ASEAN is that i ts membershlp is limited to nations whlcb are former colonies 01" protectorates of imperialist Great Ilritain and the United Slates. The aim of these imper+allst powers is to buttress their position j11 Ih. • rca in the face or their token withdrawal ill

"'"I'

158

FmST

QUARTER

ST()RM OF 1970

NBO-COLONY

IN

CRI~IS

L59

811 effort to l.aciiy the mpidly growing tiberation mcvemeuts In the area. Another feature of the "brcndentnz" of QUI' for .ign relations is the plan to open trade relations wll pseudo-socialist countries, specifically the Sovie Union. ActuallY, this ia in consonnnce with the U.S Soviet polioy of dividing the world between thorn selves, As proven by the Soviet a.ggression again. the Czechoalovak people. the Soviet Union has bel'" l.ransformed into a ~eo-capitali.t state thnt exploit and cppreases not on ly tile Bovi et people bu I n I. the peoples of its colonies in the same fashion as lh United States does. In the face of the steady eroston of the PUI pletg confidence ill the semi-colonial and semi-Ieuth order, many sectors have voiced out the opinion L11A the ,...m.aining hope for social and polittcal reform i. a new con.stitution to b. promulgated by the 197 Constitutional Convautlo». These same sectore hnv come out with a" appeal tor a non-partisan COIl"11 tutional Convention "OW embodied in the Pelaez 1>111 This bill seeks to pl"<)hibit ""Ii tical parties from !II I'ectly or indirectly lntervenlng in and suppol·tI~f candidates and delegates to the Convention. The appeal ror a non-partisan Constitutional Conventicn appears to be " popular iSSUe because ,. widespread dissatisfaction with the Naelcnallstn lind Liberal parties. Any move th"t would tend to dinl! uish the pl·ivil.g .. of the two dominant pal·ties I. iherefore welcomed by unentrenched politi",,1 aggl'll patioll..s. But even if we assume the stl-iet irl.lplr mentation of the sa id bill if passed into law, the .m plo.rment of school teachers and college studente "'

lUll inspectors is a flims,Y guamntaa for clean and hnneet. elections against terrorism and massive voteyin!)" as wi messed in the November 1969 electi Oil". Likewise, tbe proposed I·.glllstio" of election propaanda and expenses of candidates by the Comelec nnnot mnke the electio". tru IS' democratic if the COliI~ utratlon of political and economie power is retained II the hands of the ruling class. The idea it.."lf of effecting genuine democratic 'm"ge through the Constitutional Convention is highun tenable because it i 5 h igil Iy Probab I. In" t ",,"'01",I. moneyed interest group. will dominate the Conntton. Asst,lftling turther that a progresstva Con-

litlltioll is formulated by the Convention, the prerva t ion t>f the basta pow. ,. and socia I re In tiona will ~cess al·i1y militate against the full .implernentabion ( such 8 Constitution. Genuine democratic. change III, only occur if the masses themselves, by their WI! initiative, implement the basic "..rorms ohot tbe ',Ilstutional Convention seeks to achie ... re, The Resnrgence of Fascism

Tbe ,·es urging fas.isn, at present that emphatt, lIy characterizes the Mareo. administration st>:ength". further the a ss ertion that the p res ent state is " 11'1'!J in:stl'l1ment of euppresslen and violence used the ruling' class in imposing ita dictatorship over hi' masses. Fl"ightful 01 tbe growillg national democrutlc I"vome,,! and the emboldened tempo of tho people's ll'Uggle in the countryside, the f ascist p~llllet M"rII as a. true a.gent of Imperialist. feudal! bureaucrat"1,ltan.t and comprador lnterests in the Philippines,

100

]o'mST

QUAIITER Sl'OllM 01'

1970

A NEo-COLONY

IN

Carsrs

161

found in the military a convenient suppress progress! ve orgnniza tions ~.ants and youth.

tool to
of workers
',t

A rmed forcas unl ts, pnl'ticular'ly the GonstnbularYt as t.he mainstay of impertallst, and bureaUCl"ato.eapitalist political power in Our trJ' have perpetrated heinous crimes against the pino peop1e under the Marcos admlnlstration. reactionary armed forces I,erp.trate with massacres, illl!isa.sinlttions. haraesrnerrts aga] ust progl"e8si ves and ci vilia.ns j 11 the count,y. In May, 196'1, tho anti-people elements of P.C. and »febrocom brutally murdered about bera of the Lapiang Malaya on the lame the latter were out to "overthrow the The truth, nowever, is thnt the L~f, though to a tain e"tent misguided, voiced out the l.glUmate pi rations of some segments of the paaennt This caw militarism the reactionary Mnrcos niatratlon unabashedlY condoned. The Y""I' that followed was another bloody involving the armed mat'lluders of the Marco. ministration, At Cor."egidol·, in the site of a tary training camp, jjspecial "forces" thugs Iy butch ered an d maimed a number of Mil We remember it now as the
massacre,

On October 18, 1969, C.p.s, Tarlae was the IICeII of another massacre. P.C. men, armed with powe~ ful weapons, dragged 13 ctvillans out of a jeep .1 au"pieloll that they were Huks, Without any q",,", tion, the group was made to kneel down and tho !'.O

hatehetrnen gunned them down with automatic wen~ons. Only three survived this beastly ordeal Dul"iulj' the last elections, P.C. and army units served the needs of both the Li beral and Naciona Iieta ~,u·ties. Acting AS bodygu a rd. and acolytes of the political tycoons Who m-e in alliance against the people, they enga.ged in terrorist and coercive activities that made the last elections the most fraudulent, far· elcal and terroristic in the history of Philippine electrons. On Nov.moe,· .:<5, 1969, more than a month aiter Ihe Cap as Massaoro, Max Llorente, legol ccunsel of lite victims, wasne.arly assassinated py P.C. agents. On. civilian was killed and several others wounded ns tho armed gOODS of the state made their headway to silence a progressi ve element. Not quite, sstisfied with the massacres, assasainationa and shooting sprees they perpetrate "gainst the people, B!tlel~worsbipp.r" in the reactionary nrmsd forces indulge in obhar suppre as ive activities such as those committed against workers and youth who nulttantly assert their democratic right •. At the strike of Northern 1\Iotors, IIIC. workers, P.C. trooper. jn connivenee with monopoly capitallsts threatened the strikers with violent repi-isala and arrested .some nf their leaders. The same happened in the strike at the New Pronti ..r Supermarket where the P .C. served as escorts for scabs and as bodygURrd. of the management. As true servitors of U.s. imperialism, local feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism, the reactionary soldiers do not spare the youth. When militant youth "nd IItod.nt~ demonstrated agoinst the Moomey acquit-

162

Fmsl'

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NElO·COLONY

IN

CRISIS

tal last October, 1969, P.C. and Matroccm thugs joined the local police humo. in beating up demonstrators. MO'reover.. ill every demonstration directed against U.S. imperlnli.m in tho PhiliPI)ine., P .C., Metro[!QlTI and "special forces" serve .18 protectors of foreign oppresaors and exploiters. Tile predatory and counter-revolutdonary charnctor of the armed forces is further exposed with tha craattou of Rome Defense Forces and Bm-r!o Self Defense Units which are no different from the ti(!j, vlfinn guards" of the 50's and the terrorist squads that prey on penaants, the "Menkeea", The HDF, BSDU and HMonkces/' were created to terrorize the peasant masses who make up the "fertile soil" for the l'evolution.fl.l"Y movement, The beastly atrocities being perpetrated by the counter-revolutionary scldiers of the Marco, admtniatratlen are only a portent of things to come. But one thing is $lL1"C. As the ruling class can not rule anymore in the old wsv, more violent repressions are bound to unfold. Yet, it is a truism that in .n), society, as the ruling class becomes more violent, theresistance of the oppr ess ed is tnereased tenfold. Th. revolutionary movement emerges to de!troy the tnequities of the old order. Economic Crisis Wrought by U.S, Imperialism

As a neo-cotony in the world imperialist systern. the Philippine economy reflects the growing "rio;, that is rocking the imperialist countries headed U) the 'United 51."t.s. The nationul economy is ill th., throes of a severe monetary crisis, high prices, ~lllgCl internal and sxtamnl debts, rising unemployment, au

nfuvorable balance of trade and ;\11 unprecedented ..rieit in the government fund. All those eeonomie Ifficulties spell a general slowdown of economic actiltv and Increase the misery M tho F)lipilltl mas ees. Backwardness and the Impover-ishment of tbe tlipine people are products of the continuing pi uner of the Philippine market, aud untural r es oU,·COS " U,S. imperialists in collaboration with comprad~r~ nd bureaucrat capitalists, 111 recent yeal·S 111\~l"ia1i5t plunder of t~le ~hiJ..ippl:ne economy ~8S be~n '«I.rated with the lusbibubion of decontrol in 191i2 h_ lifting of exchange controls allowed the massive ~PJltrilltion of auperprofits by U.S. in,periRlist": For the period 1962·1968 rcmtttuueea on dlract ~I'.stments reached lin all time I,jgh of $2,216.8;; lllion, a large bulk going to the United States. AnLIn a verage 1 of remi btanees wi thi n this period was 116,69 million. 'Vithin the same peeiod, disbursefIont. on in"isihles, which usually are. dollar remitI~nees~ amounted to $2,133.7'5 million glvmg ~Ul ave .. Ih(e of ~304.82 million. If "'C add tile •• dlabur se • ~~Ilt lnvlsfbles to renlittonces, an ~w~rage of ~620 ~Illion may be. "aid to have bee" drained .rrom our f~,"omy each year of the 1962·1968 period, . The dollar shortage }'e5ulting from the. masaivn ntittances induced declines in manufacturing and ndustrial'!pl"oducUo:n which were dependent upon Il1pm'ts for raw materials and ma,:binel'Y, ~n. ad~i. "n, the dcllnr shortage caused a tJght .monatai Y "I· I.Lion with tight credit nnd high interest rat ..... The heightened eeouomie dilficult-ie!i neceasttated ~ the part of tho f naei,t puppet M,,~co.· (he lrnple"nt"tion of the so-called "impact" projects calculated
t

.1.

164 to insure his re-elecnou, Thus the Marcos tration eoncentratad on the road-buildlng barrio fund, the rural heRltb medical program and fab schools at a tremendous cost to the national ernment.

A Noo·Cowl'IY

IN

CiUSlS

165

This led to tho large.t defi"it ever reached b)' govemm<mt in the post-war period. J "dging from I data re\eMed by the Presidential Economic Stair, deficit for 1969 will reach 0 figure close to one pasoa, A. of Ootobe1' 1969, tofu I deficit rea ched million which is 165 pet cent higher than Ibe cover its heavy "pending, the gnvernment lnmillion deficit in October 1968. The large increase in external and internal debts. eurred its largest deficit when its income, of S.pt.mhe< 1969, tho internal debt of the nntionby new tax measures, was at its higbest and government stood at P2.S billion and tb. external cash income of 't"4,137 m.ilIion wus PB1.o million at $1.2 billion. '1' than that of October last YMr. Of the total a result of massive government spandlng' which mi1li,on defiCit, excessive government spending: .... 111m"."an unprecedented increase in money supply and months before November accounted for 1"492 mr n••• "no static growth rate in the economy ,.",~on"ible for As a result of massive government lack of goods and services! prices increased at a ney supply increased to the highe.t level it higher tban the increase in wages. Prtees of ed So fill'. A. of October 1969, money supply and consumer items (wholesale and retail) have the P4.M billion mark. which is 28.8 pel' cent and m-e inel'easing consistently in the provthan its level in October in 1.968. Under the Luzon and the Vis"ya •• t the same Manil. Bank Charter, a 15 per cent increase, or money supply is abnermal and monetary Tbe unemployment problem remained unsolved in consider it a threat to the stability of the fi rst term of the isscist. puppet Mgl"os. As to lb. economy. Even the Central Bank conslders .~"n".r,a"l"" record. of the Bureau of Census and Stational government 8S the major cause of tb. Iistics, the number of unemployed remained at the in money BU"Ply. ovel of one million, not including the underemployed. The fascist puppet Ma.rco. cannot deny that lilt President Marcos cannot obscure this fact by citing annual rates of growth of the gross national prod the number of tho.e employed each year in the past from 196 G to 1969 did not registe.. any increase. C4 fl,HU' years. because (rom year to ~fea!" the labor force .idering tile growth rale goals fif the Marco., admln d~es .at an almost ateadyr.f'te.

four ye.ar-.s which were not achieved, the eunnot be deceived by another distortion of juggling of figures to pc made by MarC<ls State of the Nation Address today. And if we the price. of commodities and services in the today (the growth "ate figure" were based 011 GNP with 1955 as ba •• ), it is not an exaggera' to My that the economy h"" not on\), been statie past four y • ars but has produced less good. and

F1JIsr

Q.1'AR'I'ER

STOR~ OF 19iO

167 numbs or agencies. 'I'he active Inatrusiou into on!" (,OUl1tl'Y of sueh imperinlist p.l'Opaganda institutions as the Assooiateu Press, United P1'C'SS International, USIS, 'I'ime-Lffe ami Renders' Dige.t continuo to pelson the minas; of our people nnd preserve Em cbfuacatiIlll' curtain thai perpetuates ignorance and intellectual subjugation. Our- educational ~l'stem is basically colonial and reactionary. With its oonttnued Anumicaniwtion through such "edueaticnal" foundntioua as AFSt Ford, RockefQlI.", Fulbright,Ray"., Colombo and similar CIA nnd State Department Il·ont. and with an Irrelevant currIculum that does not respond to the needs of OUI" people. we c.."11 only expect our- educational sys .. tern to produce g"adult"''' indifferent to .nd alienated f.'Om the backward condition of OU1' eountry, The govel·.n:ment under the Mal"C-O::S ndmintetratton hos succeeded ollb' in providing the p~ople education tha.t is colonial and reudal in orientation. The recurrent student strikes in private and public schools are clear manif.station. that the youth are rejecting what is appropl"illtc1YlJ1is.educntiol1. The development of scienee lind t""hIlOlogy in OUT country, if there has been any, i$mi.dil''"'''ted. Emphnsis is placed on a~"ielllhlral technology to tie down om" eeonomy to agriculture and continue to serve nS raw-material source o( U~S" industries. Tile issues concerning the de"elopment Of the M· ttonal language continue to intrigue nur people. No aer lcus move has beer done to "0011)' develop and. propagate R nationnl \IIJl,gUllgJJ: that will SC."VC to unite our' oppre,a:sed masses and <men the w:lt' (Ot· their better unde.rstanding of the }'0018 of thei,: slIef.rings.

Culture and Education-still

Feudal and

1'h. bankruptcy of the existing pOlitionl and nomic :system in the cOllnhy seeps through OUI' and nducatiou. The prevaillng culture which is finy £el\dal and eolcnial onlv further reintorces supreruaey of the present .""ial setup characterl •..," feudnl and impe.rialist exploitation. Throughout our history we have witne .. ed
continued supjn-ession of tho development of a

revolutionary culture that reflects the atruggla people for a j LIst and a prosperous society. n IT eulture is being enccurngad and even while the works or our J)l"OgreSSl\le artlsts and are neglected. The Cultural Center epitomize. tho hankruptej' the so-called cultural development under the ndmtuiatration, Mor •• oandalous than the ees surrounding its construction (Le., the waste of mOD<IY amidst abject poverty) is the of tbe cultural pre •• ntntions in the Cultural which are alien to "\IT poop Ie 8 nd ollly p rovide with ral.e hop •• and as pirattons to end their su t jng". Underscoring tbe cultural decadence ill OU,' soc: is the. clampi11g do\,... of progressive n works of While aueb blatantly reactionarYPl'opaganda moY a. tile "The G,,,el.' Berets" and "Tile Moot Dang." Man in the World" were allowed public e"hibi_ the art.Jstic and progressive HThe East is Red" other movies portraying the heroic struggl"l' of ot1llo peopl.. aee r •• trleted if not totall)' banned. The mass media are still under the grip of elUll aliens 0[' }'illpino. who owe loyall)' 00 foreign govtnt

168

F1RST QUM'fER SToRM OF 1970 mak •• in cnl f.udal In. our

Whate ..er grandiose claim" President Ma rco. about the achievements of his administration tura nnd education, the truth aflll ..emnlna thnt and colenta) cultau-a and education still l'f!:ign country,

MASSACRE

AT MENDIOLA

POSITION PAPER OF KABATAANG MAKABAYAN ON "THE: TRUE STATE OF THE NATION" AT THE OPENING OF THE SEVENTH CONGRESS OF' THE PHILIPPINES, JANUARY 26, 1970,

It 1s most condemnable that the otherwise peaceful demonstration of Jannary 30 had to end in the virtual massacre of demonstrators and the gross. hampiing of the constitutional rights of the Filipino people. That the Issue raised by the demonstration was the g,'owing spectre of fBScism under the present exploitative system makes thls l.test and most reprehensible attack on the rights of the people by the nrrned agents of the state doubly alarming and shockiog, 'fbe F'ilipino people cannot help but protest at the reallzatton that fascism under the Mareo. administration has erupted in!o violent realitf, Org.niz<ld massive attempts at suppr ••• ing tile (rutb about the infamous massacre of helpla ss and defen.ele.. students by the armed forces have, been launched. The alarming propaganda machine of the state, powered by the hysteria that came in the wake of wanton state violence, hns set into motion the fercos t·h.t will surely lead to the nttributions of guilt and re,pon.sibility to the unarmed demonstrators, A desperate h id t~ engu If the 00\1 ntry wi tn the red seure h~. been started to justify mOT'. violent And iIIeS'III

170

FrnST

QUARTER STOllM

OF 1970

17l however chased by t11e riot gr;llmds of the Special Forces, Thfe:trocoID and l\filD tOW~l'Ct::!I the A:;:..elH'.·aga sheet Here the crowds of demonstrators mi.,.t1 with the resid",,!" Qr the heavily student-populated area a9 well as students emurgjng from the night classes of some univeraittes. III the meantime. the Special Fill,ee. 011<1 Meb-ocom fOI"(:e;9 were nlreadj- being rapidly augmenJed in rapid successlou br the ~lPD, QCPD, reserve units of the alr 10''<0. the marines, the UliVY and by the dreaded Huk-ktllers of the TlUIk Force Lawin which was rushed f'rom the Centra.l Plains, Clearly, the demonstratora, the residents ~md ped.stt·ians of the are. were shocked uud alarmed by this massive show of firepower baekad up by the hysterical posture of the whole Philippine nulitary establishment 8lTllyed against n defan ... Ies 8 and unarmed group. Til. demonstl""to'"I! could not get out of the area boca" •• it was sealed completely by the armed forces ; the heroic efforts by demonstrators to dest.·oy the enelrclement WCl'C met by violent arrests Imd gunshots, The civilian residents of the area , a good uumJJer of them women and children, Wel"1! roused from their home. when the anti-riot "quod. lobbed tear gas bombs in the vicinity. This condemnable dis pia." and ruthless exercise of militnry power more than ever buttresses the clahn of demoOl'otio ais'el1le'"I! that fascism exists in this country, 'Ve stand foursqunre ill tllf.~ nsserticn tlmt this needless loss of human Hvc~, this sanseless rnntrning or hundreds of FiUpinQ,q and t hoe dt!liLrucUoll to property could not IHWr- 1W.liI'lWW~! without the orbitrary

traussresstous of civil rights by a govemme'nt is supposed to protect its eiti.ens Jrom ' lnjusl;ice " •• potlsm, What happened in the te,,·o,·-filled night of II<U·Y 30 will gO down in Philippme h;.tol·Y as the when the state Iost it" hood in perpetuating lhe lign .. it shortcoming. ",,01 abuses of theclasses that have ""ptue.a its \iv.s, It will 01'0 ue remembered a. the irate and exploited citizens led by a concerned 9 ry iill"lly realized that Lhere are no more legal cesaes !eft to achieve a peaceful tranaition daiism and colonial dominntion to a htllv i9ocie't!" for the FHil>1110 masses, It cannot be denied that the student tion before Congress earlier In the afternoon ".,-y 30 was eonduetad in the moot pe>lceful po,ssible for" record 50,000 student youth nementlr g"th.red to prot es ! ia.cism in thts A. the mammoth gathering of $tlldents, peasants workers march~d 01\ to the Maniln City Hall mid Iaeafiang. it gnined strength from those in tbe who We re moved to join the march. A. the rna neared Gate 4 of MaiRCAii:ang, stQne~ and piece~ wood were rained on the demonstrators by ngenb,l hind tbe Palace wall s. This Ilttempt to taunt and prcvoka the .ngel'.d demonstrator-a was aggrav.ted Int.,. on lIB. of wa .. gns and fire 11050. upon the demonstrators. Th. dsmonstrators were left with no ofhe r recourse to throw back the stonea hurted at them and make. hasty retreat toward!; the "ll~·s leading 10 tho A.c.,.ra ga-Lega,·d. to b. able to fight back. They we....

0"""

J 72

Frasr

QUARTER SWRM

OF

1970

and fascistic USe oinlilitSl'Y power in the auppreasion of the citizen.' constitutional right to free assembly. The entire might oj' the State W"~ brought to benr upon helpl ... and unarmed citleena engaged in the exercise of .the pl'erogatil'es of their eitizenshlp, Janua,.y SO will go down in Philippine hiotory as the day when the Filipino people reahzed the trutn ths . ugly truth about fasciam in their midst and all tbat il entails, the perpetuation of a corrupt and vicious social order domiDat<ld by U.S. imperialism and the feudalism of its 100\1 puppets. The Filipino people have, at last, waken to tho deception of parliamentary and legal processes and the futility of ch.nge unless they joined moral and PhYsical forces togethe,' in the historic task of national democratic struggle. MOVEMENT FOR A DEMOCRATIC PHILIPPINES February 1, 1970

A STEP
(Editorial

HIGHER
of PMlipp,,,,, Coll.gia" January" 28, 1970)

In than s, month, Filipino studenta have taken to the "treet. four times, the violence of confron tation politics .,winging full circle from the tumultuous Dee, 29 anti-Agnew demonstration through the quiet UPSC protest rally and the sporadic clashes of the prolonged NSL demo to the bloody mammoth rally Ias t Monday before Congress. Howev", .., in both theoretical and practical terms, the hi.tode January 26 demon.tration ha. not only returned to a rlatartlng point']; contrarily. it bas· taken 11. one full step higher and furtber in the tortuous road towards national demecracy, Unlike December 2.9, which was on example of State faseism sophisti""ted (see Jan. 5 CQllegian editorta I) , Jan uary 26 showed tha t tbe oppo .. ;"g .spect of people'. power had also soph,istieatea 0'· qualitatively changed, creating a new and higher lev.l of political confrontation, on different terms, under historically new conditions. In the first place, uhe two lrreconci liable lille. of student activi8tn-011o reformist nut! eompromiaing, the

I"".

173

174
other "'po"'d. second tially press,

FIRS'!' QUAI\'I'£R 81'OR1'1

OF 1970

STEP

HIGHER

175

fevoiu,tionn.ry and uucompromi.siug-,ve:t;e clenrlv The first was publicly discredited while the was supported fully by the student maaaes, parbut on an unc..xpected seale by poliueians, the and tbe spectator public.

but.tm

The attempts of NUSP preaident Ed!;"!" Jepson to block nationalist speakers, then to "onder private f,'om public schools, finally to wash hi. hands of the affair by "discontinuing" NUSP participation. were aug!'ily disapproved by the vast student ",.jol·ity who stayed to fi:ght. Buell d isnpprova 1 ex pressed concretely by student bravary CUlminated the division of students. durlng' the demonstration into a. wishy-washy miner-tty and an aggressive majority. Its well as the final alfenation of professional "student Ienders' from the i:r more h On est, P J"Reti cal, an d pel~epti ve CO.lsti tu oncies. Sjmilatly. the opportun.ist recognition by our politicfnns of the l<h·.ngth of nationalism for Once superaeded their understandable timidity, leading all without, exception, U'OIll President ~[aI'C05 down. to grudgingb' concede the innocence of the demonstrntcrs. The Pi'e:3S, experiencing as it does the gl"owing l'esh"ictiolls of fa.sc.ism, was unusually sympathetic, while the general public by far--h,xi drivers, TV and mdio audjencas, h~~-st3,ndel".s-m~t strongtv experienced :[01' the firs~ time the practical meani.ng of the word fascism. _ In the second place, the students stayed to fight tor fo1.t'T 'whole h01lt''8.-a eouacioua mass action unheard of from October 24 on. Di'pe",inll' and ,'e-gl"onpilllf. alternately retl"e.n.ting and advanciug, wotkiug ill IlTOUP' nomiually supervised from the UP jeep, tbe

.1uden Is traded blow for blow with the 0 u ln UIll b erad more heavily equipped policemen. This does net mean, however, as the indisertminitta use of the word "riot" implies, that the students deliberately aea umed rm offensive and violent position, Provoked initially by agents-pruvocnteur, the students lind no recourse but self-def'ense against the bestiallytransformed and bate-rnnddeued riot squads. \~rhat took place Was a shift Irom passive to active sh"ategy. from the non-expreesion of demonstrators' collective power to ita axpression. The concrete Proof that th es e. a re Ihe new tenus [Ill which ebudents 'will take to the streets in the future IIIfound in the serious discussion afterward of praclieal seIf-defense measures-c-sbields, helmets, trunrheons, Violenee, once disbeliaved, is now accepted, uud having been understood as the. basic characteristic lIf the State, lUUl become not a cause 101" despair and retreat but a spur to ineentive, initiative.:. and ~clf· improvement directed at strengthening the raub of f\tudellt activism and eqm'L1i'Zing f ature confrontations. B'lnally, students are now engaged in practical poet-demonstration activities eonscionsly oriented 9S political propaganda and as means to consolidating rurther progressive Filipino social sectors, The students by now have realized the vital importance of lhe worker-peasant-student ironto!" more :!So now since the 'tragedy of death long familiar to the wcrker-peaanut struggle may have touched the students. The discussion of self-defeuse techniques, the 32school week-long boycott of .1" sses, the schedu ling of ,till another giant protest rnlly, the holdiJ,g of Interschool teach-ins nnd photo exhibita, the lnercnsed ae-

17 6

FIRST

Q U""TE~ SToRM" 0 ~ 1970

tivity of natiollalillt group. and alliances despite RU" tained harassment, the incipient transfer ot initi.U at least in UP from the student leaders to the .tud.nt masses tbl'ough the .recent "people's congress" at. A and the precedent set by the public convoking of Council meeting-these moves are far removed fro", the court actiona and limit.d publicity efforts tI.1II characterized the abort-lived post-October 24 movemen

ASSORTED VULTURES AND OPPORTUJWISTS

(Edito";.l
of

U.P. Seuio»

No,",lotte,.-Feb.

l-l, 19'1O~

The lnirs,

seent

of

deeth

drnws

vultures

from their

Blood was spilled as uniformed men charged into the rank. of young demonstrators, with their- truncheons' lind gun. killing at least rour and wounding a hundred others. In the ensuing eenfuaion, there sm·fI!".d the oppcruunists. They swooped down upon a shocked populace determined to promote their se Ifish ends. Their moves were ,wift, calculated to deceive the people into believing. .they were securing tb. public good. But we discern the truth-they are opportllnists, and enemies "f the people. Vulture Numb.,· 01\e; the Faoclsts. Th e ' most pnwea-Jul ill this classtffcatlcu is Ow, Foehn" hims.lf, Ferdinand E. ~1a.'cO>$. Afte. ,.lldUlg all combat-ready "nits o:li the AFP to buteher the students. he proceeded lo .ti·ake Fo,.t Mala.DilIing impregnable with thousands uf'soldiet".'3 mounted artillery pieces and maehlneguns,
1

177

178

Fms:r

QUAa'l't';n S'!"()li.lYr OF 1970

ASSORTKD VULTURES

AND OPPORTUNISTS

179

and all the oth er tricks h. learned while he earued 27 medals. TI,. other m embers of the 3 % elite uated from Forbes and other Makati their mansions to the tender en". of troops. These plutocrata raised the Red their panicky fortifjeatiolls and repressive against the people who now live under a de-{acto jtary l'egirne. Through the mase media which own, they seized upon ttm reigning confusion to ate prcgrssaive elements by -brahding them as munist subvsraivea," But these McOa,·thyist tactics can no longer guile our people, The masse. know who the true mtes of democracy are. They know those who them, who hoard nll the wealth of the nation and the laboring classes of Ih.h· rightful share, who spire with Amm'ican capitalists in keeping tha pines an economic celouy who use- the military lentl), enforce their dominance ever the masses. the oligarchs, the true subversives. They cannot for-ever trample upon the interest of the people, for genuine matlonal democracy- shall prevail. Vulture Number Two: Tll. Rabble-Rcuser. Tho group to which this belong. is composed of men In the oligarchy whQ are net in good terms with Mr M.reo". There ore the politieians who received Ih. shorter end of their petty wrangling. for power .n~ who now wanl Mr. Ma,,",. discredited and out of fice. But they do not also hove the .upport of II,. people, for they only want to capture power for them selves and not l'eaUy for the masses. Once jon power,
I

Liley would continue the exploitation of the people and the suppression of ci vii rights. So what doe. the rabble-rouser do? He agitate. lhe students and h-ies to goad him to violence, even off.ring to supply them with firearms. Be knews, however! that the pocket upriSing he tries to incite will ollly he violel1t.ly crushed by the State. Then sheding the crocodile ten,." h. will blame the unfortunate Incident on, tho present occupant of the Palace, and nffer bL~'"elt as tile alte);native. '):hus he gains politteal power and sbops legitimate proletarian ascendan-

tOr· But these cppcrtunists,

a,'.

or

who are Willll1g to sacrifice everybody but themselves, have also been exposed and disc~.dited. The students can see througb tll.),. rlecepticn, and they know they will only be led to diaaater if t)ley follow the rabbl ...rousers' Impcrtunlngs. They know that genuine change will not come if the "Indents move alone; it will come only if the hrend masses of the people themselves will it and lIDdar-take it. And they know that it will come, iTI time, VultOl·. Number Th ree : The Pontius Pilate. The younger set of oligarch, this opportunlst may be seen drifting among the students, i.eling hi. way lind movillg in the direction of the blowing wind. His eye. Me riveted at gaining leadership among the youth, that he may use the position to further his clannish Interests Hod personal ambitions. Thus, following the January 26 dernonst.ration, Ihe PU"t •• chimed III their feeble voices in the uproar agaiust police brutality, but not nguins], the lo,g er i.sue of fasci.DI. The massacre of January SO made them show Iheir true C010l·, Washing th.i r hands of

180

'FIIIST QUARTER STOl'M

Op 1970

responsibility for the incident and casting aside their fellow students wbo were injured. - they joined tho witch-hunters in thei.r chorus blaming "Communist in filtrswrs" f01· provoki"n.g the 1"101:.. In this V."Y campus, there have been those wb.. conducted teach-ins and Issued press releases imme diately after the bloodbath. proclaiming themselves ". doves of peace and branding the militant group. and their leaders as "eubverslvea who want a violent I'll volutjoll," How they carne up wit-h such att"ibut(ld moti ves may becredited to their Ima gi na tton, B.ut th ~ students diseel·ned lhe opportunlem behind their ul templs to ,divide the studentry and rJi..,redit the no tionnlists, They were roundly shunned by the dormltory resident. whom they harangued, and their allagn tlons were torn apart Once again, an enligbtan"d stud.ntry h." J..,j.ct.d masquerading mteleadera. In our continuing struggle for change in OUJ" •• oiely, we will alway. b. meeting these vultures, on,1 they will try to wreck our efforts. But being cl•• r as -to OUl· goals, knowing that we seek a true national democracy we will be able to unmask t)1. pretend ••• and crush the opportunist.. With people'. power hOI hind us, we cannot fail.

BE RESOLUTE! UNITE AND OPPOSE THE MURDER, MAIMING AND MASS ARREST OF FELLOW STUDENTS AND COUNTRYMEN!
The fascist puppet regime of Ferdiuand E, Mm~ co. knows no bounds. Not satisfied with the police brutality perpetrated by the Metroeom aud the MPD last January 26, the full fcree of the state IV"" unleashed on the miliffinl demonstrate rs of January 30 to kill and mnim tbem. Washing his hand. of tba blood of the students murdered l;>y the r •• ctiol,ary state at his orders. the very next day, Marcos threatened in a speech to unleash " more savage attack against those who justly nnd democratically oppose his puppet, corrupt and terroristic n~gime, In a desperate andbl'sterical attempt to get tho people sa ncticn !tis fasdBlic act. he dreams up a rl'diculous story labelli ug the demonstra lion as a plot by hisenemies-'lc.o:mmuniste and non-eommunfata't-e-to capture Malacana.n g. Maroos is going berserk and so fearful of popular criticism that he imngille. at .,very turn tbat hi. poIitical opponents are out to destroy him. He has even 161

182

FmST

QUARTER

STORM OF 1970

BE

RESOLU'l'F.!

18~

srarred to voice out fha feal' that his Own vlce-presi dent is interested ill bi. aasaeinatiou 01' hi. politio.l fnihn-e. But, of course, his Lavoi-ita target are tho "cemmunlsts" who he claims adhere to M,ao 'fsetunr Thought. Sunk in a mOl"RSi.15 of l~ont.radietions, Marcos' state menta and actions, aimed at discrediting and suppress ing the people'a struggle for national f'''''dom lInd democracy, only serve to show the people his over-rid ing concern to preserve the presen t oppressive and OJ( ploitatl vc system that allow. him and hi. kind unllmited opp"r~,'nitl' t" eru-ich themselv •• , H. hYP<lcritically declare. hi. gl'i.t over the death of the demonstrators affet" he hos commended the murderers for their "resolute actions" in handling tho demonstration. While calling for national unity, he is acti"el)' seeking to divide the ranks of the people-pitting perents $!,gainst their children, workers and peasantA against students, students against atuderrts, and ralaing the communist bogeyman to Iur-thar confuije till' people, Having been masters \0 enter munist ..," ~lal'c"" pino people into be gobbled up by pose him. given the go-signal by his imperja1ist into }"elations with the Russian "cernnow attempt. to frighten tbe Fili.subml ss ion by !lAying that the)' will the "Maoists" i1 they continue to 01"

He accuses national democrats who oppose his adminlatrntton Ll.$ '~aoistsU and berates them fot' "want. ing to sur-render the country to 9. foreign pow,el''' when h. himaelf is the run n ill g d Qg of Yan kee imperiall.t.o

und the H1'ight-hand man" of erstwhile imperialist chtefbain, Joh11.SQn. Marcos pretends to know Marx.ism-Leninism-1\.Iao Tgetung Thought only to expose his utterly appalling Ignorance. He accuaes communists of trying to seize pow." on Jamwry SO, His real motive is to use this ~Ol!'e)' 10 (:lrun1) down on the people's uspiratiou for national ljbeyanoD and to intellsif:y his mNit&t'ization of the country, The theory of protracted people's WAr the t Applies to a aami-feudnl and semi-celonial country Ilke tile Phifippines does not permit that a mass acti on us tha t of Jan nil ry 30 would su Wee to overthrow the present reactionary\ state, In :rying to use W,itchhunting tactics, M"''OOs underestimates the political consciousness of those who continually demonstrate ag.in.t him, R. hatboro the futile hope tbat he can discourage the people f,'onl axpcsing the evils of the present neo-colouial state and his pa~·ticu]~l· severnment by caUing them "ecmmunlats" and seiaing the license to kill and maim them. It is futile for the fascist puppet ~1arc"" to make use of the issue of eommunlsm to dlvida the students or the students fl'<llll othe .. segments of the populntiou, The Issue is llot yet communism. "Va are clearly fight-. iug for a national democratic revoluticn. Kabataang Makabayan i. not a eommunist o,'ganizatlon, It is .a mass organization eemposad of yonng workers. peasants, students, lntellectusds, and professionals committed to the attalnmcnt of national demoeracz in our society. Our members have the demoeratie right to .tudy any ideology, including Mlll'Xlsm-Leniuisrn-Mne Tsetung ThQught. (And,- ee Bon!Iaclo, in his slruggla against Bjmnlah colonialiam,

II

184
C]"'e]y

FmST

QUART"R

STORM Or 1970

185 Last January 30·31, the demcnatratcrs learned, with the aid of the bullets and truncheon, of the police .IId armed f01"Oe.. that the reactionar-y state is but aninsll'ument of coercton employed by the exploiting class to suppress and oppress the people .. The heroic fight of active .elf·<iefen ae that the 50,000 demonstrators pili up shows that the people can no longer b. cowed by the military might c>f the state. The death of OUI' brothel'S in the struggle only ".,·v. to mal", us more determined in the fight fOI" OUr national freedom and liberation. We cannct, allow the .contlnued aupprassion of the people's demecratic rig.hts. We cannot allow the maiming, murder, mass arrest and torture of our fellow students and countrymen to go unredressed .

studied the P"elu!> &"oi"lltio».) We much unlike 111"'00' who, if he had his own would forbid tha diseusslon of ide". other than that· <:.omprise the superstruetura of a semi-feudal semi-colonial society ruled by· such antl-natlonal II anti-democratic forces liS U.S. imperialism and the cnl exploiting 01..... as the eomprador and the landlord' CIRS'. The democracy that M.l'oo~ sp eak. of as in the PhiHppine.s is actually antl-democracy, herty Of U.S. imperialism, feudalism and capitalism to "'<]lloit the b •-oad rna ss es of OUr especially the workers and peasants. AU the W,. Of Mal'oos will not COver up the that he is • running dog of U.S. impertalism ; will not COver up the fact that hi. fascist ..esponaible fOJ" the murder of scores of people have dared to expose and oppose the 01'1',·.".ion exploitation of the Filipino people at present, The time hOB come to test the parriotism and n' vO)UtiOD,31'Y C,OUl."9·ge of studeuts and other sectors 41' the ·population. In the January 26 -and 30·31 demouatratlons, the fascist nature of the Marcos puppet regime WRI thoroughly exposed. That it has gone to the exbm' of murdering- and nmiming demonstrators, even under the lome pretext of proleotlng the President, clearly shows th.t the Marcos fasci.t puppet regime knowa no bounds in suppressing people's democrattc l'ight$. Lapiang Malaya, Jabidah, Gap ••., Timee., Pantr:lUCo, Northern Motors, and now Mendlo. in. .. the list is getting longer. More and more, the people are learning the meaning of (he present .tal.

KAllATAANG MAKABAYAN 2 February 1970

D"""cgu.',