DAVAO CITY — After nearly 50 years since its establishment, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) held its Second National Congress, elected mostly younger and middle-aged cadres to its powerful Central Committee and reaffirmed its armed revolution.

The CPP made the announcement on Wednesday as it marked the 48^th anniversary of its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), which celebrated its founding with a lighting rally by some of its members and supporters in Quezon City two days earlier.

In a statement, the CPP said 120 delegates representing nearly 7,000 party members attended the congress on Oct. 24-Nov. 7 last year, after the second round of formal peace negotiations between the communist-led National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the government aimed at ending one of the world’s longest-running communist insurgencies.

Around 60 percent of the delegates were aged 45-59 years and 15 percent were 44 years and younger, it said.

Congress in guerrilla base

The new Central Committee would ensure that the party leadership “will remain vibrant, tightly linked with the lower levels of leadership and capable of leading the practical work and day-to-day tasks of the party, especially in waging revolutionary armed struggle against the reactionary state,” the statement said.

It said the congress, held inside a guerrilla base, was secured by a battalion of armed fighters, an indication that it may have been in Mindanao where the NPA had battalion-sized formations.

It said 45 percent of the delegates represented party members from Mindanao, 40 percent from Luzon, 15 percent from Visayas and the rest from leading organs and commissions.

Amended constitution

The CPP said it amended its constitution and the biggest change was the “elaborated preamble” that includes its analysis of Philippine society and its adherence to protracted armed struggle as its principal form of struggle.

“The party program reaffirms the necessity of waging armed revolution in order to counter the armed violence employed by the US imperialists and the local reactionary ruling classes and end the oppressive and exploitative semicolonial and semifeudal system,” it said.

It added a constitutional provision to accept “members of foreign fraternal parties” into the party.

Another new provision specified the right of a party member to retire at age 70 but retain party membership and receive subsistence and medical assistance. An advisory committee would be formed for the retirees.

The congress also approved a resolution giving “the highest honors” to founding chair Jose Maria Sison, calling him a “great communist thinker, leader, teacher and guide of the Filipino proletariat and torchbearer of the international communist movement.”

The CPP said it would continue to seek his counsel and guidance on party work.

In a separate statement on the NPA anniversary, the CPP said it supported the peace negotiations but warned its cadres and fighters of “the dangers of pacification, especially as a result of a prolonged ceasefire without substantial gains for the Filipino people.”

Karlos Manlupig - Correspondent
@kmanlupigINQ

* “Changing of the guards: CPP elects younger leaders”. Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:56 AM March 30, 2017:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/884917/changing-of-the-guards-cpp-elects-younger-leaders

* @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

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 CPP announces leadership change as NPA marks 48^th anniversary

The Communist Party of the Philippines says it has elected young leaders to its central committee as it aims to ’complete victory’

MANILA, Philippines – The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on Wednesday, March 29, marked the 48^th anniversary of its armed wing New People’s Army (NPA) by announcing the election of a new set of young members to its central committee.

The announcement came as the guerrillas and the Duterte administration revive a stalled peace process that began last year.

In a communique, the CPP disclosed that it held its historic Second Party Congress from October 24 to November 7, 2016, the first national party congress that Asia’s longest-running insurgent movement held in 5 decades.

The national congress is the highest policy-making body of the party. In between sessions of the congress, it’s the CC that crafts policies and implements party decisions.

In the guerrillas’ congress last year, the CPP amended its constitution to guarantee the participation of younger members to the CC.

“More than half of the newly-elected CC members are from the young and middle-aged cadres of the Party, ensuring that the Party leadership will remain vibrant, tightly linked with the lower levels of leadership and capable of leading the practical work and day-to-day tasks of the Party, especially in waging revolutionary armed struggle against the reactionary state,” the CPP said.

Up to 120 leaders participated in the historic gathering, the party said. “Of those who attended, around 30% were above 60 years old, while around 60% were in the 45-59 years age bracket, while 15% were 44 years and younger. The oldest delegate was 70 years old. The youngest delegate was 33 years old,” the statement added.

The amendments also allowed “members of foreign fraternal parties” and paved the way for the retirement of CC members older than 70 but who will retain party membership and continue to enjoy financial support from the CPP.

“The Party program reaffirms the necessity of waging armed revolution in order to counter the armed violence employed by the US imperialists and the local reactionary ruling classes and end the oppressive and exploitative semicolonial and semifeudal system,” the CPP said.

“Drawing lessons from the Party’s rich history, the Second Congress presented a clearer picture of the strategy and tactics for taking advantage of the insoluble and worsening crisis of the world capitalist system, the strategic decline of US imperialism and the chronic crisis of the domestic ruling system in order to advance the protracted people’s war towards complete victory,” the CPP added.

70,000 STRONG. Members of the NDF-Southern Mindanao hold a lightning rally at Bankerohan, Davao City on March 29, 2017. Photo by Manman Dejeto/Rappler
70,000 STRONG. Members of the NDF-Southern Mindanao hold a lightning rally at Bankerohan, Davao City on March 29, 2017. Photo by Manman Dejeto/Rappler

Peace under Duterte?

The statement made no mention of the ongoing peace talks with the Duterte administration. The gathering last year was held just after the 2^nd round of peace negotiatons in Norway between the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) that represents the rebels in the talks.

Separate unilateral ceasefires were in place at the time, but the CPP claimed the military kept on attacking its guerrillas.

The first firefight to break the ceasefire between the military and the NPA would happen in January 2017 while the peace panels were holding the 3^rd round of talks in Rome.

The CPP claims to have close to 70,000 members nationwide, mostly from Mindanao.

The military scoffed at this, saying the guerrillas have been reduced to banditry and extortion. Military estimates show the NPA has 4,000 armed combatants.

“Given the serious degradation of the strength and following of the NPA, we deem it no longer a force to reckon with compared to the 1970s and 1980s,” said the military’s public affairs chief, Colonel Edgard Arevalo.

The CPP disagrees, saying its second congress “is a testimony both of the accumulated strength and capacity as well as determination to assemble a big number of cadres. It underscores as well the inability of the reactionary state to destroy the armed revolutionary movement.”

At its peak in the mid-1980s, the CPP had 25,000 armed regulars, according to the military. The movement suffered a bitter ideological split in the 1990s that caused the formation of breakaway rebel groups and a subsequent decline in rebel influence in major areas.

Carmela Fonbuena
@carmelafonbuena

* Rappler.com. Published 11:51 AM, March 29, 2017. Updated 4:52 PM, March 29, 2017:
http://www.rappler.com/nation/165505-communist-party-philippines-npa-peace-talks

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 SECOND CONGRESS COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Communiqué

March 29, 2017

The Second Congress of the Communist Party of the Philippines was held successfully on the fourth quarter of 2016. It was historically dated October 24 to November 7, 2016 as a way of setting off the celebration of the 100^th year anniversary of the victory of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.

The historic significance of the Second Congress of the Party is indubitable. For the first time in nearly five decades, key leaders and cadres representing the Party’s close to seventy thousand members, were assembled to strengthen the Party’s unity, amend its program and constitution based on accumulated victories and lessons and elect a new set of leaders.

The successful convening of the Party’s Second Congress is a testimony both of the accumulated strength and capacity as well as determination to assemble a big number of cadres. It underscores as well the inability of the reactionary state to destroy the armed revolutionary movement.

Despite relentless enemy military operations, the Second Congress was successfully held inside a guerrilla base. It was secured by a battalion of New People’s Army (NPA) Red fighters and enjoyed boundless support of the peasant masses and indigenous minority groups in the area.

The Second Congress was composed of 120 delegates, both attending and non—attending. Of those who attended, around 30% were above 60 years old, while around 60% were in the 45-59 years age bracket, while 15% were 44 years and younger. The oldest delegate was 70 years old. The youngest delegate was 33 years old.

Reflecting the relative size of the Party’s membership, cadres from five Mindanao regions constituted around 45% of the regional delegates; while those from Luzon constituted 40%; and Visayas, 14%. The other delegates represented the Party’s central leading organs and its commissions.

Guided by the theme “Greater unity, greater victories,” the Party’s Second Congress took a long view of the Party’s 48 year history, took stock of the current objective and subjective conditions and reaffirmed the Party’s determination to advance the national democratic revolution to greater heights.

Amendments to the Constitution

The Second Congress amended the CPP Constitution to reflect the Party’s experience in applying Marxism-Leninism-Maoism as ideological guide in its concrete revolutionary practice.

The biggest important amendment to the Constitution was the elaborated preamble which enshrined the Party’s basic principles including its analysis of the concrete conditions of Philippine society, its national democratic line and program for waging a people’s democratic revolution to pave the way for socialist revolution and construction, its stand and history of struggle against modern revisionism, its strategy and tactics for advancing protracted people’s war and waging armed struggle as principal form of struggle, and establishing the people’s democratic government.

A new article enunciating the role of the Party in the united front was introduced. Amendments were also made to complete the enumeration of the economic classes and their arrangement in terms of membership acceptance. A new provision was inserted to allow members of foreign fraternal parties assigned to work within the scope of the CPP to be accepted as members of the Party.

Another provision was inserted to specify the right of Party members who have reached the age of 70 years to retire from Party work but retain Party membership and to receive subsistence support and medical assistance. A new provision was also approved specifying the formation of advisory committees to which Party cadres who have opted to retire can be organized into.

To ensure the vigor and vibrancy of the Party, a provision was introduced specifying that steps be undertaken to ensure that the Central Committee shall have a balance of young, middle-aged and senior cadres.

Updated general program

The Second Congress updated the Party’s Program for a People’s Democratic Revolution. It presented an updated critique of the semicolonial and semifeudal social system, giving particular attention to the post-Marcos succession of pseudo-democratic regimes, the worsening forms of oppression and exploitation of the broad masses of workers and peasants and the deteriorating socio-economic conditions of the Filipino people in almost four decades under the neoliberal regime.

Drawing lessons from the Party’s rich history, the Second Congress presented a clearer picture of the strategy and tactics for taking advantage of the insoluble and worsening crisis of the world capitalist system, the strategic decline of US imperialism and the chronic crisis of the domestic ruling system in order to advance the protracted people’s war towards complete victory.

The Party’s general program calls on all Filipino communists to “be ready to sacrifice their lives if necessary in the struggle to bring about a new Philippines that is completely independent, democratic, united, just and prosperous.”

The Party program reaffirms the necessity of waging armed revolution in order to counter the armed violence employed by the US imperialists and the local reactionary ruling classes and end the oppressive and exploitative semicolonial and semifeudal system.

The updated program presents ten general tasks and then proceeds to lay down the specific tasks in the political, economic, military, cultural and foreign relations fields.

Elections

The Second Congress elected the new Central Committee and Political Bureau for a five-year term.

More than half of the newly-elected CC members are from the young and middle-aged cadres of the Party, ensuring that the Party leadership will remain vibrant, tightly linked with the lower levels of leadership and capable of leading the practical work and day-to-day tasks of the Party, especially in waging revolutionary armed struggle against the reactionary state.

The combination of senior Party members with the young and junior Party cadres will ensure the ideological, political and organizational training of a new generation of Party leaders who will be at the helm of the Party in the coming years.

It is the task of the senior cadres to transfer knowledge and skills by summing up their individual and collective experiences in order to help guide the present work of the younger generation of Party leaders.

Resolutions

The Second Congress resolved to give the highest honors to Comrade Jose Maria Sison as founding chair of the CPP. It extolled Ka Joma as a “great communist thinker, leader, teacher and guide of the Filipino proletariat and torch bearer of the international communist movement.” The Second Congress recognized his immense contribution to the Philippine revolution and the international working class movement.

It likewise resolved to continue to seek counsel and take guidance from his insights on the ideological, political and organizational aspects of the Party’s work. It also endorsed the five-volume writings of Ka Joma as basic reference and study material of the Party. The Second Congress averred that the Party having the treasure of Marxist-Leninist-Maoist work that Ka Joma has produced over the past five decades will ever be capable of leading the national democratic revolution to greater heights and complete victory in the coming years.

The Second Congress also resolved to honor all the heroes and martyrs of the Party’s Central Committee “who served as models of selfless dedication and served the Party to their last breath.”

The Second Congress also approved the official Filipino lyrics of the Internationale, the Party’s anthem, which includes a translation of the third section of the original French, and improves the translation of some other parts. The Second Congress also resolved that only the Filipino lyrics will be sung in official Party gatherings.

The Second Congress approved to celebrate with boundless joy and appropriate festivity the 100^th year anniversary of the victorious 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia on November 7, 2017. The objectives are to draw lessons and inspiration from the first successful socialist revolution and the unprecedented rapid economic and social progress achieved from 1917 to 1953 under proletarian leadership as well as to reaffirm the continuing viability of the socialist revolution in the face of worsening crisis of the global capitalist system.

The Second Congress also approved to mark the 50^th anniversary of the Party on December 26, 2018 by summing up the Party’s history and celebrating the victories achieved by the Party and people in the past five decades of revolutionary struggle.

The Second Congress finally resolved to salute all Red fighters of the NPA composite battalion force, as well as members of the people’s militias, and all other Party members and activists who helped secure the delegates, assist in their travel, prepare meals, provide medical assistance and other support services.

Communist Party of the Philippines

* https://www.ndfp.org/communique-second-congress-communist-party-of-the-philippines/

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