onaries Committee of the already Communist Party of the Philippines (PKP). At that meeting, the PKP expelled a group of young activists who charged that the PKP leadership had in effect liquidated the organisation a 'The group of young expellees was led by Jose Maria Sison, who had begun criticising the PKP leadership in 1964.
Sison and his supporters responded by setting up their own political bureau. They issued their first public statement on May Day 1967, halling the Chinese Cultural blasting the Soviet Communist Party, and condemning the old PKP leadership as 'the bearers of modern revisionism in the Philippines'.
from the old of US imperialism, Its method was strangle existing In an interview tinental Sison, national independence, the land question.
Ine united
Revolution, We feudalism, 'We have. to break smaller owied June stalc argued the ample, same puchea of Halll.
nauc Maoists On 26 December 1968, 11 of the expellees gathered to form a new paralso called the Communist Party of the Philippines but differentiated party by use of the initials CPP. The CPP's aim, stated a document ratified at the Congress of Reestablishment, was 'the overthrow feudalism, bureaucratic capitalism, the seizure of political power and its consolidation'.
launch "protracted people's war in which the revolutionary forces would gradually enemy-controled cities us.' from stable bases in the countryside Three months later, on 29 March 1969 . the twentv-seventh anniversary 01 the formation of the World War II - the CPP set up the New People's Army to wage armed struggle under the party's leadership.
was with InterconPress (12 November 1984) who has been in prison since stated that the three key tasks in the Philippines today are achieving eliminating ine ivarcos aictalorsmp, and solving 'By national independence 1 mean the cutting ott oi the dependence on a superpower like •tates. have to eliminate to liberate the ocasallt frum feudal and semi-feudal bondage up the feudalism so that the local forces of палова entrepreneul: businessmen. The property mulitnationals and traitor elements will be taken over by Our economy would be a combined one — of state and Filipino private ownership' In order to achieve this goal, Sison "the solution is a national democratic revolution of a new type That is, with the class leadership of proletariat.' The liberal bourgeoisie. he stated, cannot the process because they 'do not have the political, ideological, or organisational leadership neccessary to cope with US imperialism'.
Although the CPP was strongly Maoist at the time of its formation was deeply affected by ultraleftism of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the CPP broke with the Chinese Communist Party in 1975, when the People' Republic of China the Marcos dictatorship established diplomatic ties.
The CPP, many of whose positions are in flux, remains deeply influenced by its Stalinist origins. The CPP's newspaper Ang Bayan, for excontinues to prominently feature 'Mao Tse-Tung Though' on its masthead.
And even after the break with the Chinese Communist Party, the CPP continued to endorse many of the Vietnamese troops entered Kamnelo overthrow murderous Pol Pot regime in late 1978, Ang Bayan saw in this the hand 'Soviet social imperialism' and chasusea une vielnamese icadersmp for 'allowing itself to be used' by subsequent Chinese invasion of VietMore recently, however, prominent leaders of the CPP have statements less critical Moscow. However, when Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial law in 1972 the reactions of the PKP and the CPP were fundamentally different.
Two months after martial law was imposed, Jesus Lava of the PKP, at that time still in prison, issued transmission' indicating that on balance martial law was not so oao becaust main targets CIA-linked politicians like Benigno Aquino.
The PKP took a further step toward making peace with Marcos in 1974. when members of its Political Bureau met with him at the presidential palace. Felicisimo Macapagal, the PKP general secretary, told the Philippine tator: 'Your excellency, you have called for national unity and we are here today in response to your call. We do so with an offer of patriotic and socialy conscious participation in nationbuilding which has long been deniea The РКР Bureau members symbolically turned over 19 weavons lo Marcos to mark their commitment not to take up armed struggle. Since that time, PKP leaders have continued to be invited to affairs at the presidential palace The CPP's reaction to martial law different. CPP activists the Manila student network took lo une moullallis to loin the small group of NA members already The addition waging armed suruggie of these cadres enabled the CPP and NPA to build bases in a number regions. In fact, as the Far Eastern Economic noted November 21 1985: "thev have sud ceeded in forging a nationwide cell structure, sonnernins revolt had been able to accomplish.' Although number of central leaders of the CPP, including Sison were captured in 1976 and 1977, this loss has not stemmed the growth of the CPP-led insurgency. lead the Malcolm X