THE POLITICAL crisis in the Philippines has been inreasingly hitting world headlines.
Dictatorship.
But the most important the bulical movemehl Comunistad by te Communist Party Philippines (CPP). This was created in 1968 through a split with the old pro-Moscow Communist The CPP originally supported China its polemics une soviet nion but with the turn of the detente with Washington the party has reasingly broken with According to the figures giren in the December 1983 issue of the CPP journal LATE Bayan this a nich in 1968 had only members by 1981 had achieved a membership of 30.000. The CPP plays the lading role in whole series of urban and peasant hoyclicils most importantly, leads the main armed opposition force against the Marcos the New People's Army (NPA) which in 1981 organised around 20,000 fighters.
Australian socialist was able to interview in prison JOSE MARIA SİSON chairperson CPP. Sison has been imprisoned by the Marcos dictatorship since November 1977. The Military Court at Fort Bonifacio was a large, light and airy room with three long tables highbacked chairs arranged in a l' shape, facing the rows fre Millary Co amision ¡as or moe dualence 25 was to hold another hearing, of the subversion case' against several alleged leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) charged with seeking to cierthrow the government torce in collusion with ar unnamed foreign power, presumably- the People's kepublic or enina Jose Maria Sison, who tad being rairpersor of the outawed CPP, was chatting ir lively with Hallile! journalists. When we were introduced, he shook my ately started . Lalk listen proceedings, prefer talk with people who come here.
Sison was arrested with his wife, Juliet, November 1977. For most This detention has kept continement. After arel ne was beaten anu tirured then manbed tor urs a day so that he was For two years of his imprisonment, Sison was s. wed to be together with he wife, who up until that naa aisc been litary confinement. Jader Sison was released in March 1982 after she gave tarth to their child: Sison was then placed in solitary -again until July 1984.
Sison's case has gone to the Court five with petitions tor hateas corpus. The way arcos openly Houls une law' Sison said, 'he has• praducally destroyed Juris prudence in this country.' The greatest pubcity has gone to the urban unrest against the Marcos Two others accused along with Sison were also present at the 31 August hearing at Fort Bonifacio journalist Satur Ocampo and teacher Mila Aguillar-Roque. Roque only Deen three weeks before. She was suspected of being the highest woman official of CPP. Her husband, a .CPP had been cauer. killed in an armed conflict two years ago. Since then she supposed to have said that she no longer wished to be politically active and wanted to bring up her child in peace. She is presently held solitary confinement at Camo Crame Sison was very cheerful, joking with his guards, who sat close behind him in order to make sure they heard every word spoken. •I always talk with my guards, he sala. 'They are dissatisfied with their conditions, ine bullying iney suffer. They want a LOO. COLI asked, turning to his prison guards, who looked sheepishly at the ground. All the funds Marcos gives the military never gets to these Sison remarked.
Hickle I asked Sison what he considered the major problems the Philippines faced today. 'First, he replied, 'we need to achieve national independence in cultural and other fields.
beconalv. wicca co realise that means the elimination the fascist lastly, need solve the land problem. By national independence, ,' he continued, medIl cutting off of the dependence on a superpower like the United States.
lo develop democrac) we have eliminate reudalism, to liberate the peasant feudal semi-feudal bondage. Marcos has only carried out a bogus land reform. Only about 2,000 hectares have been transferred to the peasants while Marcos cronies have grabbed hunof areas tnousalus hectares We have to break up feudalism,' he said, "so that the local forces of capitalism can be liberated, that is, the national entrepreneurs and smaller The property owned by the multinationals traitor elements will be taken over by the state. Our economy would be a combined one of state and Filipino private ownership.
*This involves a change of power, of course.' he concluded.
That fundamental transformation of society.
US imperialism, feudalism virulent lorm fascism in the Philippines.
democratic revolution of a new type. That is, with the oI the proletariat. revolutions of the old type were led by the liberal bourgeoisie.' What role did he envisage the liberal bourgeoisie, Lasked: "They will still be progressive, but thev will have the hegemony. They do not have the political ideological organisational leadership necessars to cope with US imperialism.
'There are four forces the Philippines today. First, WOrKeIs wIlO represent about 15 percent. Then ocasdills ICOresenting 75 percent. Thus the workers and peasants make up 90 percent of the population. This is the basic foundation ot the united front necessary to win victorv. hen there are additional forces in this united tront the urban pettybourgeoisie (the small the DIODCELY owners. educated people) and lastly there middle bourgeoisie.
The class enemy is the comprador bourgeoisie those who control the banks, the analoras and so on. The old Filipino revolution was unable to liquidate this layer.
Sison what he l asked thought the role Australian imperialism is in the Philippines. the United States is pushing Australia counter-insurgency responsibility, sald 'The main projects military oriented. On LUCI surface the aid looks like simply. economic aid. But in fact it is used to creates a psychological effect to , discourage the revolumovement to liulial y create infrastructures, just for the landlords, but also for the military, like roads for example.
'The Philippine government also receiving direct military aid Irom Australia,' Sison said.
revolutionary, popular government came to power in the Philippines, I asked, did he think the United States would respond the same way it did in Grenada with an invasion? an invasion?' was a small replied Sison. "If COUnIrV.
decided entire system, I think the United States would hav great difficulty overthrotecause of wee secause OUE rageous abuses the Marcos dictatorship the COme aDOul clique itself nere There is a scrambling for foreign exchange. Export earnings and foreign loans are dwindling. The United States wouldn't be able to intervene. It is a declining power as the Central America has shown.
*The fighting in Central America is a prologue to a bigger revolutionary upthe whole of Icanal ll Latin America. There are several candidates for this revolutionary upheaval -Brazil, Chile, Argentina.
'The Americans learned a lesson from Vietnam. It would be quite a change of policy for the United States send LOOD. overseas again.' he stated in answer to a question about the possibility Washington sending troops to Central America I asked how he saw the development of the struggle in the Philippines 'The maturation of the Filipino revolution will come about in five to ten years. I am considering the decline of the United States its lack military capability the Filipino revolution,' Sison said. ne American DeoDit will not permit Reagan to launch new adventures expect the Filipino revolualongside WIl several other revolutionary advances.
"Today, the much weaker. regime The 21 August raly (lo commemorate the versary ol ine assassilla tion of oppositionist Benigno Aquino) was un precendented in militance and magnitude. American policy-making bodies couldn't help but be impressed this demonsof Marcos' isolation from the people.' this the United Mareos ed States dump Dalance. peared that Reagan would prefer a slow process of phasing out Marcos, but 1 think this will be accelerated now. Of course, I'm not relying on the United States The US Government will decide to dump first if the legal democratic mass movement continues to grow in strengul secondly, with the growth of the armed struggle. These two factors will decide Marcos Tale 'There is ralre New The staiemalt People's Army (NPA) has reached the stage of wiping out V. The PA is now on of the army.
own counter-offensive hitting smaller military by cerachmenl The military's blind larger commu nities and the bombing of villages only ocasall increasing support for the NPA What were the chances further military crackdown in the tuture, wanted to know?
'A military crackdown or takeover that continues long, answered "There may bo minded group. that would pave the way for a civilian happened government, Argentina. Or there might be a transitional oo vernmen support the left Therę are several possibilities.
Finally, I asked Sison prison. read and write and now can talk to the two other detainees. By shouting Commu nicate with two others over a wal. i can reau anylhin. that is legally available for instance l read dratts o opposition documents anc published materials of the National Democratic Front. But am no allowed CPP material. now have over 500 books in my norary. l am redall; slowly these days.
When I asked Sison about the present state of his trial, he explained, 'We play for time, so that some day Marcos will weaken and so that the commission will not have a chance to convict us. If we were to be convicted, it would be Chin: would be implic This would embarMarcos because the depends on China for 20 percent of its crude oil and also for rice imports.
Socialist Action 22 March 1985!