ANGPahayagan ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas

Pinapatnubayan ng Marxismo-Leninismo-Maoismo

GRP fascist strongman Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly declaredthat after the Marawi siege, he will focus his troops against theNew People's Army (NPA) in what he recently declared will be a

"full-scale war."Several battalions have already

been redeployed back to focus onwaging all-out war under Oplan Ka-payapaan. The AFP leadership hasdeclared the aim of "wiping out" theNPA by the end of 2018.

The AFP has announced that itwill complete the recruitment andtraining of at least 8,000 troops byend-November. It aims to recruit5,000 more troops by January 2018.The rush in recruitment is in linewith the aim of building at least tenmore battalions of fascist troops tobe deployed against the NPA.Duterte is also feverishly acquiring

automatic rifles, attack helicopters,bombs and rockets from the US,China and Russia to train and fireagainst the people.

Majority of the new battalionswill be deployed under the EasternMindanao Command, Duterte's fa-vorite command. The newly-formed88th IB has already been deployedto Maramag, Bukidnon.

Duterte and his military officials'declaration that "not one" memberof the CPP/NPA will be left by theend of 2018 is a pipe-dream. Heseems to be in a drug-induceddreamland for him to wish that the. . . continued on p. 3

Armed actions

launched in

Mindoro and

Agusan Norte

THREE MILITARY ACTIONSwere launched in Mindoro whilea series of harassment opera-tions were conducted in Agusandel Norte in the past two weeks.

In Occidental Mindoro, Redfighters from NPA-Mindoro (Lu-cio De Guzman Command) raidedBluemax Tradelink Inc. inBarangay Malawaan, Rizal, lastNovember 1, at 1 p.m. Fiveshotguns, three two-way radios,ammunition and military equip-ment were confiscated in thesaid operation. (See related ar-ticle on page 3).

Red fighters also ambushed asquad of military elements onpatrol and attacked the 4th IBcamp in Brgy. Poypoy, Calintaanin the same province. These AFPtroops have a long record of vi-olating farmers' rights.

In Oriental Mindoro, NPAfighters harassed the 4th IBcamp in Brgy Sta. Maria, Bulala-cao. Dionisio Brutas, a CAFGUelement and known enemy of thepeople, was killed in the opera-tion.

In Butuan City and Agusandel Norte, a series of harassmentoperations were conducted byunits of the Western Agusan delNorte-Agusan del Sur Subre-gional Command (WANAS) underBHB-North Central Mindanaolast October 21-25.

Red fighters simultaneouslyattacked the police station in

EDITORIAL

Frustrate Duterte's "full-scale" war with all-outresistance

Engl ish Edition

Vol . XLVI I I No. 21

November 7, 2017

www.phi l ippinerevolution. info

November 7 , 2017 ANG BAYAN2

occupation. They demand the with-drawal of AFP troops.

The people demand the demili-tarization of the bureaucracy anddelivery of social services. The Fil-ipino people demand cuts in thebudget for the AFP and a stop tothe expansion of the number offascist troops which they equatewith more killings, abuses and aerialbombings.

The people demand an end toUS military intervention, war-mon-gering and direct and indirect sup-port to counter-insurgency opera-tions. They demand an end to suchlopsided military agreements as theMutual Defense Treaty and theVisiting Forces Agreement whichperpetuate and tighten US controlof the AFP.

The people are united firmly indemanding an end to the use ofaerial bombardment as a weapon ofwidespread destruction which en-dangers the lives of civilians, dam-ages the people's livelihood, de-stroys the environment and causesmass trauma, especially amongchildren.

The New People's Army contin-ues to solidly advance armed resis-tance against the US-Duterteregime's intensified all-out war. Itwill frustrate Duterte's ambition towipe-out the armed revolutionaryforces by the end of 2018. Guerrillawarfare continues to be waged na-tionwide, as the NPA seizesweapons from the enemy, recruitsmore and more young Red fighters,expands the number and scope ofguerrilla zones, carries out agrarianrevolution and consolidates therevolutionary base areas.

By unleashing fascist violence inits triple war of mass murder anddeath and destruction, the Duterteregime has succeeded in rousing thepeople to wage all-out armed andnon-armed resistance. The Filipinopeople are taking the initiative inwaging all forms of struggle to re-sist the regime's triple wars, all-outeconomic liberalization and sub-servience to US imperialism.

Editorial: Frustrate Duterte's"full-scale" war with all-out resistance 1

Armed actions in Mindoro & Agusan Norte 1

Illegal arrest of rights defenders 3

Destructive Bluemax 3

ASEAN Summit 2017 4

Labor enclaves are garrisons 5

Ka Lia: Worker, Red Fighter 6

Peasant's Lakbayan successful 7

CNL-Negros 1st Regional Congress 7

Groups celebrate October Revolution 9

Vol . XLVI I I No. 21 | November 7, 2017

Contents

AFP will accomplish in one yearwhat it has failed to achieve in thepast 50 years of abuses and armedsuppression.

There are now close to 100cases of extrajudicial killings ofcivilians, 91 of whom are peasants,under Duterte's Oplan Kapayapaan.With Duterte's, the US and AFP'sobsession of "wiping out" the NPA,there will surely be a rise in thenumber of extrajudicial killings andcases of human rights abuses.These war-frenzied AFP units oc-cupy more rural communities, tar-get and liquidate peasant activistsdemanding land and opposing min-ing and plantations, destroy self-organized schools, cooperatives,community farm lots and other so-cio-economic undertakings for poorcommunities which the AFP invari-ably label as "NPA projects." Morecivilians will fall prey to militarybounty-hunters running after theprice-per-NPA-head award offeredby the regime.

The AFP has heeded Duterte's"flatten the hills" call to arms. Withfull US support, the AFP has sub-jected more and more civilian com-

munities to aerial bombardment andheavy artillery fire in order tooverawe and traumatize the peopleand force them to submit to AFP'sabusive military rule. The AFP glo-rifies the images of the completedestruction of Marawi City and usesthese to threaten the people in therevolutionary base areas.

The Party calls on the Filipinopeople to firmly resist and frustratethe US-Duterte regime's heightenedall-out war against the broadmasses of the people and their rev-olutionary forces.

The Comprehensive Agreementon Respect for Human Rights andInternational Humanitarian Law(CARHRIHL) must be popularized toheighten the people's awareness oftheir political, socio-economic aswell as cultural rights and raisetheir militancy to defend these.

The Filipino people demand anend to martial law in Mindanao andwill resist Duterte's declaredthreats to impose a fascist dicta-torship. The peasant masses, espe-cially, are ever determined to de-fend their homes and communitiesand relentlessly oppose the AFP's

ANG

Ang Bayan is publ ished in

Pi l ipino, Bisaya, Hi l igaynon,

Waray and Engl ish.

Ang Bayan welcomes

contributions in the form of

articles and news items. Readers

are encouraged to send feedback

and recommendations for

improving our newspaper.

Ang Bayan is publ ished fortnightly by the Central Committee

of the Communist Party of the Phi l ippines

instagram.com/prwcinfo

youtube.com/PhilippineRevolutionWebCentral

@prwc_info

fb.com/philrevwebcentral

cppinformationbureau@gmai.com

ANG BAYAN November 7 , 2017 3

Barangay San Mateo, Butuan Cityand the 23rd IB camp in BarangayBalungagan, Las Nieves, Agusan delNorte last October 25, 3 p.m. Fivesoldiers were killed while threewere wounded.

Last October 23, NPA fightersharassed troops of the 23rd IB in

Purok 4, Brgy. Nongnong, ButuanCity. NPA fighters confirmed that 12military elements were killed in thesaid operation. In retaliation, AFPtroops used fighter jets and droppedbombs in the nearby community.

Red fighters paralyzed severalequipment of Gil M. Cembrano, aconstruction company based in

Purok 7, Brgy. Bonbon, Butuan Citylast October 21 for destruction ofthe environment due to its quarry-ing operations. According to KaOmar Ibarra, spokesperson ofWANAS, the company's plans toextend its operations will definitelylead to demolition and dislocationof residents in the area.

State agents illegally arresthuman rights defenders

Since the US-Duterte regime created the Inter-Agency Committee on Le-gal Action, harassments and illegal arrests against activists and human

rights violations have escalated. At the same time, killings of civilians andmilitarization in the countryside continue.

A Banwaon human rights workerand five other Lumad activists wereillegally arrested in their homes inBarangay Balit, San Luis, Agusandel Sur last October 27. Soldiersfirst arrested Julito Otacan, a staffof the Rural Missionaries of thePhilippines-Northern Mindanao Re-gion. Next, they arrested AlejandroBarluado, Jonas Acosta, Noli Tahu-dan, Marlon Talatayod and JoelTrasona, all members of the Ban-waon organization Tagdumahan.Guns and grenades were planted in-side their houses to implicate themas members of the New People'sArmy.

Tahudan was detained in theheadquarters in 26th IB in Pobla-cion, Talacogon while the otherswere sent to the police station onRubako, San Luis where they werecharged with criminal cases.

Last October 29, the Ilocos Surpolice and soldiers from the 81st IBharassed Windel Farag-ey Bolinget,Cordillera People's Alliance chair-person, while he was on his way toQuirino. Bolinget was on his way tothe province toinvestigate the81st IB milita-rization and en-campment insideBrgy. Patung-caleo.

He was de-

tained for several hours in the po-lice precinct and was only releaseddue to his insistence and media re-sponse. He was again subjected toharassment on the way back toBaguio where he is based.

Harassment against activists.Aisah Mariano, 23, a student, calledon the military to stop harassing herand her mother, Rachel, whom theAFP accuses as NPA fighters. Aisahand Rachel, along with Sarah Abel-lon-Alikes, Sherry Mae Soledad,Joanne Villanueva, Asia IsabellaGepte, Shirley Ann Angiwot and 18more have been implicated by themilitary in its encounter with theNPA in Sitio Mabileg, Brgy. San Ra-mon, Sigay, Ilocos Sur on August 4.

On October 24, Rudy Villareal,Balikwas Kadamay chairperson, wasillegally arrested and detained atthe Pasig police station.

Meanwhile, elements of the 24IB and 7th ID forcibly entered thehouse of Pastor Eugene Antonio inMudiit, Dolores, Abra on October27. Around 27 soldiers in civilianclothes searched the house on thebasis of a warrant stating that he is

hiding an M16 rifle, a.45 pistol and a shot-gun. As expected, the

soldiers did not findany guns.

Killings. Two soldiersriding in tandem killed Edwin Pura,

Destructive Bluemax

Bluemax is a foreign-ownedcompany mining the Lumintaoriver for mineral ore for ex-port. The river covers thetowns of Calintaan, Rizal andSan Jose in Occidental Min-doro. The local governmenthere authorized its operationsin anticipation of a P180 mil-lion windfall. This is despitethe damage the quarrying op-erations will bring to farmers'and fisherfolks' livelihoods andthe destruction of the riverand environment.

Bluemax is in cahootswith Lerma Bulaclac and herassociates in deceiving theaffected residents by offeringthem livelihood projects. Theyserve as public relations offi-cers of the company whileAFP troops serve as itsguards. Residents from SanJose, Mansalay and Bulalacaoalready know Bulaclac's oper-ations. In the beginning, theywill try to get on their goodside and encourage people tosupport bogus governmentprojects to make Bluemax'operations acceptable in theend.

As defenders of the envi-ronment, the NPA stands forthe livelihood and future ofthe country. This is the NPA'sguiding principle in punishingpredatory projects that onlybenefit foreign companies. TheBluemax raid is a warning toall destructive mining compa-nies in the island.

Armed actions. . . from p. 1

November 7 , 2017 ANG BAYAN4

a paralegal and among the staff ofNUPL-Luzon vice president Atty.Ron Ely Espinosa, last October 25 inGubat, Sorsogon.

Pura is an alumnus of theLeague of Filipino Students andpreviously served as the chairper-son of BAYAN-Bikol and ProvincialTransport Alliance. A civilian by-stander, Wilfredo Brono, was killedin the incident while Grace Merilowas wounded. Earlier, there hadbeen attempts to kill Atty. Espinosain August.

In October 20, PNP and AFPoperatives killed Romel Deniega

Sium, an ex-NPA member, in SitioBaribag, Barangay Bibincahan, Sor-sogon City, around 8:00 p.m.

Due to the presence of manywitnesses, the police declared thatSium was a robber to make theiroperations appear legitimate.

Before this, on October 17, sus-pected police and soldiers shot deadcivilian Alan Nolasco, a tricycledriver residing in Barangay Tabi,Gubat. His brother who was withhim at the time managed to survive.On October 18, another tricycledriver, Alden Enano of BarangayMonbon, Irosin was also killed.

Militarization. A platoon of the25th IB encamped inside Sitio Let-ter V, Barangay Mt. Diwata,Monkayo, Compostela Valley onOctober 23. They forced their wayinside the community's Lumadschool, tore books and destroyedother school properties.

Meanwhile, Caloocan City po-lice harassed and interrogatedmembers of the local chapter of theYouth Movement Against Tyrannywhile the latter were gathered tolaunch their organization in SanRoque Cathedral in the said city.

The ongoing series of meetings culminating in the 31st Asso-ciation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on No-

vember 12-13 and the East Asia Summit (EAS) on November 14 isfocused on measures to strengthen imperialist economic, political andmilitary control of the Philippines and other developing nations in theregion. US imperialist chieftain Donald Trump is set to attend the EAS as thelast part of his visit in the region.

Geopolitical positioningImperialists give importance to

the EAS, which includes Australia,China, India, Japan, New Zealand,South Korea, Russia and US asmembers. This meeting will be helda day after the ASEAN Summit,which Trump will attend because heconsiders this as "actually the mostimportant day" in the conference.The US uses its economic and mili-tary weight to push the EAS toadopt a position against the Demo-cratic People's Republic of Korea(DPRK). While building up its mili-tary presence in South Korea andaround the South China Sea, the USuses the ASEAN anti-nuclear provi-sions to pressure DPRK. TheDuterte regime acts as an additionalnoise-maker to foment a waragainst this country, which has re-sponded by rapidly building its nu-clear capacity to defend its

sovereignty.The ASEAN estab-

lished the EAS in 2005 aspart of its ASEAN Politi-cal-Security Communitywhich it counts as a main pillar inachieving "stability" in the region.The ASEAN is one of the flashpointsof rising inter-imperialist rivalry,mainly over control of the SouthChina Sea trade route which hasresulted in US and China sabre-rat-tling. The US is also pushing forcloser cooperation against "piracy,"to justify its plans on strengtheningmilitary presence in the MalaccaStraits, the narrow internationalsea passageway from the IndianOcean through Malaysia's waters toSoutheast Asia.

The EAS is yet another mecha-nism in addition to the annual AseanDefense Ministers Meeting (ADMM)and ADMMPlus which have been in

place since 2010, providing a venuefor increasing intervention by im-perialist powers. The ADMM andADMMPlus and the EAS includeAustralia, China, India, Japan, NewZealand, South Korea, Russia andUS which are all located outsideSoutheast Asia but have politicaland military interests in the region.According to the 2016-2017 ASEANreport, these formations have dis-cussed the conduct on South ChinaSea and the situation of theRakhine State in Myanmar. Underthese, four field exercises havebeen carried out from 2016-2017on maritime security, disaster, mil-itary medicine, humanitarian mineaction and counterterrorism.

ASEAN Summit 2017:Facilitating imperialistcontrol

ANG BAYAN November 7 , 2017 5

Labor enclaves are garrisons

From July 2016 to March 2017, the US-Duterte regime opened 13 newspecial economic zones (SEZ) for foreign investors. Majority of these are

offices for call centers, while two are labor enclaves in Palawan and Pam-panga. A total of 40 locations await Duterte's signal for conversion into spe-cial labor zones.

Enhancing economic controlThe ASEAN Community Vision

2025 is set on advancing a singlemarket agenda regarding trade ingoods, effective resolution of non-tariff barriers; deeper integration intrade in services; and a more seam-less movement of investment,skilled labour, business persons,and capital.

With this integration, any busi-ness within ASEAN members canmove around the region withouttariff barriers or other protection inthe nations hosting the investments.But the reality is that only big for-eign capital will benefit from thisremoval of restrictions. There iscollusion among the leading globalcapitalist powers in so far as push-ing for all-out liberalization is con-cerned. Their investments and fac-tories are already within ASEANcountries and the integrated econ-omy favors their rapid transfer ofcapital, unhampered plunder of re-sources and exploitation of cheap

labor.This falls smoothly within the

framework of China's "one belt, oneroad" and Factory Asia program, aswell as the Regional ComprehensiveEconomic Partnership currently be-ing pushed. This agreement con-strains colonies and semicolonies tounderdevelopment, allowing thecontinued imperialists plunder oftheir resources. China gains addi-tional benefits in the ASEAN High-way Network project that absorbsits surplus steel while facilitatingthe transportation of its productsand services to the semicolonies.

According to the 2016-2017ASEAN report, 96% of internal tariffrates are already at zero. Negotia-tions for agreements on traditionalmedicines and health supplementsare expected to be finalized this2017, as are agreements on pre-pared foodstuff, automotive prod-ucts, construction materials andnon-automatic weighing instru-ments. Malaysia and the Philippines

have signed the agreement onbanking integration last April, andtaxation cooperation agreementsare currently being pushed to en-sure timely implementation of tax-related initiatives.

Measures to integrate small andmedium enterprises into the impe-rialist system continue. There arealso on-going negotiations withAustralia, China, India, Japan,South Korea, India, New Zealand,and Hong Kong.

ASEAN was established in Au-gust 8, 1967 in Thailand in the con-text of the US war of aggression onVietnam and the national liberationstruggles of Kampuchea and Laos.The first five signatories, includingthe Philippines, were joined by an-other five from the 1980s-90s. sincethen, it has carried out semi-annualmeetings. The ten ASEAN memberscomprise a land area of more than2.74 million square kilometers, witha 630-million population and pro-ducing a $2.8 trillion nominal GDP.

The regime wants to make it ap-pear that the creation of new laborenclaves will generate employment,especially in the provinces. In rela-tion to this, Duterte has longpromised to maintain low wages as acome-on for foreign investors. Herelayed this promise when he wenton a begging tour in China and Rus-sia.

Since the 1970s, ne-oliberal policies have in-tensified the exploita-tion of Filipino workersby foreign capitalistsand big bourgeoiscompradors. Amongthese policies is thecreation of export pro-cessing zones (EPZ), en-

claves where capitalists are allowedincreased authority to exploitworkers without impediment fromany law or regulation.

Under martial law then, the Ex-port Processing Zone Authority(EPZA) was created through Presi-dential Decree No. 66 in 1972, toadminister the EPZs. The first EPZ

was constructed inMariveles, Bataan. In

1974, the 120-hectare Food Ter-minal Inc. or FTIwas put up inTaguig. Operationsin the 276-hectareCavite EconomicProcessing Zone

started in 1986. The

EPZA has the exclusive jurisdictionand authority inside the EPZs.Companies within these are givenincentives such as tax holidays andfree business licensing.

Workers describe these en-claves as garrisons. Ordinarily,they work for more than eighthours a day, every day of the week.They mostly stand in assembly linesfrom morning till afternoon. Sexualharassment against women work-ers is rampant. Policies against or-ganizing are strictly enforced, aswell as the "No union, No strike"policy.

The reactionary state and cap-italists created enclaves outsidethe national capital region, partic-ularly in Southern Tagalog (ST), forits strategic trade location due tothe presence of international portsand airports and lower labor costs.Presently, 34 out of 71 manufac-turing EPZs are in ST. An additional16 SEZs are either in the works orare already in construction. Five ofthese are manufacturing zones in

November 7 , 2017 ANG BAYAN6

Ka Lia: Worker,Red Fighter

Ka Lia worked in a labor enclave inLaguna for almost a decade. She be-gan working in a spare parts factoryfor DVDs when she was 18 years old.For eight months, she endured thedifficulties, along with 17,000 otherworkers in the company.

"When I applied for the job, themanagement immediately asked if Iknew anything about unions. My ab-domen was also checked for signs ofprevious pregnancies. That's when Irealized they do not like unions, anddo not hire employees with children soyou can devote your time to the com-pany," said Ka Lia.

At that time she was not awarethat forced overtime was prohibitedeven by reactionary law. For 12 hours,she and her fellow workers were onlyallowed 30 minutes for meals and restfrom standing for a long periods oftime..

"I could prolong my break in goingto the restroom so I could rest for awhile, but I was concerned that mysoldering work would pile up andupset the job of my co-workers in theproduction line," she added.

"I was not politically consciousyet. That is why when I was termi-nated with 200 others after eightmonths, we did not complain. Wethought that's just how it was. Weshould be have been regular workersby that time." More than 90% of theworkers in the labor enclave wherethey worked were women. They knewthat capitalists were more interestedin employing women because theythought women were weak and willnot complain.

Ka Lia belied this in a factorywhere she was transferred. Days af-ter being retrenched from the DVDfactory, she was hired in a vehiclepedals factory. Ka Lia's first job wasto chip off the superfluous metal

pieces leftfrom weld-ing parts,using a hammer and file.

Aside from the heat and noisewithin the factory, the work was verytiring for Ka Lia.

"I carried heavy equipment," shesaid. "On my second day, I couldhardly climb up the shuttle bus fromtoo much exhaustion. But I stayedthere for five years."

Slowly, she became aware of herrights, when they boycotted overtimework because the vice president oftheir company scolded them whenthey were caught taking a break al-though they had finished their workfor the day. They resented beingtreated like slaves and demanded anapology from the official.

The company's production wasaffected for three days due to theboycott. Even other departments hadto stop because the production linewas brought to a standstill in theirdepartment. This is where Ka Lia re-alized the importance of workers'interconnection with each other andtheir correlation to the entire strug-gle.

Ka Lia became aware of the im-portance of the workers in the en-clave, who stream into factories intheir thousands, but are divided bythe capitalists who are united in ex-ploiting and suppressing them. Thesecapitalists have their own organiza-tions within the enclaves. They devisemeasures to stop workers from orga-nizing themselves. They actively at-tack workers' rights to join unions,using laws and regulations by the re-

In the mountains of Southern Tagalog, aformer industrial worker leads a unit of

the New People's Army (NPA).

Batangas and Cavite. La-guna has the most numberof EPZs.

In the name of "indus-trial peace," the reac-tionary government pro-tects capitalist interestsinside these enclaves. Ituses the assumption of ju-risdiction to pre-empt orderail budding strikes.Workers are threatenedwith dismissal if they formtrade unions. Capitalistsare given the right to filecriminal charges and use allmeans, including militaryforce, to suppress workers'unions and strikes.

Despite all these,workers' resistance hasgrown, both among con-tractuals and regulars. Theyput up associations andunions, and launched col-lective actions and strikes.Some of these actions in-clude the strikes in AsiaBrewery Complex in Laguna,Hoya Glass Philippines Inc.inside the First PhilippinesIndustrial Park in Batangas,and NXP Semiconductorsinside the Light Industryand Science Park I inCabuyao, Laguna. The for-mation of associations ofcontractual workers insidethese enclaves have effec-tively strengthened theworkers' movement in ST.

Faced with militant re-sistance, the reactionarystate, through the DOLE,has been forced to regu-larize some workers insidethese enclaves. However,capitalists rarely enforcethese orders, pushing theworkers to persistentlyfight for their status. Inany case, this only serves tospur the workers to expandthe workers' movement in-side enclaves to reach theirgoals in struggle.

ANG BAYAN November 7 , 2017 7

Peasant's Lakbayan successful

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) successfully concluded the Peas-ant's LAKBAYAN from various regions to call for genuine land reform and na-

tional industrialization; and oppose political killings nationwide. At the same time,different sectors continued their mass actions to push for their rights and opposethe Duterte regime's anti-people policies.

CNL-Negros holds

1st Regional

Congress

AS IN other regions, theFirst Negros RegionalChristians for NationalLiberation (CNL) Con-gress was successfullyconcluded recently. Thecongress was attendedby 35 delegates, both ofthe "old guard" and theyoung members from theRoman Catholic Churchand the Protestant de-nominations. Aside fromthe message of the rep-resentative of the Com-munist Party of thePhilippines RegionalCommittee, a messagefrom Fr. Frank Fernan-dez of the DemocraticFront-Negros was readat the gathering.

The CNL NationalExecutive Council sharedthe most recent develop-ments of the political sit-uation under the US-Duterte regime, the rev-olutionary situation, andthe resolutions of theEighth National Congressof the underground or-ganization. Videos of thesaid national congress aswell as those of martyrsand heroes were shown.The new leadership waselected and the 3-4 YearGeneral Plan of Actionwas approved. This wascapped by the newlyelected chairperson'sclosing message.

The members of theCNL-Negros were full ofvigour and determinationto expand their member-ship. They plan to holdcongresses at the pro-vincial and city levelsnext.

actionary state.At the first signs that a union is

being organized, the company holdsseminars. These contain topics to en-courage the workers' individualist ten-dencies and sully anyone who dares toform unions or associations. The com-pany immediately terminates emergingleaders who are contractual while re-lentlessly finding excuses to terminateregulars.

Ka Lia was a victim of this perse-cution when she headed a grievancecommittee. She was suspended fromwork on the flimsy charge of using acellphone while in the factory. Thishappened when sheappealed and wasable to reversethe company'sdecision to arbi-trarily terminatea contractual.She also repre-sented them intheir demand tosolve ventilation insidethe factory. Because ofthis, the company watchedher every move with her fellow associ-ation leaders. "The company wants usto become machines," said Ka Lia.

Everything became clear to Ka Liawhen she attended educational discus-sions upon invitation from her fellowworkers. First were discussions ongenuine, nationalist unionism. Eventu-ally, she was able to study Philippinesociety and revolution, the Basic PartyCourse and several other revolution-

ary writings."Making the workers attend the

discussion is a huge challenge," saidKa Lia. Aside from lack of time, theywere afraid to lose their jobs, espe-cially the contractuals. Because ofthis, discussions were held in theirhomes. This way, leaders get to knowthe workers they organize, and utilizetheir actual experience in their dis-cussions. Organizers must take ad-vantage of the opportunity.

When workers from other facto-ries arrive, like those who deliver sup-plies, they can be asked about theirown work conditions. Discussions and

sharing on workers' gather-ings must also be keptalive and propaganda intheir line of work must beactively pursued.

Workers must facethe maneuvers of capi-talists in the enclaves to-gether, Ka Lia added.They can do this by

strengthening the tradeunion movement and the

people's army.Ka Lia joined the NPA because she

understood that the working classmust lead the revolution andstrengthen the people's army. Duringthe time she led the Party branch andorganized workers, she longed for theactual practice of armed strugglewhich was often part of the theoreticaldiscussions. In the middle of her inte-gration with the NPA, she declared shewanted to join the NPA full time.

Lakbayan ng mga Magsasaka (Peas-ant's Journey)

On October 25, on the last day ofthe Peasant's Lakbayan in MetroManila, thousands of farmers marchedfrom their camp at the Department of

Agrarian Reform (DAR) office in Que-zon City to the foot of Mendiola Bridgenear Malacanang. Students and youthjoined them in front of the Universityof Sto. Tomas in Manila. They held aprogram in Mendiola where they

November 7 , 2017 ANG BAYAN8

burned Duterte's effigy .Earlier, members of the Baktas

BTL warmly welcomed farmers fromCentral Luzon and Bicol who arrivedin front of the DAR office on Octo-ber 24. That day, they held a picketat the Camp Aguinaldo gate to con-demn military abuses in the coun-tryside and the ceaseless arrestsand killings of their ranks. Comenightfall, they staged a culturalpresentation which was attended byLuis and Coni Jalandoni and othermembers of the NDFP negotiatingpanel. According to Ka Luis Jalan-doni, "your strength and persever-ance inspires us, we get ourstrength from you to help us giveyour demands priority in the peacenegotiations."

On October 21, around 15,000Bicol peasants marched to NagaCity as part of their Peasant Monthcommemoration. They highlightedtheir condemnation of the wide-spread political killings and repres-sion of peasants, especially in theSorsogon province that has the sec-ond highest number of killings in thecountry. They demanded the releaseof the coco levy fund which wasstolen by Eduardo Cojuangco, cronyof former dictator Marcos.

After the program in Naga, theirrepresentatives proceeded to MetroManila to join the peasant campoutthere. Before they reached Manila,their buses were stopped by policeforces in Pagbilao, Quezon.

Meanwhile, hundreds of peas-ants led by Danggayan dagiti Man-nalon sa Cagayan Valley picketedthe office of the Department of So-cial Work and Development (DSWD)to condemn the agency's neglect oftyphoon Lawin victims. This waswhile their leaders were holding adialogue with the agency's officials.After this, they marched to Mall ofValley in Tuguegarao City to call forthe implementation of genuine landreform and the end to politicalkillings.

In Negros Occidental, farmerssuccessfully occupied Hacienda Suain Pontevedra town on October 24.

They intended to till a 15-hectareparcel within the 90-hectare landappropriated by this town's MayorAlonso.

On November 6, farm workersled by ARB One Movement (AOM)and UMA held a picket in front ofthe Ombudsman office in QuezonCity to demand that land seized byTadeco be returned to the peas-ants. They pushed for the repeal ofthe joint venture agreement be-tween Rep. Antonio Floirendo andBuCor, since the Ombudsman hadalready been ruled as anomalous.The farmers declared that Rep.Floirendo must be made account-able for his landgrabbing activitiesin Davao.

Miners' protests .On October 23, small miners of

Mt. Diwalwal in Compostela Valleyheld a protest action in front of thePhilippine Mining Development Cor-poration (PMDC). Led by Nagkahiu-sang Bomilan sa Diwalwal (UnitedBall Millers in Diwalwal), theyslammed the measures that prohib-ited them from mining at Mt. Diwal-wal and relocating them to Ma-batas, which is far from theirpresent mining areas. They also op-posed mining of big capitalists inthe area.

According to the organization'schairperson Judan Euraba, theireviction from Mt. Diwalwal will re-sult in the loss of livelihood of thou-sands of small miners, mine work-ers, their families, and other relatedbusinesses around the mines.

The miners further declaredthat mining in Mabatas will add atleast P150 per day to their ex-penses. They are getting only P350-400 per 0.3 grams of gold atpresent.

Meanwhile, Kalikasan staged apicket-protest on November 6 infront of the Department of Environ-ment and Natural Resources officeto denounce the continued open-pitmining that destroys not only themountains but also pollutes the wa-ters.

National Women's Day of ProtestGABRIELA launched a mass ac-

tion on October 27, NationalWomen's Day of Protest. Among therallyists were children carryingstreamers written with the call:"Children's cry: Fight for the rightto shelter." Many urban poordwellings remain uncertain in relo-cation areas because the govern-ment does not assign permanentplaces for their residence.

Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosassaid that the US-Duterte regime didnot allocate funds for urban poorhousing but earmarked billions toprojects for foreign interests. Theprotest was joined by Kadamaymembers from Tondo, Valenzuela,Marikina and other areas adjacentto Metro Manila who are facingthreats of demolition under the US-Duterte regime's Build, Build, Buildprojects.

On October 28, hundreds ofwomen protested in Davao City tocall for the lifting of martial law inMindanao. According to Mary AnnSaplor, Gabriela-Southern Min-danao secretary general, they havebeen calling for an end to martiallaw because this has caused wors-ening human rights violations sinceDuterte declared that Marawi hasbeen "liberated."

IN LAGUNA, the Liga ng mgaManggagawa sa Timog Katagaluganheld a picket at the Calamba Cross-ing on October 27 to condemnClarmil Manufacturing's (Goldi-locks-Calamba) refusal to regularizethe company's workers.

Earlier, they held a campout,together with workers of Coca-ColaFemsa, in front of the Departmentof Labor-Office of the Secretaryfrom October 23-27.

Also on October 27, MigranteInternational set up a picket atMendiola to decry the US-Duterteregime's Executive Order 44 estab-lishing an Overseas Filipino Bank.This is an additional scheme toprofit from migrant workers' remit-tances. The bank aims to collect

ANG BAYAN November 7 , 2017 9

Groups celebrate October Revolution

centenaryGUIDED BY THE theories of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, revolutionar-ies and progressives celebrated the centenary of the October Revolu-tion across the country. The Philippine revolutionary movement in thePhilippines learned from the October Revolution, the first revolutionwon by workers and peasants.

On November 7, revolutionary groups under the National Demo-cratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) held a lighting rally in Mendiola,Manila City as part of their centennial celebrations. They raised theflags of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NDFP andcalled for the workers to join the New People's Army.

Other CPP and NPA units also launched celebrations. A programby the NPA-Southern Tagalog (Melito Glor Command) led by ComradeDiego Padilla kicked off the celebrations. The NPA-North Central Min-danao also held a program where Pedro Codaste, NDFP consultant,attended. Meanwhile, the Ang Bayan came out with a special issuefeaturing messages from the Central Committee and from Prof. JoseMaria Sison. The Sine Proletaryo featured Red fighters singing the In-ternationale.

On October 21, peasants and other sectors celebrated the Octo-ber Revolution centennial in Cebu where they waved a hundred flagsprinted with the hammer and sickle. The activity was launched on thelast day of the Lakbayan ng mga Magsasaka sa Visayas and the Sum-mit of the Rural Poor.

In Davao City, a cultural program was held at the Holy Cross ofDavao College Auditorium in celebration of the centennial. Hundredsof activists participated in the celebration which featured culturalnumbers. The venue was spruced up by communist party flags. InNorthern Luzon, a celebration was held in Tuguegarao City.

migrant workers' incomes and usethese for the regime's anti-peopleprograms and businesses. Accordingto Migrante, this only bolsters the re-actionary state's labor-export policywhile further exploiting workers.

Meanwhile, a campout has beenset up in Mendiola since October 25by around a hundred families who losttheir homes due to the ManggahanFloodway demolition in Pasig City. Thecamp out itself faces the threat ofdemolition when the country startshosting the ASEAN Summit on No-vember 12.

The Movement Against Tyrannyparticipated in the church people'smarch against political killings held atthe People Power Monument on No-vember 5. A mass was held at theEdsa Shrine before the march, whichcalled for an end to killings and justicefor all victims of extrajudicial killings.

In Baguio City, students of theUniversity of the Philippines (UP)-Baguio and St. Louis University held apicket on October 26 to condemn theDuterte regime's fascism and violenceacross the country. Among the pro-testers were students who are facingtrumped-up charges from the policeand military.