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News and Views from the People's Struggle

philippines

By Jon Abraham

Washington, D.C. – On July 27, around 100 people mobilized in front of the Philippines’ embassy to give their annual People’s State of the Nation Address (PSONA) and to expose the true relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines.

The march started from Stead Park as organizers were handing out fliers to passersby and constructing a large effigy of President Donald Trump, President Bong Bong Marcos Jr., and Ambassador of the Philippines to the U.S. Jose Manuel del Gallego Romualdez. The effigy stood tall and exemplified the relationship between the three individuals.

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By Ang Bayan

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following article from Ang Bayan, which is the official publication of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

An estimated 3,000 Aeta indigenous people from five barangays marched in Capas, Tarlac on July 14 to denounce the seizure of their ancestral land and the harassment they suffer from the Philippine Air Force (PAF). They also condemned the takeover of their ancestral land for the expansion of New Clark City under the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).

The Aeta masses marched from Barangay O’Donnell to a checkpoint entering Colonel Ernesto Ravina Air Base (CERAB), a military reservation in Barangay Santa Juliana. National democratic groups in Central Luzon voiced support for them.

The PAF barred these communities from building and repairing homes. It suppressed their water and electricity supply and blocked the entry of aid and other services. This is tied to plans of building a Joint Training Complex for Filipino and American troops in the area.

The indigenous people said they were not asked for their free, prior and informed consent for this. Residents will be driven out of the 18,000-hectare military complex in the barangays of Santa Juliana, O’Donnell (Patling), and Santa Lucia.

Meanwhile, the BCDA continues constructing roads and destroying farms, ancestral land, and the environment for New Clark City. The Aeta residents expect the evictions to intensify further because the expansion includes a U.S. plan to build an economic security zone with an “artificial intelligence hub,” data centers, and other infrastructure under the Pax Silica initiative.

The US Embassy in the Philippines announced on July 14 the visit of US Ambassador Lee Lipton to the site of the projects in the economic security zone. That zone sits right next to the Joint Training Complex and is part of military and economic hubs such as the Subic Ammunition Factory and Agila Shipyard, Basa Airbase, Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation, and the APECO Defense Hub.

#International #Philippines #AngBayan

By staff

Washington, D.C. – Amid military displays celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States, more than 120 workers, migrants, students and community members mounted opposition in the nation's capital.

Participants kicked off their activities with a banner drop on a Rhode Island Avenue overpass. Later they held a Peace Forum, then a protest on July 4 at the White House. Participants in the forum argued that the country's anniversary should instead be a moment to address ongoing impacts of militarism, political repression and economic exploitation.

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By staff

In a June 3 statement, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) said that the Marcos administration's campaign is an “insult to the thousands of victims of state violence, killings, and aerial bombings in the Philippines.”

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By staff

Third National Assembly of the International League of Peoples' Struggle.

San Francisco, CA – Over 500 people gathered in the Bay Area, May 30 and 31, for the U.S. chapter of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) Third National Assembly and Political Conference. The theme of the action-packed weekend was “Advance the Peoples’ Struggle.”

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By staff

On May 15, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) dismissed as “fictitious and desperate” the recent claims by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that it had “neutralized” 625 members and supporters of the New People’s Army (NPA) between January 1 and May 7. The Party said the report contains hollow claims to create the illusion of victory, in order to mask its inability to stop the regrowth of the NPA across the country.

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Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Ang Bayan, the publication of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The entire Party and all revolutionary forces nationwide salute the heroism of the 10 fallen Red commanders who fought the fascist attackers in Toboso, Negros Occidental on April 19. The people mourn the deaths of their beloved children who selflessly gave their entire lives to advance the interests of the oppressed masses in Negros and the entire people’s struggle for genuine freedom and democracy.

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By Tim Phan

San Jose vigil for the Toboso 19.

San José, CA – On April 29, the League of Filipino Students (LFS) in SJSU held a vigil in front of the Victory Statue to honor the lives of the Toboso 19. The Toboso 19 were murdered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on April 23 in Barangays Salamanca, Toboso, and Negros Occidental. A total of 653 residents and 168 households were displaced from Barangays Salamanca and San Jose.

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By staff

Chicago protest at the office of Philippines consulate.

Chicago, IL – On Wednesday April 22, a crowd of about 50 people gathered in an emergency rally in front of the Chicago Philippines Consulate. They were protesting both the mistreatment and deportation of Kuya J., a Filipino immigrant, and the annual joint military exercises taking place in the Philippines, known as the Balikatan exercises.

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By staff

On April 26, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) condemned the Marcos Jr. regime for “committing war crimes against the Filipino people” referring to the recent massacre of 19 individuals in Toboso, Negros Occidental. It also said that continued U.S. military support in the form of Foreign Military Financing and the Balikatan exercises are emboldening the Marcos Jr. regime to commit more war crimes.

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By staff

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Anti-War Action Network.

The Anti-War Action Network strongly condemns the brutal massacre of 19 individuals by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Toboso, Negros Occidental on April 19th. We extend our deepest solidarity with the communities impacted by these killings and land displacements, including the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines – US for the tragic loss of a beloved organizer, Lyle Prijoles. 

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Fight Back News Service is circulating following statement from Maoche Legislador, Spokesperson, Negros Island Regional Operational Command (Apolinario Gatmaitan Command) of the New People's Army.

79th IB narrative is a desperate piece of fiction

The Apolinario Gatmaitan Command of the New People’s Army (AGC-NPA), alongside the revolutionary forces of Negros Island, offers its highest tribute to the martyrs of Barangay Salamanca, Toboso. Their names are now etched into the long history of the struggle for land and justice on this island. While the 79th Infantry Battalion (IB) attempts to bury their identities under a mountain of black propaganda, the Negrosanon people will remember them as they were: patriots and revolutionaries who understood the plight of the marginalized and chose to defend the peasantry even at the cost of their lives.

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By staff

New York, NY – Filipino community organizations and their allies rallied outside of the Philippine Consulate in New York City, April 20, to call for an end to U.S. military involvement in the Philippines.

The protest marks the beginning of the month-long Balikatan joint military exercises between the United States, the Philippines, Japan, Canada, France and New Zealand. The organizers included the New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP), Malaya Movement, and BAYAN. Speakers also included members of Anakbayan as well as Filipino residents whose families are still living in the country.

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By Bayan International USA

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from BAYAN USA.

Filipinos overseas are heartbroken after witnessing the news of the 303rd Infantry Brigade led-attack on April 19 of 19 individuals and forcibly displaced more than 653 residents from 168 households in peasant communities in Toboso, Negros Occidental. Among the 19 killed, the families, friends and fellow organizers have confirmed Alyssa Alano and RJ Ledesma were amongst them.

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By Communist Party of the Philippines

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The Communist Party of the Philippines strongly condemns the US military for using civilian vessels and facilities to move and preposition its military vehicles and equipment in Cagayan de Oro, and the subsequent transfer of those vehicles from the city in northern Mindanao to Subic Bay in Zambales using commercial ro-ro ships.

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By staff

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Compatriots – National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

Compatriots-NDFP, the revolutionary organization of Filipinos overseas, condemns the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for spewing lies in an attempt to slander the revolutionary movement, cover-up the realities of Philippine society and deter overseas Filipinos from joining the people’s struggle.

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By staff

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) strongly condemns the Marcos regime and its military and police forces for the unlawful arrest of National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant for Cordillera Gabriel Kennedy Bangibang and nine others last March 11. They were forcibly taken in simultaneous raids in Tarlac City and Quezon City, and maliciously tagged as members of the Ilocos-Cordillera Regional Committee.

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By River Argyilan

Chicago, IL – On Wednesday, February 25, a coalition of organizations fighting for human rights and democracy in the Philippines rallied outside of the Philippine Consulate to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the ousting of Marcos Sr. and the People Power Revolution, to confront continued corruption in the Philippines, and to hold the Philippine Consulate accountable for its neglect of Filipino migrants.

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By staff

Washington, D.C. – On February 18, a diverse crowd gathered at Pershing Park for a Black and Filipino Unity Rally. Nearby, police cars and Secret Service vehicles loudly zipped around the area, preparing for the incoming visit by Trump’s so-called Board of Peace.

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By staff

Jose Maria Sison, the founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines with the political secretary of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Mick Kelly.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) statement on the occasion of the February 8 birthday of Chairperson Emeritus Jose Maria Sison.

The International League of Peoples’ Struggle commemorates the birthday of its Chairman Emeritus, Professor Jose Maria Sison. His guidance since the founding of the League has proved invaluable to the revolutionary forces of many countries and to the strengthening of the broad anti-imperialist united front across the globe.

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