Reports from Correspondents:
Resisting the plunder of Cordillera�s resources

Basahin ang artikulong ito sa Pilipino

Starting with this issue, "Reports from Correspondents" will be a regular section of AB. It will feature experiences of revolutionary forces in advancing armed struggle, agrarian revolution, mass struggles, united front building and other lines of work. All Party units down to the basic level are urged to share their experiences in working among the peasantry, workers, urban poor, national minorities, women, youth and children and other democratic sectors.

Led by the Cordillera People's Alliance (CPA), the valiant history of the Cordillera people in defending their ancestral lands, lives, livelihood and resources and in advancing the struggle for national liberation and democracy was celebrated on the 17th Cordillera Day anniversary. Likewise, the New People's Army and the various mass organizations under the Cordillera People's Democratic Front (CPDF) held celebrations inside the guerrilla zones. The celebrations were launched on April 24 in Mankayan, Benguet.

In a statement, the CPDF hailed the appropriateness of this year's theme for Cordillera Day: "Resist the plunder of the indigenous people's land and resources! Advance the politics of change to achieve the people's aspirations!".

The CPDF said that despite the ascension to power of a new president, the reactionary state continues to trample on the Cordillera peoples' right to self-determination. As Filipinos, they are weighed down by the three basic problems of imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism. As national minorities, they also bear the particular burden of national oppression.

There has been no change in the problems faced by Cordillerans and the entire Filipino people. The CPDF said that the enemies of the Cordillera people and the entire Filipino people have not, for a single moment, ceased to exploit and impoverish them. In essence, the Macapagal-Arroyo regime continues along the direction set by all previous regimes.

The CPDF assailed the Macapagal-Arroyo regime's reactionary dual tactics. On the one hand, Macapagal-Arroyo ingratiates herself with the Cordillera people by going to certain town centers in the region and implementing impact projects. On the other hand, the military under the new regime has been sowing terror without letup. The reign of terror has been most intense in Kalinga and Abra.

The CPDF cited the recent harassment in Mankayan of people's organizations resisting the operations of Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co., a corporation owned by imperialists and the comprador bourgeoisie. Despite the widespread destruction these have wrought on the Cordillera people, the regime is continuing with the construction of the San Roque Dam and the implementation of other policies and programs that are anti-people and anti-national minority.

On the other hand, the CPA as the biggest and most organized legal democratic alliance of the basic masses and other sectors in the Cordillera is at the forefront of waging struggles against antipeople and anti-national minority schemes such as mines, dams, logging, geothermal plants, mega-tourism and other projects that destroy and deplete the region's natural resources. It leads in raising the people's consciousness to make them more aware of their rights.

Along with the burgeoning democratic mass movement that continues to gain strength year by year, the CPDF perseveres in waging people's war, a just revolutionary war that empowers the people to decide on their economic, political and socio-cultural destiny.

The national-democratic mass movement of the Cordillera people, both armed and unarmed, can harken to the rich and significant lessons learned from the countless struggles of the Cordillera people - the struggle against the Chico Dam, Cellophil Resources Corp., San Roque Dam, against mines, against militarization in the barrios and many others. In applying lessons from these struggles, errors are avoided, effective tactics in strengthening the mass movement and the united front are formulated and bigger victories achieved.

The CPDF called for perseverance by the Cordillera people and the support of the rest of the Filipino people to raise the struggle for national self-determination to a higher level. Said the CPDF: "Let the sacrifices of our ancestors and the blood of our martyrs serve as an enduring inspiration for us all".

May 2001
English Edition

	Editorial: No substantial gains for the people in the recently held elections
	Demands of Filipino workers under the new regime
	Interview with Ka Roger
	Resumption of NDFP-GRP peace talks successful
	Reports from Correspondents: Resisting the plunder of Cordillera�s resources
	Reports from Correspondents: People in Central Visayas vigorously joined the anti-Estrada struggle
	Reports from Correspondents: Tactical offensives continue in Bicol
	Reports from Correspondents: NPA clarifies punitive actions in Northern Mindanao
	News of struggle