CONSTITUTION OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE PHILIPPINES

PREAMBLE

The universal theory of Marxism-Leninism is the guide to action of the Communist Party of the Philippines. It is the supreme task of the Party to apply this theory on the concrete conditions of the Philippines and to integrate it with the con crete practice of the Philippine revolution.

The Communist Party of the Philippines is the revolutionary party of the working class in the Philippines. It learns basic principles from the teachings of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Ho and other great communist thinkers and leaders; and historical lessons from the revolutionary struggles of the Filipino and other proletariat and peoples. It rejects both classical and modern revisionism, the betrayal of socialism and the now bla tant restoration of capitalism in a number of countries as well as Lavaite revisionism, Taruc-Sumulong gangsterism and other related ideas contrary to Marxism-Leninism in the Philippines.

Since its reestablishment on December 26, 1968, the Communist Party of the Philippines has gained strength and a wealth of experience through a life-and-death struggle against US imperial ism, feudalism and fascism and has led the Filipino people from victory to victory. It has strengthened itself ideologically, politically and organizationally, has brought forward the revolu- tionary cause and strength of the Filipino people and has made positive con-tributions to the advance of the proletarian revolution.

On the other hand, the semicolonial and semifeudal system is moribund.The socio-economic crisis cannot be solved but is in stead aggravated by the imperialist and reactionaries.It wreaks havoc on the lives of the people and causes social unrest without let-up. The political crisis is worse than ever before despite the change of ruling reactionary faction. The reactionary fac tions are more than ever severely split against each other and are more prone to inflict violence against each other. The broad masses of the people are more than ever determined to wage armed revolution against the state and build their own democratic power.

The Party is determined to further strengthen itself as the most advanced detachment and principal instrument of the Filipino working class, upholding proletarian revolutionary leadership and winning the support of the broad masses of the people in the ongoing stage of national democratic revolution and in the consequent stage of socialist revolution.

The Party has struck deep roots among the people, especially the toiling masses of workers and peasants, on a nationwide scale. It develops the closest links with the people by arous- ing, organizing and mobilizing them in the defense and promotion of their national and democratic rights and interests.

The Party employs criticism and self-criticism to promote the correct class standpoint and style of work and rectify errors and shortcomings and improve revolutionary work; and bring the revolutionary struggle to a new and higher level.

The Party is firmly opposed to revisionism and dogmatism and to all other trends of subjectivism, Right and "Left" opportunism, reformism, liberalism and so on. These are targets of revolutionary vigilance, criticism and rectification which are done through concrete analysis of concrete conditions and by drawing the truth from the facts.

The Party resolutely wields the weapons of revolutionary armed struggle and the national united front to defeat US imperialism and such local reactionary classes as the comprador bourgeoisie and the landlord class. Under the leadership of the Party, the New People's Army has expanded and consolidated its forces throughout the archipelago. Both underground and above-ground, in urban and rural areas, the patriotic and progressive alliances and component organizations have grown in strength by waging all forms of struggle in various fields.

The Party realizes working class leadership through hard work and struggle, builds the basic alliance of the working class and the peasantry, brings together the basic toiling masses and the petty bourgeoisie as the basic forces of the revolution, attracts the middle bourgeoisie to the fold of the national democratic revolution and takes advantage of the conflicts among factions of the exploiting classes in order to isolate and destroy the enemy that at the given time is the worst reactionary faction most subservient to US imperialism.

In waging the people's war, the Party combines armed struggle, land reform and the building of organs of political power and the mass organizations. It develops th revolutionary forces in the countryside to destroy the pillars of feudalism and the armed counterrevolution there until the people's democratic forces are ready to seize power in the cities in the strategic offensive.

The countryside provides the wide area of maneuver and allows the development of revolutionary strength in depth. The guerilla fronts now cover thousands upon thousands of villages or substantial portions of most provinces and municipalities of the Philippines and extends into portions of town centers, provincial capitals and cities.

The revolutionary forces are resolutely bringing the stra tegic defensive to maturation, moving towards the strategic stalemate and looking forward to the strategic offensive. The party and the people have overcome every escalation of armed counterrevolution and have come out stronger than ever. They prepare themselves against every escalation of US intervention and the worst possible US war of aggression; and are determined to win total victory in the revolution.

The Communist Party of the Philippines is a united and independent Party, equal to other communist and workers' party in the world. It is at the vanguard of the self-reliant revoluti- nary struggle of the Filipino people. But in the face of esca- lating US intervention, there is an increasing need for internationalist support from revolutionary parties ang peoples abroad to supplement the patriotic efforts of the Filipino people.

It is both the patriotic national and internationalist duty of the Communist Party of the Philippines to win against US imperialism, feudalism and fascism. The national and social liberation of the Filipino people shall help weaken the imperial- ists and all reactionaries on an international scale; strengthen revolutionary parties, peoples, socialist countries and other progressive forces in their own just cause and contribute to the emancipation of mankind and achievement of justice, peace, pros- perity and cultural progress.

The Communist Party of the Philippines is always ready to do everything necessary, possible and appropriate to strengthen the unity of the international communist movement, promote the most fruitful relations between the Filipino and other peoples and pave the way for the total victory of the national democratic revolution, the international recognition of people's democratic power in the Philippines and the attainment of a just peace in the Philippines and in the world.

In view of the blatant restoration of capitalism and disintegration of revisionist parties and regimes, the Party must uphold and study more profoundlly than ever the fundamental principles of Marxism-Leninism, learn lessons from the revolutionary victories of the proletariat and the betrayal of socialism by the modern revisionist and recognize the correctness of our struggle against the Lava revisionist renegades and modern revisionism.

The Party is confident that it can lead the people's democratic revolution to total victory because the domestic social crisis and underdeveloped countries is accelerated by high technology and by the long-running abuse of the international credit system.

The contradictions between imperialism and the peoples of the world, between oppressive ang local regimes and the people, between the proletariat and the bourgeiosie, between the indus- trial capitalist countries and the client states and among the capitalist countries are intensifying and resulting in unprecedented social turbulence conducive to social revolution.