A widespread study movement to review Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and the Party’s basic principles is now being carried vigorously through the entire revolutionary movement. Party committees and cadres, as well as the commanders and fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA) and activists in the mass movement in the rural and urban areas, are energetically studying theory and principles as weapons to wage revolution.

At the center of this study movement are the writings and teachings bequeathed by Ka Joma (Jose Maria Sison), honored teacher of the Philippine revolution, who then led in laying the Party’s basic principles, policies, strategies and tactics for carrying out the two-stage revolution in the Philippines.

Among the writings that comrades are now re-studying are the most definitive documents developed under Ka Joma’s leadership including: Rectify Errors and Rebuild the Party, Our Urgent Tasks, Specific characteristics of Our People’s War, Reaffirm Our Basic Principles and Rectify Errors, and Stand for Socialism Against Modern Revisionism.

Comrades are enthusiastically re-reading Ka Joma’s other books and articles such as Struggle for National Democracy and Philippine Society and Revolution. These books are classic writings that remain reflective of the concrete situation of the Philippines which is oppressed by imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism. These are studied along with the classic writings of great communist teachers such as Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Ho. These explicate the universal truth about the history of class struggle and the need for revolutionary change to end exploitation and oppression.

This study movement was brought forth by the call of the Party’s central leadership to use the treasury of Ka Joma’s teachings as guide to carry forward the revolution. It is also part of the call to sum-up experiences of the past five and 25 years, identify and repudiate the subjective errors which have led to losses or which have impeded our work in various fields, and to comprehensively advance the revolutionary movement.

Along the principle of “without revolution theory, there can be no revolutionary movement,” Party cadres are currently using Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and Ka Joma’s teachings to assess and sum-up their practical experiences, build the determination to correct these, and overcome weaknesses and mistakes. They are reviewing history to draw positive and negative lessons, strengthen positive practices and avoid repeating previous errors.

This study movement is key to the consolidation of the Party. We must all-sidedly strengthen the Party in order to shoulder the heavy tasks of leadership.

The study movement is part of the general effort to raise the theoretical knowledge and tighten all cadres and activists’ grasp of the Party’s principles and ideology, as guide in carrying out revolutionary practice. It raises the militance and determination of the Party and the Filipino masses to fight amid the brutal repression of the reactionary state.

Party committees are exerting efforts to have cadres and members complete the Party’s 3-level course. Even more basic, non-readers are being taught to read through literacy programs. Through these efforts, the Party continues to raise the ability of its cadres and members to lead various fields of work at different levels. It also trains new generation of communist leaders and fighters.

Marxist-Leninist-Maoist knowledge and methods of analysis are used to research concrete conditions, problems and urgent demands of the Filipino masses. It clarifies that rising prices of commodities, low wages, landlessness, and various problems faced daily by the people are rooted in the chronic and worsening crisis of the rotten semicolonial and semifeudal system. It shows how the suffering and hardship of Filipino workers and toiling masses are essentially the same suffering and hardship of masses oppressed and exploited by monopoly capitalism in other parts of the world.

We are strengthening the determination of revolutionary forces to uphold mass line, and exert all efforts to arouse, organize and mobilize millions of workers, peasants and all oppressed and exploited classes and sectors. This study movement increases the enthusiasm of revolutionary forces and activists to carry out propaganda work in factories, schools, villages and other places to encourage the masses to unite and intensify their courage and will to tread the path of collective resistance to raise their grievances and fight for their interests.

In the countryside, this study movement further energizes Red fighters to strengthen the bonds between the masses and their army, expand and strengthen the guerrilla fronts, fight state terrorism, and valiantly advance guerrilla warfare.

Through the study movement, the Party guides and teaches the NPA to more further vigorously carry out extensive and intensive guerrilla warfare on the basis of an ever expanding and deepening mass bases, and step by step strengthen the NPA from being small and weak to being big and strong people’s army.

Fighters and activists are exerting all out effort to mobilize the peasant masses to fight for genuine land reform and other demands in the face of the crisis and disasters brought about by the Marcos regime. The mass organizations are being expanded and strengthened and the seeds of the people’s democratic government are being sown. In addition, tactical offensives are set to be mounted to annihilate the enemy part by part, to take his weapons, and raise the strength of the NPA from one level to the next.

During the current year, we anticipate this study movement to result in a steady advancement of the entire revolutionary movement in the rural and urban areas and galvanize the people’s struggles for national freedom and democracy.