In the coming months and years, let us thoroughly and systematically expand and strengthen the New People’s Army (NPA) as arm of the Filipino people in fighting the US-Marcos regime’s fascist rule. The need to expand the path of armed struggle grows in the face of worsening oppression of the people, intensifying political repression, and shrinking space for democratic expression and action.

Marcos has imposed undeclared martial law in thousands of villages across the country to crush the resistance of the masses defending their lives and livelihood. Marcos’ armed troops are paving the way for the destructive and devastating operations of mining and plantation companies. There are rampant cases of killings, intimidation, illegal arrests and detention against the peasant masses and minorities who are rising up and resisting.

Even in urban areas, there is no letup in the surveillance and repression of organized people defending their interests. Marcos is particularly targeting workers, semi-workers, student-youth, and other sectors united in advancing their democratic demands. They are being silenced to suppress their calls for higher wages, lower prices, decent jobs, sufficient budget for education, and social services.

In the past seven years, hundreds of billions of pesos of people’s money have been poured and squandered by the reactionary state into its war of suppression against the people’s struggle for national democracy. Its ultimate goal is to crush the NPA as weapon of democratic people’s power, and then target and suppress the organized forces of the people. Its aim is to establish the unchallenged rule of reactionary power in the country, and the unimpeded accumulation of wealth through plunder and exploitation by imperialists, big bourgeois compradors, and big landlords.

Due to internal errors that resulted in weaknesses in facing the enemy’s full-scale attack, various units of the New People’s Army (NPA) suffered serious losses. It is timely that the Party called for a rectification movement at the end of 2023 to correct past errors in advancing the revolutionary movement, including various aspects of people’s war, to cut the losses of the people’s army and make new advances.

Under the guidance and inspiration of the rectification movement, the Red fighters of the NPA are striving to advance the protracted people’s war. The declared goal of the US-Marcos regime to crush the armed revolution by the end of last year failed. The NPA now continues to expand and deepen its mass base, strengthen the anti-feudal and anti-fascist mass struggles, and launch tactical offensives against Marcos’ fascist forces.

In advancing the rectification movement, all cadres and revolutionary forces must firmly grasp the armed struggle as the primary form of struggle, with the open mass movement and other forms of struggle are secondary, in fulfilling the central task of overthrowing the neocolonial state of the bourgeois compradors and landlords. All Party members must strengthen their readiness to take up arms and participate in the armed struggle.

Revolutionary forces in the urban areas must contribute fully to the comprehensive advancement of armed struggle in the countryside. Open a broad path for the march of unprecedented numbers of workers, semi-proletarians, and petty-bourgeois intellectuals from the urban areas or even from abroad, towards the road of armed struggle. The NPA needs workers and intellectual cadres to serve as Red fighters, commanders, and political officers of the NPA, as it traverses the path of resurgence.

To achieve this, it is necessary to fully expand and strengthen the mass movement in the urban areas, advance mass struggles, strengthen mass organizations, including the underground mass organizations, and raise the revolutionary consciousness of revolutionary forces in the urban areas.

On the Party’s instructions, the doors of the people’s army are being opened all year round for integration and recruitment, in addition to anniversaries of the Party, NPA, or National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). Units of the NPA are ready to accept teams of activists and cadres from the urban areas to immerse with Red fighters, undergo politico-military training, participate in studies, production, or cultural activities, serve the peasant masses, become dentists, doctors, or teachers of the masses, join the anti-feudal campaign, and contribute to establishing the Red power of the people’s democratic government.

Just as branches and sections of the Party in the countryside have plans, Party committees and branches, and revolutionary mass organizations in the urban areas and town centers should have a one-year plan to systematize the program for integration or recruitment by batches into the people’s army.

Conduct a study campaign on armed struggle as the primary weapon of resistance, and on the discipline of the NPA. Popularize the study on the ongoing history of the armed struggle of the Filipino people for national liberation. Draw inspiration from the life stories of revolutionary heroes, who selflessly offered their wisdom and lives to the people.

At the same time, we must strengthen the campaign to gather all forms of support for the people’s army, from monetary aid, food, and weapons of war to providing care for the wounded and convalescing.

Cadres and activists who will integrate with or join the people’s army must strengthen themselves, mentally and physically, especially in the face of the enemy’s full-scale fascist attacks. As Mao said, the revolution is not a dinner party. However, in the bosom of the masses, the Red fighters will always be filled with their nurturing care.