Members of Artista and Manunulat ng Sambayanan (Armas) and other National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) allied organizations held a lightning rally at the University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman in Quezon City on the evening of December 17. They launched the rally in the middle of the annual Lantern Parade in the campus that draws thousands of spectators.

Armas-Balangay Ka Soral Malaya led the activity. The Armas chapters Balangay Tanya Domingo, Balangay Baby Jane Orbe, and Balangay Kerima Tariman joined the event. Members of Kabataang Makabayan, Liga ng Agham para sa Bayan, and Cordillera People’s Democratic Front also participated in the rally.

According to Armas-Balangay Ka Soral Malaya, the rally heralded the marking of the upcoming Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) 57th anniversary on December 26. It highlighted the call for the Filipino people, especially the youth, to join the people’s war and the New People’s Army (NPA).

“We recognize and support the revolutionary path that many Filipinos are taking,” the chapter stated. It added that it is correct to advance the just violence of armed struggle that holds the power to end the poverty caused by imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism.

The program included the groups’ exposure and denunciation of the traitors to the revolution and the Filipino people. These were individuals who formerly belonged to the revolutionary movement or Red fighters of the NPA who turned their backs on the interests of the masses and are now actively being used by the reactionary state.

The groups called for the committed advancement of the cultural revolution. According to Armas-Balangay Ka Soral Malaya, the study campaign must continue to deepen the understanding of the program of the people’s democratic revolution.

At the end of the program, they burned lanterns bearing the faces of fascists, the corrupt, and oppressors of the people—Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Sara Duterte. Many youth and individuals present at the Lantern Parade witnessed the program and heard the groups’ call to join the people’s war.

Meanwhile, the Katipunan ng mga Gurong Makabayan (Kaguma) spread revolutionary-themed lanterns across the campus. The lanterns bore the Kaguma logo, the image of a Red fighter, and the logo of the celebration of the Party’s 57th anniversary. They also carried calls to advance the people’s democratic revolution and to join the NPA.