Representatives of chapters and units of the Christians for National Liberation (CNL) gathered at an undisclosed location during the second quarter of the year to hold their 10th national congress. The event was attended by bishops, religious and pastors, lay workers, and youth representatives from various regions of the country. Prior to this, the Compatriots-CNL chapter was established in October 2025.

The CNL Congress was last held in 2022 in Luzon, and in 2017 in Mindanao. The CNL is an underground organization of Christians in the Philippines affiliated with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). It was founded on February 17, 1972, on the centenary of the martyrdom of Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora (collectively known as Gomburza).

The 10th congress was held under the theme “Strengthen and expand our ranks and further advance the national democratic revolution with socialist perspective; Deepen our integration with the masses in overthrowing the bureaucrat capitalist and fascist US-Marcos regime.” The congress crafted a new four-year plan and elected officers.

Delegates devoted a large portion of the congress to identifying methods to triple the entire membership of the CNL, which is a vital component of the formulated plan. The chapters and their representatives discussed and set expansion targets.

Delegates also shared potential contacts beyond their respective regions to be reached by other CNL members. They listed who could be contacted, who could provide support, and who could be organized and mobilized for the national democratic revolution.

According to Renmin Malaya, the newly elected chairperson of the group, the congress is a major success for the CNL. He said the gathering is timely in the context of the rectification campaign of the entire revolutionary movement in the Philippines, amid intensifying inter-imperialist conflicts and wars, and the widening cracks among the local ruling classes in the country.

“The CNL will certainly make a major contribution to the current efforts to advance the revolutionary movement. It is now in a stage of rebuilding, after a period of retreat and setbacks caused by internal weaknesses and mistakes,” the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines said in a message to the congress.

The Central Committee added, “Much as CNL was pivotal to the upsurge of people’s democratic revolution in the country in the early 1970s—and again during the Second Great Rectification Movement—we envision CNL taking on a significant role in a nationwide, coordinated effort to advance revolutionary tasks and initiatives across every region.”

Solidarity messages and greetings were also extended by other allied organizations of the CNL within the NDFP. Coni Ledesma, a member of the NDFP peace panel and one of the founders and pioneer members of the revolutionary Christian group, also expressed joy over the CNL’s advancement.

“May CNL continue to advance, welcome more new members and steadfastly bear witness to what true Christianity truly is—standing up and fighting for the rights of the oppressed and exploited,” Ledesma stated.

At the conclusion of the congress, the CNL paid tribute to the heroes and martyrs of the Philippine revolution. “They’re our inspiration. They were never selfish with their lives,” said Phillip Rebson, the newly elected secretary general of the CNL.

The heroes and martyrs of the CNL lived their faith not only within the Church but also in the communities of the poor and oppressed, with some serving in guerrilla fronts as Red fighters and commanders of the New People’s Army. They paid special tribute to Ka Luis Jalandoni, one of the founders of the CNL, who passed away on June 7, 2025.

The congress delegates and CNL members are determined to advance further and expand. The 10th congress concluded with the call: “With urgency, let us faithfully advance the armed struggle. Proclaim and bear witness to the justness of the people’s revolutionary war against the unjust and ruthless war of the ruling elite. Support and cherish the New People’s Army, develop and intensify the armed struggle. Let us reaffirm our vow to heighten the support in all fronts and carry forward the national democratic revolution with socialist perspective.”

—with reports from Liberation, the official publication of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines