In behalf of the revolutionary forces and people of the Cordillera, the Cordillera People’s Democratic Front (CPDF) joins in the celebration of the 52nd Anniversary of the New People’s Army (NPA) today, March 29, 2021.

We give the highest salute to our heroes and martyrs in the Cordillera for their immeasurable sacrifices in advancing the national democratic revolution. Their heroism and martyrdom serve as undying inspiration for us to persevere and carry forward the revolution until final victory. Our determination to resolutely advance the struggle to the higher level is our finest tribute to their martyrdom. We also render revolutionary salute to the commanders and Red fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA) who continue to fearlessly fight and frustrate the intensified counter revolutionary attacks of the tyrant Duterte and his fascist mad dogs.

“Without the people’s army, the people have nothing.” This is one dictum indisputably proven by the people of the Cordillera in our continuing struggle for national liberation and democracy. The invaluable victories we gained in the numerous battles we fought would have not been possible without the NPA under the leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines.The history of struggles of the Cordillera people is replete with rich accounts against the landgrabbing and plunder of our ancestral lands and natural resources jointly by imperialists and the domestic ruling classes of big landlords, bourgeois compradors and bureaucrat capitalist. It was during the US-Marcos dictatorship that the people’s struggles were unified and raised to a higher level from the formerly scattered and spontaneous forms. Notable among these historic struggles are the anti-Chico megadam by the people of Mountain Province and Kalinga, the Cellophil Resources Corporation of Abra, the Batong Buhay Gold Mines by the people of Kalinga, the Marcos Park in Benguet, and the Grand Cañao in Baguio City. Likewise, the successful labor strikes in the big mining companies of Benguet and against the massive demolition of houses of urban poor communities in the city of Baguio among others.

Today, the people of the Cordillera are gravely confronted with the health crisis of Covid-19 that aggravated the ever worsening economic crisis, the unparalleled bloody onslaught of the fascist tyrannical US-Duterte regime and other interrelated problems that threaten our life, ancestral lands and resources. The Tokhang-type crackdown design of the murderous PRO-COR against 300 activists and the people of Cordillera is even deadlier than the COVID-19. After the more than one year ravage of the pandemic which was incompetently addressed by the US-Duterte regime, infections of Covid-19 and its variants continue to increase in the entire country. And so, it is not surprising that the Philippines ranks at present as the record holder of most number of Covid 19 infections and deaths and registered the slowest economic recovery in the entire East Asia-Pacific region.

As the beleaguered militarist regime flip-flops in its measures to confront the health crisis, its latest reversion to stringent travel and population movement restrictions, will further worsen economic difficulties. Farmers’ products such as vegetables, fruits, corn and rice continue to suffer selling at very low prices. Moreover, only minimal quantities of these products reach the markets due to strict border restrictions and checkpoints. Backyard hog raising is also affected due to the hysteric measures imposed by Department of Agriculture to arrest the spread of the African Swine Fever [ASF] while deliberately ignoring the origin and cure of this disease. It has lowered tariff rates for imported frozen meat to the detriment of domestic poultry and hog raisers battered by the ASF. Opportunities for supplementary income are unduly affected due to the lockdowns and quarantine protocols. On the other hand, small amounts of cash and food packs distributed selectively by the Duterte government from its graft-ridden social amelioration fund is extremely inadequate for the people’s survival. Simultaneously, militarization and bombing sorties which unreasonably waste public funds are being incessantly conducted in our communities.

The naked greed and rabid puppetry of Duterte to his imperialist masters impels him to pursue more aggressively the implementation of neoliberal policies amidst the lingering pandemic. It blatantly enacted anti-poor laws lowering corporate taxes and tariff rates. He prostrates himself before usurious international finance institutions for more foreign loans to fund his corruption-ridden economic stimulus package, social amelioration program, budget deficit and procurement of overpriced vaccines. Sadly, our ancestral lands and resources and national patrimony are attached as collaterals for these debts. It is unarguable public knowledge that the Filipino people will bear the brunt of repaying these loans. Foreign and domestic debt of the US-Duterte regime is projected to reach the staggering amount of P11 trillion by the end of this year. Of the 110 million total current population of the Philippines, it is estimated that every Filipino young and old will shoulder the burden of P92,000 as virtual debtor.

While posturing as an invincible despot in his repetitive verbal tirade against the revolutionary movement along with his savage brutality against unarmed civilians, Duterte is cowardly playing deaf-mute over China’s brazen intrusion and occupation of our sovereign territory within the Exclusive Economic Zone in the West Philippine Sea. He was quick to deny that it has nothing to do with the overpriced loans extended by China nor in exchange of China’s vaccine donation.

To protect the interests of its imperialist masters and the domestic ruling classes, the tyrannical US-Duterte regime will continue to tighten its fascist rule. After he has mercilessly pulverized Marawi, terminated the peace talks between the GRP and the NDFP and declared Martial Law in Mindanao, the US-Duterte regime signed into law the Anti-Terror Law and other laws and policies creating a de facto martial rule in the whole country. Indeed, Duterte’s rule of terror in the Philippines is much worse than the military rule of terror in Myanmar interms of bloodbath.

In the face of the worsening oppression and exploitation in the remaining months of the US-Duterte regime, let us unwaveringly persevere in advancing the people’s war. To defend our ancestral land and assert our right and fight for self-determination and democracy is not terrorism. All Cordillerans should undertake best efforts to fight and frustrate this bloody Tokhang-type crackdown campaign.

We should strive to mobilize the widest vigorous mass support that our people’s army require to launch reverberating tactical offensives. Together, let the fascist Duterte and AFP,PNP and paramilitary minions pay dearly for all their blood debts. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and militarization of our communities, we should endeavor to creatively wage the increasingly widespread antifeudal, antifascist and anti-imperialist and other struggles in any form possible within our capabilities.

We must relentlessly pursue our campaigns on food production, health and other campaigns including anti-tribal war. Despite the uncertainty or expected delay of vaccination for the poor, especially the peasant population in the hinterland, let us make every effort to strengthen our immune system by planting and producing nutritious crops, utilizing locally available herbal plants and maintaining sanitation and the like. Let us strengthen the alluyon system and other similar mutual and cooperative practices in our food production campaign.

The US-Duterte regime is fast nearing its deathbed as it doggedly continues to implement the dictates of its imperialist masters thus hastening the irreversible decay of the semicolonial and semifeudal society. Every minute the tyrant stays longer in power entails more unbearable hardships among our people. The CPDF calls on all well-meaning and democracy-loving citizens of the Cordillera to raise higher our resistance and forge together the widest unity against the common enemy. We call on all the best sons and daughters of the Cordillera to join the NPA, the true people’s army that genuinely serves the people. This is fittingly your rightful place in history. The heroism of our forefathers in the fight against foreign and local exploiters and oppressors is our greatest legacy.

People of the Cordillera, arise and carry forward the revolution!