Robert Reid | Chairperson FFPS
Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle (FFPS) congratulates the Filipino people on the 56th anniversary of the founding of the New People’s Army (NPA).
The New People’s Army (NPA) stands in a long tradition of Filipino people’s armed resistance for national liberation from colonial and neocolonial domination. This tradition spans from the Katipunan’s struggle against Spanish colonial rule to the Hukbalahap’s fight against Japanese occupation and later Philippine regimes subservient to the US. The NPA itself was born out of these lessons during the First Great Rectification Movement. This movement, led by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), aimed to address the shortcomings of previous revolutionary efforts. By learning from both the positive aspects and the mistakes, the NPA sought to build a stronger and more sustainable armed resistance movement.
In its 56 years of waging revolution, the NPA has shown itself to be a true people’s army, embodying the principle of serving the people. Unlike the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) the NPA is not just a military force, but also helps the Filipino people as a force for production, education, culture, medical services, justice, organizing and much more. Most of its red fighters and commanders were landless peasants who joined to liberate themselves from perpetual poverty, exploitation and state violence. Besides defending the people from attacks, the NPA arouses, organizes and mobilizes the peasant masses to carry forward the revolutionary struggle and the NDFP’s 12 point program for a just and lasting peace. The fighting Filipino masses unite to resist, defend and liberate themselves from imperialist and feudal oppression and exploitation.
Today the NPA, along with the entire revolutionary movement, is undertaking the third rectification movement in order to overcome mistakes and weaknesses in order to continue advancing the revolution towards victory. In this light, the units of the NPA have intensified their initiative in expanding and deepening their links with the masses, and in defending them from the fascist terror of the AFP.
As the red fighters and commanders of the NPA, the revolutionary movement, and the Filipino people are militantly working towards the advance of the revolution, let us also be militantly working towards supporting the Filipino people in their struggle for national and social liberation! We invite all internationalist, anti-imperialist and progressive people of the world to study and support the Philippine revolution and to join and participate in the activities of FFPS: https://ffps.info/join-us/
Long live the New People’s Army!
Long live the fighting Filipino masses!