Statement on the 28th anniversary of the founding of the 
National Democratic Front of the Philippines

ITAL A MIM supporter presented this statement at a joint 
celebration of Cordillera Day and the 28th anniversary of 
the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. Cordillera 
Day is held in the Northern Philippine highlands to 
commemorate the indigenous people's struggle for land and 
healthy environment against the incursion of foreign mining 
corporations. The NDFP was formed by the Communist Party of 
the Philippines in 1973 as the formal united front of the 
basic forces of the revolution. The NDFP is fighting for a 
national-democratic revolution with a socialist perspective 
through people's war. END

The Maoist Internationalist Movement gives the Cordillera 
People's Alliance a militant shout out on Cordillera Day and 
sends revolutionary greetings to the National Democratic 
Front of the Philippines on its anniversary. MIM also 
congratulates the NDFP and the progressive legal 
organizations which played a leading role in "People's Power 
II" on the imminent resumption of peace talks between the 
NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines. 

The revolutionary armed struggle waged in the countryside by 
the Communist Party of the Philippines and NDFP through the 
New People's Army and the militant legal mass movement in 
the cities have pressured the puppet GRP back to the 
negotiating table -- if only in a chimeric attempt to save 
face. MIM encourages truly peace-loving people everywhere to 
demand that the u.$.-backed Macapagal-Arroyo regime make 
good on its promises to release political prisoners and 
honor the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights and 
International Humanitarian Law, approved by a previous 
government. The Ramos and Estrada regimes walked all over 
this agreement, as evidenced by numerous summary executions 
of prisoners of war. Up to now, the militarists in 
Macapagal-Arroyo's cabinet have balked at releasing 
political prisoners. A blundering attack on the NPA 
sabotaged the NPA's attempts to free a government prisoner 
as a gesture of good will; the prisoner died in the "rescue" 
attempt. Until the economic, social, and political problems 
underlying the armed conflict are eliminated, MIM affirms 
the NDFP's right to wage armed struggle to overthrow a 
regime which defends the oppressive status quo. As even 
Abraham Lincoln said, "Any people anywhere, being inclined 
and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake 
off the existing government, and form a new one that suits 
them better. This is a most valuable--a most sacred right--a 
right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world." 

MIM takes this opportunity to reiterate its support for our 
revolutionary allies and progressive friends in the 
Philippines. This support takes many forms: Building public 
opinion in favor of revolutionary struggle; building public 
opinion against u.$ imperialism as a whole or against 
particular acts of u.$. aggression; supporting legal 
struggles in the Philippines to win progressive reforms. We 
do all this as part of our penultimate task: Preparing for 
anti-imperialist and socialist  revolution. Finally, MIM 
congratulates BAYAN International-USA, PESANTE, KmB, 
Nagliliyab, and GABNET LA for arranging this event 
celebrating on of the most important revolutionary 
organizations in the world today.

24 April 2001