[EROL Thanks to Simoun Magsalin and his team for the materials presented here.]
Jose Maria “Joma” Sison led the “re-establishment” of the communist party in an event now known as the First Great Rectification. The new Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was founded under principles of Marxist-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought (MLMZT) which the Party would later change to Marxist-Leninist-Maoism (MLM). The New Peoples Army (NPA) was founded separately but later became the armed wing of the CPP. The CPP leads a united front called the National Democratic Front (NDF). When the CPP and its armed wing are discussed together, they are abbreviated as CPP-NPA. When the CPP, the NPA, and the NDF united front are discussed together, they are abbreviated as CPP-NPA-NDF or in an even more abbreviated form as C/N/N.
1968: Rectify Errors, Rebuild the Party by the Congress of Re-Establishment of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
A founding document of the CPP.
1968: Program for a People's Democratic Revolution by the Congress of Re-Establishment of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
A founding document of the CPP.
1970: Philippine Society and Revolution by Amado Guerrero.
Central theoretical document of national democracy.
1975: Specific Characteristics of Our People's War by Simoun Riple.
Adopted as a “landmark” document of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
1975: Our Urgent Tasks by Amado Guerrero.
Adopted as a “landmark” document of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
1988: Brief Review of the History of the Communist Party of the Philippines by Armando Liwanag.
1991: Reaffirm Our Basic Principles by Armando Liwanag.
Adopted by the 10th Plenum of the Central Committee and a document associated with the Second Great Rectification and the Reaffirmist–Rejectionist Schism.
1992: Stand for Socialism Against Modern Revisionism by Armando Liwanag.
An anti-revisionist polemic.
1993: Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought as Guide to the Philippine Revolution by Armando Liwanag.
2016: Communique of the Second Congress of the Communist Party of the Philippines
In the 80s, the CPP and its armed wing the NPA led a series of “anti-infiltration” campaigns that led to the torture and deaths of hundreds of their cadres.
1983: Mga Aral Mula sa Naganap na Impiltrasyon sa Hangganang Quezon-Bikol by the Melito Glor Command of the New People's Army
Lessons from the Infiltration Incident in the Quezon-Bicol Border, the English translation.
2003: Victims of Communist Party purge seek justice by Juan V. Sarmiento Jr.
2003: CPP purge victim recounts ordeal by Gil Navarro.
The political line of the CPP is known as “national democracy.” national democracy is divided into two general milieus, one underground and the other aboveground. The National Democratic Front (NDF) is revolutionary, illegal, and underground. The aboveground national democratic groups are known as national democratic mass organizations (NDMOs). Aboveground NDMOs share the political line of national democracy with the CPP though are not officially affiliated with the CPP.
National Democratic Front:
The united front and underground government led by the CPP.
1972: Guide for Establishing the People's Democratic Government by the National Democratic Front.
1994: Constitution of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
1998: The Question of Peace by the National Democratic Front.
2010: The Twelve Points of the NDF Program by the National Democratic Front.
Bulatlatan:
Bulatlatan was an online journal that published dissident perspectives among the rank-and-file in the CPP that ran from 2009–2010. The articles in Bulatlatan seem to document a period of two-line struggle in the CPP and the wider national democracy. Much of the debate seems to be conflict over how the CPP would use their “legal fronts” in parliamentary elections. Part of this two-line struggle seems to be a factional conflict within the Central Committee between Jose Maria “Joma” Sison and the Tiamzons, Benito Tiamzon (Ka Laan) and Wilma Austria-Tiamzon (Ka Bagong-tao).
Bulatlatan index.
This is the general index for articles appearing in Bulatlatan. Below are some notable samples of texts from the journal. More articles can be found in the above index.
2010: Militantly Oppose Right Opportunism and Its Blatant Betrayal of the National Democratic Revolution by Ka Dennie Mapatalang.
2010: Criticize Dogmatism, Build the Broadest United Front and Mobilize the Masses in Their Millions in the 2010 Elections by Banda Kathmandu.
2010: The CPP Bows to Bureaucrat Capitalism by Vincent Wenceslao.
2010: Bombard the Headquarters of the Opportunist Utrecht Mafia! by Ka Rosendo Monteroso.
Denounced the “Utrecht Mafia” led by Jose Maria “Joma” Sison for their electoral strategy, particularly denouncing national democracy's alliance with the bourgeois politician Manny Villar.
The Second Great Rectification was an anti-revisonist movement within the CPP. The central document of the movement is “Reaffirm.” Those who agreed with “Reaffirm” were referred to as “Reaffirmists” (sometimes “RAs”) while those who rejected it and split with the party are referred to as “Rejectionists” or “RJs”.
Reaffirmist:
1991: Reaffirm Our Basic Principles by Armando Liwanag.
The central document in the Second Great Rectification and the Reaffirmist–Rejectionist Schism and is abbreviated as “Reaffirm.”
1992: Stand for Socialism Against Modern Revisionism by Armando Liwanag.
An anti-revisionist polemic.
Rejectionist:
1992: Resist Authoritarian Tendencies within the Party! Let a Thousand schools of Thought Contend by “Ka Barry.”
Critical comments on the Paper “Reaffirm our Basic Principles and Rectify Errors” by Armando Liwanag calling for more democracy inside the CPP and called for a new Party congress. This party congress did not take place.
1993: Declaration of Autonomy by Party Organizations in the Visayas and presented by the CPP Manila Rizal Regional Committee.
This document, by several Party organs in the Visayas, polemicized against Armando Liwanag and critiqued his authoritarian and “Stalinist” style of leadership and also called for a new Party congress, which also did not take place.
1993: “Big Red Book” or Crisis of socialism strategies of action and internal democracy: Study debate discussion summing-up: Profound re-examination and revitalization: Krisis ng sosyalismo istratehiya ng pagkilos at internal na demokrasya: Pag-aaral debate diskusyon paglalagom: Malalimang muling pagsusuri at pagpapanibagong-sigla
A folio affectionately nicknamed the “Big Red Book” which contained documents for discussion for the future of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
1994: Counter-Theses by Filemon “Popoy” Lagman.
A Marxist-Leninist polemic against the political positions of the CPP. A widely influential document for the Rejectionist tendencies.
1994: PSR: The Semifeudal Alibi for Protracted War by Filemon “Popoy” Lagman.
A critique of Joma Sison's book (under the nom de guerre “Amado Guerrero”) Philippine Society and Revolution, which characterized Philippine society's mode of production as semi-feudal and semi-colonial.
1994: PPDR: Class Line Vs. Mass Line by Filemon “Popoy” Lagman.
A critique of the CPP's “People's Program for a Democratic Revolution,” which laid down its standpoint on the bourgeois democratic revolution and the agrarian question.
1994: PPW: A New-Type Revolution of the Wrong Type by Filemon “Popoy” Lagman.
A critique of Joma Sison's dogma of the armed struggle as the primary form of struggle for the Filipino proletariat, a review of Chinese society and history
1990s:
Hinggil sa Taktikal na Islogan Sa Kasalukuyang Sitwasyon “ISLOGAN” by Filemon “Popoy” Lagman.
Tagalog. A Rejectionist position that sums up the history of the communist movement in the Philippines and some steps forward.
Commentary:
1994: Debates on the Philippine Left by John Gershman.
An outsider's view on the Philippine Left.
1999: The Great Left Divide by Alecks P. Pabico.
A investigative journalist study of the Reaffirmist–Rejectionist Schism.
The Partido ng Manggagawang Pilipino (PMP; Filipino Workers’ Party) emerged as a major Rejectionist faction in the Second Great Rectification and is comprised of the merger of the Manila–Rizal Regional Committee (the original PMP), the National United Front Commission (formed the Partido Proletaryo Demokratiko/Democratic Proletarian Party; PPD), and the Paggawa/Socialist Labor Party (SPP, formed from a mix of dissidents from the CPP and from the PKP-1930). The PMP affirms Marxist-Leninism over Maoism and rejects the notion of a protracted people's war. It is believed that the PMP has split into two competing factions with the same name.
90s: Theses by Filemon “Popoy” Lagman.
Tagalog. Popoy Lagman's theses for the construction of a new party and revolutionary strategy.
90s: Reoryentasyon ng Gawaing Pampartido by Filemon “Popoy” Lagman.
Tagalog. Trans: Reorientation of party work.
1999: Workers Manifesto for the New Millennium by Filemon “Popoy” Lagman.
A manifesto written for the Partido ng Manggagawang Pilipino.
2002: Philippines Left Merger Announcement.
An announcement of the merger of the Partido ng Manggagawang Pilipino (PMP), the Sosyalistang Partido ng Paggawa (SPP) and the Partido Proletaryo Demokratiko (PPD) to form the PMP-Merger.
2002: Programa ng Partido ng Partido ng Manggagawang Pilipino (Pinagsanib).
Tagalog. The program of the PMP-merger.
2002: Konstitusyon ng Partido ng Partido ng Manggagawang Pilipino (Pinagsanib).
Tagalog. The constitution of the PMP-merger.
2006: Notes from the Underground by Filemon “Popoy” Lagman et al.
English and Tagalog. A collection of texts, mostly by Popoy Lagman, published by the PMP.
The Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa–Pilipinas (RPM-P; Revolutionary Workers Party–Philippines) emerged as a Rejectionist faction in the Second Great Rectification and was formally established on May 1, 1998. The RPM-P affirms Marxist-Leninism over Maoism and rejects the notion of a protracted people's war.
1998: Program of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa–Philippines.
An English translation of the 1998 RPM-P program.
2001: Brief Profile of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa–Philippines.
A profile of the RPM-P in their own words.
2001: History.
Tagalog. An account of the party's history.
2001: [Position papers].
Tagalog and English. Collected documents from the RPM-P's website hosted on Angelfire that details the various lines of the party at the time.
2005: The Working Class and the Struggle for Socialism: A Condensed Course for Socialist Activists. [PDF]
English.
2022: The Philippine Left Milieu, anonymous.
A summation of the Philippine left as of 2022 from the perspective of the RPM-P.
Filemon “Popoy” Lagman Archive: English | Tagalog
Jose Maria “Joma” Sison Archive: English
Liberation:
1972–1996
Published by the National Democratic Front of The Phillipines
Rebolusyon:
1990–1997 (English Edition)
Theoretical and Political Journal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Phillipines