Philippines
National Democratic Front of the Philippines Calls for
Stepped-Up Actions to Defeat U.S.-Backed Marcos II Dictatorship
Banner of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines in
demonstration in Manilla, March 29, 2026
During the brutal U.S. puppet dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos and under conditions of martial law, on April 24, 1973, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) was founded with the aim "to arouse, organize and mobilize the broad masses of the Filipino people in their millions to advance the revolution and attain victory." The NDFP was established on the initiative of José María Sison, the founder and leader of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing the New People's Army (NPA).
Today, the NDFP has grown to be a
broad alliance of some 24 revolutionary and democratic
organizations of the people, which, along with the CPP and NPA,
form the three pillars of revolutionary resistance against the
brutal U.S. puppet dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (Marcos
II), rallying the 117 million Filipinos under its 12-point
nation-building program.
The NDFP is stepping up efforts to organize the people to establish local organs of political power at the neighbourhood, municipal, district and provincial levels in 73 of 81 provinces in the Philippines so that the people can exercise sovereign decision-making power over their lives. NDFP Secretary General Elias Dipasupil recently noted that the national democratic revolution "continues to advance nationwide," pointing to ongoing armed and mass struggles in both rural and urban areas. He noted that despite sustained counterinsurgency campaigns by the U.S.-Marcos II dictatorship, the NPA continues to grow and retains support in the countryside, while protest actions and organizing efforts have been stepped up in cities.
On the occasion of its 53rd anniversary, the NDFP reiterated its 12-point program as the framework guiding its political objectives, including calls for agrarian reform, national industrialization, expanded democratic rights, and an independent foreign policy
The NDFP has also persisted in calling for renewed peace negotiations with the current Philippine government in line with the aspirations of the Filipino people to secure a just peace to end the more than 50-year civil war pitting the Filipino people organized by the CPP, NPA and NDFP against successive U.S.-backed puppet governments. More than 10 important agreements have been concluded with the government, including the Hague Joint Declaration of 1992 which sets forth the need and mechanisms for addressing the roots of the armed conflict through basic economic, social and political reforms and which also laid out a framework for further negotiations.
However, at every turn the Philippine government, including the Marcos II regime in power now, has sabotaged these agreements. The current regime is following in the steps of its predecessor, that of the Rodrigo Duterte regime (2016-2022). It has rebuffed efforts to hold peace talks with the NDFP and is carrying out assassinations of NDFP personnel and continuing to target the NDFP as a terrorist organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
The current U.S.-Marcos II regime is trying to outdo the Duterte regime, intensifying the anti-communist military terror campaign aimed at wiping out the CPP, the NPA and the NDFP. However, this campaign has had the opposite effect as the Filipino people stand as one to face the U.S.-backed Philippine state in every arena of battle. They are standing firm in their aspiration to realize the ultimate political goal of establishing a democratic people's republic in their own image.
On this occasion, the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) sends its heartfelt congratulations to the leadership of the NDFP and all its militants across the country and abroad whose sacrifice and struggle hold the promise of a life in the Philippines without the hardships imposed by the subservience of successive governments to the U.S. imperialists. The achievements of the NDFP are many, seen in the conditions of life in the areas where the people rule themselves, feed themselves, educate themselves and learn how to wage effective struggle to liberate the Philippines.
CPC(M-L) calls on the Canadian people to step up support for the fighting people of the Philippines who are making their contribution to a world free from U.S. imperialism, for peace and for the independence and self-determination of all nations and peoples.
(National Democratic Front of the Philippines. Photo: NDFP)
This article was published in
Volume 56
Number 5 - May 2026
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/TML2026/Articles/MS56057.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca