Communist Party of the Philippines

For the original Communist Party of the Philippines founded in 1930, see Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas-1930.

Communist Party of the Philippines
Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas
ChairmanArmando Liwanag (pseudonym)
FounderJose Maria Sison
Founded26 December 1968 (1968-12-26)
Split fromPartido Komunista ng Pilipinas-1930
NewspaperAng Bayan
Armed wingNew People's Army
Youth wingKabataang Makabayan
Popular frontNational Democratic Front
IdeologyCommunism
National democracy
Marxism–Leninism–Maoism
Political positionFar-left
International affiliationICMLPO (formerly)
Colours  Red
Anthem"Ang Internasyunal"
Party flag
Website
cpp.ph Edit this at Wikidata
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The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP; Filipino: Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas) is a far-left, Marxist–Leninist–Maoist revolutionary organization and communist party in the Philippines, formed by Jose Maria Sison on 26 December 1968. It is designated as a terrorist group by the United States Department of State[1][2] together with Sison and its armed wing New People's Army (NPA)[3] in 2002. The European Union[4] renewed its terrorist designation on the organization in 2019,[5] though a 2009 ruling by the EU's second highest court delisted Sison as a "person supporting terrorism" and reversed a decision by member governments to freeze assets.[6] According to the US' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook, the CPP and the NPA aims to destabilize the Philippines' economy and overthrow the national government.[7]

Philippine president and Sison's former student[8][9][10] Rodrigo Duterte declared the group a terrorist organization in 2017,[11][12] though the CPP-NPA has not yet been legally declared as a terrorist group by Philippine courts.[13]

The CPP has been fighting a guerrilla war against the state since its establishment. Although its ranks initially numbered around 500, the party grew quickly, supposedly due to the declaration and imposition of martial law by former president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos during his 21-year rule. By the end of Marcos rule in the country, the number of combatants had expanded to include more than 10,000 fighters. In a speech before the US Congress in 1986, President Corazon Aquino accredited the party's rapid growth as being caused by Marcos' attempts to stifle it with the "means by which it grows" with his establishment of martial law, suggesting that other governments view it as a lesson when dealing with communist insurgencies.[14][relevant?]

In 2019, Sison claimed that the number of its members and supporters is growing, despite claims by the Philippine government that the organization is close to being destroyed.[15] The organization remains an underground operation, with its primary goals being to overthrow the Philippine government through armed revolution and remove U.S. influence over the Philippines. It consists of the National Democratic Front, a coalition of other revolutionary organizations in the Philippines with aligning goals; the Kabataang Makabayan, which serves as its youth wing; and the New People's Army, which serves as its armed wing.

The CPP claims to be the largest Marxist–Leninist–Maoist[16] formation in the world, with the organization claiming to have 150,000 members,[17][non-primary source needed] while other sources claim the membership to have peaked at 25,000 members in the late 1980s [18] with membership dwindling ever since.

  1. ^ "Foreign Terrorist Organizations". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  2. ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Country Reports on Terrorism 2017 – Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army". Refworld. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Executive Order 13224 Terrorist Designations Under Amended Executive Order To Modernize Sanctions To Combat Terrorism". U.S. Department of State. Bureau of Counterterrorism. 23 September 2001. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1128". EUR-Lex. 30 July 2020. Archived from the original on 17 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  5. ^ "The Council of the European Union on updating the list of persons, groups and entities subject to Articles 2, 3 and 4 of Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism, and repealing Decision (CFSP) 2019/25". Office Journal of the European Union. 8 August 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  6. ^ "IHT, EU court overturns decision to freeze assets of exiled Philippine rebel, Palestinian group". Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  7. ^ "East Asia/Southeast Asia :: Philippines — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency". CIA. Archived from the original on 20 August 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  8. ^ Sabillo, Kristine Angeli. "Joma Sison talks about former student Duterte, other candidates". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  9. ^ Mallari, Delfin T. Jr. "Joma Sison wishes 'best of health' for ex-student Duterte". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  10. ^ "Joma Sison on his former student Duterte". Josemariasison.org. 13 February 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  11. ^ Ballaran, Jhoanna (5 December 2017). "Duterte declares CPP, NPA as terrorist organizations". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Proclamation No. 374, s. 2017" (PDF). Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. 5 December 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  13. ^ Pulta, Benjamin (22 September 2022). "Manila court denies 2018 petition to declare CPP-NPA terror group". Philippine News Agency. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  14. ^ Aquino, Corazon (1986). Corazon Aquino's Speech before the Joint session of the United States Congress  – via Wikisource.
  15. ^ "Joma claims CPP-NDF growing stronger". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  16. ^ the Philippines, Communist Party of (2016). Constitution and Program of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
  17. ^ Sison, Jose Ma. (1 January 2022). "The people will intensify the revolution as crisis of the ruling system will worsen". Archived from the original on 9 January 2022.
  18. ^ JODESZ GAVILAN (20 December 2022). "FAST FACTS: Things to know about the Communist Party of the Philippines". Rippler.com. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.