Press Statement

27 June 2004

Do the GRP-NDFP Peace Negotiations Stop the People's Resistance?
By Jose Maria Sison
Chief Political Consultant
National Democratic Front of the Philippines

Do the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations stop the people's resistance to the US-Arroyo regime? Emphatically no! The people's resistance is justified so long as there is intolerable oppression and exploitation.

Without resistance, the people have no hope of achieving national liberation and democracy against US imperialism and the local exploiting classes. One reactionary regime of the GRP after another has agreed to negotiate with the NDFP because of the growing revolutionary armed strength of the people.

The socio-economic and political crisis of the ruling system is daily worsening. It provides the fertile conditions for the vigorous growth of two forms of struggle against the ruling system of big compradors and landlords. One is the armed struggle as the principal form of struggle. Another is the legal form of struggle which is secondary.

The Communist Party of the Philippines has announced that it is intensifying the revolutionary armed struggle by unleashing tactical offensives from the centers of gravity of the New People's Army at the level of regions and guerrilla fronts.

The legal form of struggle is expected to surge strongly because of the people's outrage over the continuance of a puppet, corrupt and brutal regime through massive cheating in the May 10 elections and the most corrupt misappropriation of public funds for electioneering.

The crisis conditions and all-round bankruptcy of the reactionary government are favorable for the rise of unprecedented protest mass actions and for the development of a broad united front against the US-Arroyo regime.

The broad masses of the people are not cowed but are incensed by the boasting of the regime that it enjoys the support of the US imperialism and is ready to use brute force against the people who assert and exercise their democratic rights to speak, assemble and march.

The regime is challenging all the political forces opposed to it to intensify their work within the reactionary military and police in order to frustrate the scheme of the regime to use them against the people. There is a possibility that the US-Arroyo regime would be removed from power as soon as it loses the support of the reactionary military and police.

A broad united front of civilian forces and retired military and police officers are reportedly already working hard to persuade military and police forces of the ruling system to support the democratic mass movement of the people and withdraw support from the US-Arroyo regime, as in the overthrow of Marcos and Estrada .###