Pahayagan ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP-1930)                          Marso 2021

 

Party website : www.pkp-1930.com

 

E-mail : philcompar@yahoo.com                 E-mail : parisantonio2001@yahoo.com

 

 

CONTENTS OF THE MARCH 2021  ISSUE  OF  SULONG ! (Forward !),

THE  MONTHLY  ORGAN  OF  THE  PARTIDO  KOMUNISTA NG  PILIPINAS

(PKP-1930, the Philippine Communist Party)

 

1. PKP-1930 Condemns Killings of Non-Combatant Activists in the Philippines.

 

2. PKP-1930 Condemns Myanmar Military Junta's Bloody Response to People's Protests.

 

3. Kriminal na si Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Suportado pa rin ni Biden at ng NATO.

 

4. Message to the International Women's Day Rally in Tokyo, Japan.

 

5. Hinaharap ni Biden ang Modernisasyon ng mga Sandatang Nukleyar ng U.S.A.

 

6. Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Nagbabala Laban sa Joint War

                                    Exercises ng U.S.A. sa Timog Korea.

 

7. Mensahe sa Ika-46 na Anibersaryo ng Katipunan ng Bagong Pilipina (KaBaPa),

                                    at sa Pandaigdigang Araw ng Kababaihan.

 

8. Inaresto sa Bolivia si dating “Interim President” Jeanine Añez at iba pang mga Namuno sa Teroristang Kudeta laban kay Pangulong

                                    Evo Morales noong 2019.

 

9. Maagang Pangangampanya ng Burges na Administrasyong Digong.

 

10. Tinatapatan na ng Oposisyong Burges ang Maagang Pangangampanya ng Administrasyong Digong.

 

11. Greetings on the 90^th Anniversary of the Partido Comunista de Venezuela.

 

12. Letter of Thanks from the PolitBureau of the Central Committee of the

                        Communist Party of Venezuela.

 

13. Greetings on the Centennial of the Portuguese Communist Party.

 

14. Message of Condolence to the Tudeh Party of Iran, on the Passing Away of Comrade Ali Khavari.

 

15. Letter of Thanks from the Tudeh Party of Iran.

 

16. Message of Condolence to the Partido Comunista do Brasil (PCdoB) on the Demise of Comrade Haroldo Lima.

 

17. Greetings to the 4^th Congress of the Communist Party of Swaziland.

 

 

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PKP-1930 CONDEMNS KILLINGS OF

NON-COMBATANT ACTIVISTS IN THE PHILIPPINES

 

            News reports about the killing last Sunday (March 7) of 9 unarmed local leaders of mass organizations in 4 provinces south of Metropolitan Manila, have again placed the Philippines among the top concerns of the Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights. That the victims represented organizations identified by government as supporters of the maoist insurgency, does not detract from the fact that they were not combatants themselves, and that the search warrants issued by distant Manila courts and served through dawn raids by police-military composite teams have not resulted in the seizure of reported guns and grenades in the places where the victims were killed.

 

            Apparently, government agents fed erroneous reports that led to the court issuance of search warrants that they later used to legitimize their operations which were really meant to kill the victims. As usual, post-operation reports mentioned that the victims “fought” the government raiders while resisting arrest, and that guns and grenades were found in some other places where the victims used to stay. This is almost similar to the usual narrative about the killing of thousands in the Duterte administration's anti-drug war --- that the victims “fought back” while resisting arrest, and that guns and illegal drugs were found in their possession.

 

             Reporting to the UN Human Rights Council last February 24, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra admitted to many critical flaws in the government's anti-drug war. Among them were the lack of transparency in reports on seized drugs, the non-tracing of seized guns and the absence of paraffin tests on the victims, leading to widespread suspicions on the use of “recycled” drugs and guns in “extra-judicial-killing” operations which mainly targetted small-time pushers and poor addicts who had to be silenced by policemen who were their former suppliers. Similarly, the present campaign against suspected maoist insurgents among local leaders of mass organizations perceived to be supportive of this insurgency, could feature impunity in the “planting” of “recycled” weapons, explosives and insurgent documents. That is, if outside observers and investigators from the UN Human Rights Council are not allowed to join the teams which the Department of Justice promised to form to investigate the killings.

 

            The killings last Sunday came just 2 days after Pres. Duterte's speech in Cagayan de Oro City where he ordered the military and the police that in any armed encounter with the “communist” rebels, they should “Make sure you really kill them, and finish them off if they are alive. . . Forget about human rights. That's my order !”  This chilling and patently illegal order to “finish them off if they are alive” was apparently followed by government operatives who proceeded to target even non-combatants.

 

            When the president himself issues illegal orders regarding armed encounters, expect these to be followed by his fawning operatives. Much earlier, he even ordered his troopers to shoot the vaginas of female rebels in armed encounters ! Orders like these can only lead to lawless governance. And police-military operations targeting for liquidation activists who are not armed combatants is lawlessness on the part of government, and could be considered as state terrorism.

 

            The Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP-1930, the Philippine Communist Party) condemns any killing or any malicious action by any state agent against any activist who is not an armed combatant. Activist work for winning the hearts and minds of people within the legal and parliamentary framework should never be a target of state repression or “extra-judicial killing”. Also, the PKP-1930 has always called on the government to respect its legality which was recognized since its political settlement with the government in 1974, to always stress the difference between the PKP-1930 and the maoist CPP-NPA-NDF, and to stop calling the maoist insurgency as a “communist” insurgency. 

 

            At the same time, the PKP-1930, as a legal Marxist-Leninist party striving for the building of socialism in our country, has always condemned the adventurist and senseless maoist insurgency of over 5 decades already, which has only militarized and terrorized areas of the countryside wherever and whenever maoist insurgents are gathered. The PKP-1930 condemns the self-righteous maoist CPP-NPA-NDF delusion that the armed insurgency is the only real form of struggle for communist advocacy, as well as the demented hubris of their maoist leaders who are living abroad, claiming that their maoist armed force is allegedly “winning” the war or is about to attain “strategic parity” with state forces in the Philippines.

 

            Since its inception in the late 1960s, the maoist CPP and NPA have been a plaything in the hands of some traditional politicians and propagandists who are special agents of US imperialism. Their founding leaders' main blunder of slavishly accepting and parroting Mao's declaration of a so-called “worldwide revolutionary situation” in the 1960s, stems from their inability to accept the absence of a revolutionary situation in our country, and their mad desire to bring about such a “revolutionary” situation through terrorist bombings and the sending of their inveigled recruits to adventurist actions against superior state forces. Their bungling attempts to smuggle shiploads of weapons from maoist China only played into Marcos' plan to declare martial law.

 

            While never a real threat to imperialism and the neocolonial order, the maoist CPP-NPA-NDF have been used as a terrorist tool to destroy crony businesses not to the liking of imperialism, and to help destabilize any regime which is no longer useful to imperialist plans. They prospered from extortion activities and “protection” rackets, as well as from funds from western sources. They kept people terrorized through their self-righteous murder of thousands of those who refuse to pay so-called “revolutionary taxes” and “permit fees”, those who split from them, and whoever they would label as government informers and infiltrators. The maoist use of child-warriors and landmines only add to their record of non-respect for human rights and international humanitarian laws.

 

            In the complicated Philippine situation, the PKP-1930 always stands against all forms of terrorism –- including terrorism on the part of the government, on the part of the maoist CPP-NPA-NDF, on the part of the local “Islamic State” affiliates and jihadist forces, and on the part of local warlord clans and private armies.

 

                                                                     Secretariat of the Central Committee, PKP-1930

                                                                                                      March 10, 2021

 

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PKP-1930 CONDEMNS MYANMAR MILITARY

JUNTA's BLOODY RESPONSE TO PEOPLE's PROTESTS

 

            The  Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas strongly condemns the Myanmar military junta's bloody response to the people's peaceful protests against the military coup. Since the February 1, 2021 coup d'etat which overthrew the government elected last November 2020 (which government was led by the party of the western-backed Aung San Suu Kyi), many civilian government officials and political leaders have been detained, with the military declaring a one-year state of emergency under its rule.

 

            Since the coup, the people have sustained a campaign of peaceful street protests in the capital city of Naypyitaw, in the other main cities of Yangon and Mandalay, and in many other parts of the country. However, peaceful protests of unarmed civilians have been met with brutal repression, with gunfire against demonstrators also hitting nearby communities leading to the death of some young children.

 

            Over 420 unarmed protesters and bystanders have already been killed since February, with over 100 being shot dead across the country by security forces on March 27 (Myanmar Armed Forces Day). Addressing a military parade at the capital on that day, Senior General and Junta head Min Aung Hlaing again promised to hold elections without giving any time frame, and claimed that the military is “protecting the people” and “striving for democracy”. Ominously, state television warned on that day that protesters risked being shot “in the head and back”.

 

            The PKP-1930 supports the struggle of the people of Myanmar against the military coup, and for their democratic rights and freedoms. In solidarity with the suffering people of Myanmar, the PKP-1930 demands the immediate and full withdrawal of the state of emergency, and the release of all political prisoners. Myanmar should no longer be a field of great-power contention between western (US-NATO) and eastern (China-Russia) capitalist powers, and its people deserve a peaceful life without military rule and without foreign interference.

 

                                                                     Secretariat of the Central Committee, PKP-1930

                                                                                                     March 28, 2021

 

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KRIMINAL NA SI SAUDI CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED

BIN SALMAN, SUPORTADO PA RIN NI BIDEN AT NG NATO

 

            Noong Oktubre 2018, ang Washington Post journalist at US resident na si Jamal Khashoggi, isang Saudi national, ay nagpunta sa Saudi  consulate sa Istanbul dahil sa ipinaabot sa kanyang pangako na ibibigay na sa kanya doon sa araw na iyon ang mga papeles na kailangan niya upang makapagpakasal na sa kanyang nobyang Turkish. Si Khashoggi ay isang kritiko ni Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (kilala sa tawag na “MBS”), na siyang de-facto ruler ng Kaharian ng Saudi Arabia (KSA), sa likod ng matandang si Haring Salman.

 

            Hindi alam ni Khashoggi na naghihintay na pala sa kanya sa consulate noon ang isang grupo ng mga berdugong Saudi na kararating lang sa Istanbul sakay ng  isang pribadong jet plane ni ”MBS”. Habang naghahantay sa labas ng konsulado ang kanyang nobya, si Khashoggi ay tinortyur hanggang mamatay, at ang kanyang katawan ay tinadtad. Matapos maidispatsa ang tinadtad na bangkay sa hindi pa malamang lugar, ang grupo ng mga berdugong Saudi ay lumipad pabalik sa KSA lulan ng nasabing pribadong jet.

 

            Matagal na itinanggi ni “MBS” ang  pamamaslang na iyon, at nang magpakita ng mga circumstantial evidence ang Turkey laban sa  grupo ng mga berdugo niya ay gumawa siya ng bagong kwento –- na iyon daw ay isang bandidong operasyon na walang kaugnayan sa kanya. Ipanahuhuli pa nga daw niya ang mga berdugong iyon, na kinabibilangan ng isang mataas na intelligence officer niya. Sa panahon ni Trump ay nakabuo na ng pagsusuri ang US intelligence community na ang pagpatay kay Khashoggi ay sa tuwirang utos ni “MBS”, at  tumutugon o sumusunod lamang daw sa kilalang paraan o estilo ni ”MBS” ng brutal na pagpapatahimik sa kanyang mga kritiko.

 

            Ngunit ang pagsusuring iyon ay itinago lang ni Trump upang patuloy siyang makatanggap ng “ayuda” mula sa oil-rich na despotikong pamilyang Saud, lalo na sa panahon ng kanyang kampanya para sa presidential re-election noong 2020. Tinulungan pa lalo ni Trump ang  panggi-giyera ni “MBS” sa Yemen upang higit na mapalakas ang pagbebenta ng US military-industrial complex ng mga makabagong armas sa KSA, at para din makakuha ng “ayudang” komisyon si Trump sa panahon ng kanyang kampanyang panghalalan.

 

            Sa panahon ngayon ni Biden, lumabas sa mga pabatirang pangmadla sa USA ang pagsusuring iyon na laban kay “MBS”, ngunit agad tumawag si Biden kay Haring Salman upang tiyakin na hindi gagawa ng anumang hakbang ang kanyang administrasyon laban kay “MBS”. Magkakaroon lamang daw ng travel at investment ban laban sa mga may-tuwirang kaugnayan sa pagpatay kay Khashoggi, pero hindi madadamay si “MBS”.

 

            Ang lahat ng pagpapanggap ni Biden at ng mga pinuno ng mga bansang kabilang sa North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), bilang pandaigdigang tagapagsulong kuno sila ng katarungan at mga karapatang pantao, ay lantad nang kasinungalingan, sa isyu pa lamang ng hindi nila paglalapat ng personal sanctions laban mismo sa kriminal na si Mohammed Bin Salman (“MBS”).

 

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MESSAGE TO THE INTERNATIONAL

WOMEN'S DAY RALLY IN TOKYO, JAPAN

 

                                                                                                                                    March 02, 2021

 

COMRADE MURAKAMI RIEKO

Chairperson of the Executive Committee

2021 International Women’s Day, 3.6 Tokyo Rally

c/o Activist Group SHISO-UNDO

 

Dear Comrade Murakami,

 

            Through you, the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP-1930, the Philippine Communist Party) sends warmest greetings to all the women members and workers of the Activist Group SHISO-UNDO and of the Hongo Cultural Forum Workers School (HOWS) who will be holding the 2021 International Women's Day Rally in Tokyo on March 6.

 

            In the Philippines, the past year of the pandemic has been of greater distress to women in general, and particularly to single mothers who have lost their jobs. The lockdown, as well as the distance-learning regimen for children, have also been of greater work burden to mothers, given the historically male-dominant culture developed by the neo-colonial capitalist system.

 

            The past year of the pandemic joblessness and poverty also saw more grave anti-women forms of discrimination, dominance and exploitation, such as a general rise in cases of violence against women under lockdown, a rise in cases of teenage pregnancy, and a rise in the number of child brides who were practically “sold” by impoverished families in Moslem areas. There is also a new phenomenon of on-line transactions for sexual “relationships”.

 

            Financially-distressed young women (usually students and single mothers) are lured by “sugar-dating” sites in the internet to give their personal details, contact numbers and  pictures, which become part of a data base of women who are “available” for sexual relationships (so-called “sugar babies”) in exchange for the promise of allegedly wealthy men (the so-called “sugar daddies”) to support them financially. Sugar-dating sites get subscriptions from supposedly rich “seekers” who can pay hefty membership fees, and who are categorized according to their self-declared levels of wealth. The data base of available women is also categorized and sold in batches to paying subscribers, with the list of beauty-pageant-quality young women being offered to higher-paying “premium” subscribers. The dating site then serves as an allegedly “safe online environment” where potential sugar-daddies connect with the young women that they fancy to form “sugar relationships”.

 

            Earlier dating platforms specifically for illicit relationships like these have drawn flak, such as the Canada-based AshleyMadison site, which got a lot of angry attacks from spouses for encouraging infidelity. By some convoluted logic, some “sugar-dating” sites even pay lip-service to alleged “women empowerment”, claiming that their dating services give women “freedom of choice” after months of the boring companionship of their husbands or partners during the pandemic ! Sugar-dating sites also now present themselves as platforms for “consenting adults” to form “sugar relationships”, in a bid to prove that their “money-for-romance” business and their commercial facilitation services for sugar-dating transactions do not come under the purview of criminal laws on prostitution and sex trafficking or pimping.

 

            The year-long pandemic and widespread loss of jobs has seen a dramatic rise in the number of financially-distressed young women (particularly single mothers and students) offering themselves as potential “sugar-babies”. According to an Asia-based sugar-dating site with an alleged 1-million membership, they have a stable of around 127,000 sugar-babies from all over the Philippines, aged between 18 and 34 years old. Around 46% of them are students, while 25% come from the now long-shuttered hospitality and entertainment businesses. 

 

            In any capitalist country where they normally operate, the flesh trade is of  great risk to women, and especially so during this pandemic period. Despite all the promises of big lifetime incomes, relationships facilitated by sugar-dating sites are not between potential long-time partners, but only between multiple short-time clients. “Sugaring” arrangement can immediately go out of hand, with compromising pictures of the “sugar-baby” being used to blackmail her, at the same time that the “sugar-daddy” could also be blackmailed and subject to extortion by shady characters related to the sugar-dating sites.

 

Dear comrade,

 

            According to official data, child rape and sexual abuse are rampant in our country, which is a global hot spot for online child abuse. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) cites a government-backed nationwide study which showed that one in five children aged 13 to 17 experienced sexual violence, while one in 25 were raped during childhood. But prosecuting adult perpetrators, in rape cases involving child victims as young as 12 years old, has been difficult because they can argue that sex was allegedly “consensual”.

 

            The Philippines has one of the lowest ages of sexual consent in the world, allowing adults to legally have sex with children as young as 12 years old. In most countries, this would be considered statutory rape, a non-bailable criminal offense. Child rights activists in our country have lobbied for decades to increase the age of consent --- enshrined in the penal code since 1930 during the US colonial period --- but faced resistance from a “culture of patriarchy” in a country where abortion and divorce are also illegal. Fortunately, the Philippine Congress (parliament) is now set to raise the age of consent to 16 years old. The proposed bill would automatically make it illegal to have sex with someone below 16 years old, although young couples close in age may be exempt from the recommended punishment of lifetime imprisonment.

 

            But more needs to be done to combat sexual violence against young girls, including ferreting out predators on Facebook and other online platforms where they usually meet their boyfriends. Also, all children should have access to age-appropriate sex education from an early age, as well as information and services to prevent sexually-transmitted diseases, and to avoid pregnancy.

 

            Pregnancy among very young adolescents is now a national and social emergency in our country. One out of every 10 pregnancies in the Philippines involve teenage mothers. In 2019, 62,510 Filipino adolescents became young mothers, and this number is expected to rise by up to 30% in pandemic year 2020 due to barriers to services (absence or lack of family planning services) and increase in sexual violence resulting from the long lockdown. Around 2 million mothers who do not want to have any more children, or who want to space their pregnancies, did not receive family planning information, and permanent or temporary contraception services, in 2020 due to the lockdown.

 

            Childbirth among adolescents have very serious and lasting impacts on young mothers, their babies and their families. The World Health Organization reports that, globally, the leading causes of death among girls aged 15 to 19 are complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. A young mother's education usually ends with her first pregnancy, thus diminishing her job prospects and total lifetime earnings. She and her family become more vulnerable to poverty and exclusion, and her health and that of her baby often suffer. This  has an impact on the economy, with the loss of otherwise productive income-generating young people from the labor force. Babies born to adolescent mothers usually suffer low birth  weights, poor health throughout childhood, and may be doomed to live out a vicious cycle of poverty. Teenage pregnancy usually takes away the future of young girls and prevents them from reaching their full potential.

 

 

Dear comrade,

 

            The problems of women and children in the Philippines, as well as of the whole working masses of our people, are systemic social problems of poverty rooted on our neo-colonial capitalist system. It is a system under the control of the imperialists and their local oligarchic allies –- an economy that is prevented from industrializing independently and from generating widespread employment ; a political set-up which perpetuates obeisance to oligarchic dictates and the rule of megalomaniacal dynasties at all levels ; a culture which apes western  educational values and is dependent on imperialist mass media ; and a military which is indirectly under the control of the Pentagon.

 

            The solution of women's problems lies with, and can only be a part of, our national liberation from imperialism and from the anti-worker and anti-people directions of our neo-colonial  government. The solution of women's problems and all the social ills of the masses of our people lies in our struggle for the attainment of people's democracy and socialism in our country.

 

Dear comrade,

 

            We wish every success to your International Women's Day Rally in Tokyo this coming March 6. It is a great pleasure for us to learn that your rally will pay particular attention to the anti-worker and anti-people policies of Japanese imperialism represented now by the current Suga Yoshihide regime which is squandering public resources to strengthen the business oligarchy, instead of helping the working peoples victimized by the capitalist response to the pandemic.

 

            We salute your struggle against the construction of the US naval base in Henoko, and against the war-mongering military program of the Suga regime. We support your call for peace, for the expansion of women's rights, and for greater solidarity with the  worldwide movement for an end to the US imperialist blockade and sanctions against Cuba, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and other countries which are similarly fighting for socialism.

 

            Long live international solidarity against imperialism, for peace and socialism !

 

                                                                                                            With communist greetings,

 

                                                                                                            ANTONIO  E.  PARIS

                                                                                                            General Secretary       

 

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HINAHARAP NI BIDEN ANG MODERNISASYON

NG MGA SANDATANG NUKLEYAR NG U.S.A.

 

            Isa sa pinaka-importanteng tungkulin ni Pangulong Biden sa taong ito ay ang pag-repaso sa budget ng Pentagon (defense department) para sa modernisasyon ng mga nuclear weapons ng USA. Sa ulat ng Congressional Budget Office noong 2019 ay nakatakdang gumastos ang USA ng  USD$494-Bilyon sa 10 taon simula ngayon, o mga $50-Bilyon taun-taon. Kasama na dito ang paglalaan ng $100-Bilyon para sa mga bagong land-based nuclear missiles sa ilalim ng programang Ground-Based Strategic Deterrrent (GBSD), na ipapalit sa kanilang mga lumang “Minuteman-III” Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).

 

            Mga 600 na bagong missiles ang nakatakdang gawin hanggang sa 2029, at ang makikinabang ay ang mga kabilang sa Military-Industrial Complex (MIC) tulad ng Northrop Grumman, Bechtel, Honeywell, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, L3 Harris at Textron. Ang bawat isa sa mga ipinapanukalang bagong missiles ay may haba na katulad ng isang bowling lane, may kakayahang umabot sa 9,000-kilometro ang layo ng paglipad, at makapagdadala ng nuclear warhead na mahigit 20 ulit ang lakas ng pagsabog kumpara sa “Atomic bomb” na ibinagsak sa Hiroshima noong Agosto 6, 1945.

 

            Sang-ayon sa Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, ang $100-Bilyon na ilalaan para sa GBSD ay sapat nang pampa-suweldo sa 1.24-milyong elementary school teachers sa buong isang taon, pang-tustos sa 2.84-milyong university scholarships sa 4 na taong pag-aaral, at pambayad sa hospitalisasyon ng 3.3-milyong pasyenteng may Covid-19. Sang-ayon din naman sa mga military experts, ang programang GBSD ay hindi naman makakapagpatibay sa pambansang seguridad ng USA. Sinabi ni dating Defense Secretary James Mattis sa isang pagdinig ng Senate Armed Services Committee noong 2015 na kailangan ngang alisin na ang mga land-based nuclear missiles ng USA upang maiwasan na ang panganib ng “false alarms” na maaaring mag-umpisa sa kanilang paglulunsad ng pag-atakeng nukleyar dahil sa anumang pagkakamali.

 

            Ngunit ang problema ay ang mabigat na impluwensiya ng Military Industrial Complex sa pulitika ng USA. Halimbawa, ang defense contractor na Northrop Grumman ay gumastos ng $12-Milyon para sa congressional lobbying noong 2020, at nagbigay pa ng mahigit $403,000.00 para sa kampanyang panghalalan ni Biden noong 2020 rin. Ang Northrop Grumman ay nagbigay din ng pera para sa kampanyang panghalalan noong 2020 ng mga reaksiyonaryong kandidato sa 6 na mga estado –- Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Montana at North Dakota –- na inaasahang pag-iimbakan ng mga ipagagawang bagong nuclear missiles.

 

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DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE's REPUBLIC OF KOREA (DPRK), NAGBABALA

LABAN SA JOINT WAR EXERCISES NG U.S.A. SA TIMOG KOREA

 

            Sa isang pahayag nitong Marso 18, sinabi ni Choe Son Hui, First Vice Foreign Minister ng Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, o Hilagang Korea), na sinopla nila ang lahat ng kahilingan ng rehimeng Biden para sa pakikipag-usap, dahil itinutuloy naman ng USA at ng South Korea ang kanilang joint war exercises. Sinabi niya na walang saysay ang anumang pag-uusap samantalang itinutuloy naman ni Biden ang dati nang patakaran ni Trump na pananakot laban sa DPRK. Alam naman ni Biden na ang war exercises ng USA sa South Korea ay isang malaking banta sa seguridad ng DPRK, kaya dapat magbago na ng pakikitungo ni Biden sa DPRK kung may matapat siyang pagnanais para sa pakikipag-usap ukol sa kapayapaan.

 

            Tiniyak niya na ang patakaran ng DPRK tungo sa USA ay “power-for-power”, at “goodwill for goodwill”. Dahil sa ginagawang war games ng USA sa Timog Korea, ang DPRK ay nagsagawa ng 2 short-range ballistic missile tests nitong Marso 25, upang ipakita sa USA ang kakayahan at kahandaan ng DPRK na ipagtanggol ang kanyang seguridad. Kung magpapakita ng mahusay at pantay na pakikitungo ang USA, ang DPRK ay handa ring magpakita ng goodwill, sabi ni First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui.

 

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MENSAHE NG PKP-1930 SA IKA-46 NA ANIBERSARYO

NG KATIPUNAN NG BAGONG PILIPINA (KaBaPa),

AT SA PANDAIGDIGANG ARAW NG KABABAIHAN

 

Mga kasama at mga kaibigan,

 

            Ang Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP-1930) ay nagpapaabot ng militanteng pagbati sa Katipunan ng Bagong Pilipina (KaBaPa) sa Ika-46 na anibersaryo ng pagkakatatag nito ngayong Marso 8, 2021. Ito rin ang Pandaigdigang Araw ng Kababaihan, kaya naman ang PKP-1930 ay nagpapaabot rin ng mainit na pagbati sa lahat ng kababaihan, at lalo na sa mga kababaihang gumagawa.

 

            Sa ating bansa, ang nakaraang taon ng pandemya ay kinakitaan ng higit na kahirapan para sa kababaihan sa pangkalahatan, dahil sa malawakang kawalan ng trabaho at kabuhayan. Pinaka-apektado ang mga single mothers na mag-isang umaaruga sa kanilang anak, at nawalan pa ng trabaho. Ang mahabang panahon ng lockdown, at ang distance-learning para sa mga batang mag-aaral, ay naging higit na pabigat rin sa mga ina. Kadalasang  ang mga ina ang nakukuba na sa gawaing bahay, at ang mga ama ay hindi naman madalas tumulong sa paggawa ng homework ng mga bata, kaya ang gawaing ito ay nadadagdag pa sa mga ina. Ang kawalang-kapantayan sa gawaing bahay ay dahil na rin sa maling kultura ng paternalistang dominasyon sa pamilya, na napaunlad sa ating kolonyal na kasaysayan at neo-kolonyal na sistemang kapitalista.

 

            Ang nakaraang taon ng pandemic na lockdown, kawalang-trabaho at paghihirap ay nagbunga ng mas grabeng mga porma ng diskriminasyon at dominasyon laban sa kababaihan. Nariyan ang pagdami ng mga kaso ng karahasan laban sa kababaihan sa panahon ng lockdown, ang pagdami ng kaso ng pagbubuntis ng mga teenagers, at ang pagdami ng bilang ng mga child-brides o ipinapakasal na mga batang babae, na para bang ibinebenta na ng naghihikahos na mga pamilya sa lugar ng mga muslim.

 

            Higit pa rito, mayroong mga bagong websites na yumayaman sa pag-aalok ng mga relasyong sekswal sa kababaihan sa pamamagitan ng mga “on-line transactions”. Ito ang mapanghuthot na mga “sugar-dating” sites na nag-aalok sa mahihirap na kabataang babae na maging “sugar-babies” para sa anila'y mayayamang “sugar-daddies”. Ang mga “sugar-dating” sites ay nangangalap ng mga detalyeng personal, larawan at contact numbers ng kababaihang ipapakilala nila sa mga anila'y “sugar-daddies” na handang magbigay naman daw ng suportang pinansiyal, kapalit ng pakikipag-relasyon.

 

            Ang sinasabing mayayamang “sugar-daddies” ay kina-kategorya batay sa kanilang sinasabing lebel ng kayamanan, at sa halaga ng subscription na ibinabayad nila sa “sugar-dating” site. Ang mga babae naman ay kina-kategorya depende sa ganda at kabataan, at ang impormasyon hinggil sa pinakamahuhusay na babae ay ibinebenta sa sinasabing pinakamayayamang subscribers. Ang “sugar-dating” site ay nagsisilbing online platform para sa pag-uusap o transaksiyon ng mga “sugar-daddies” at ng kanilang natitipuhang mga “sugar-babies”.

 

            May nauna nang mga ganitong “sugar-dating” sites ang inatake dahil sa kanilang panghihimok ng paghiwalay sa asawa. Halimbawa, ang  AshleyMadison site sa Canada ay umani ng galit dahil sa nagagawa nitong pangwawasak sa mga pamilya. Ngunit pinangangatwiranan pa ng mga “sugar-dating” sites na sila'y nagbibigay daw lamang ng “freedom of choice” sa mga babae, at bahagi raw ito ng “women empowerment”. Ang kanilang negosyong “pera-kapalit-ng-romansa” ay hindi naman daw maihahanay sa prostitusyon. Ngunit kahit paano mo tignan ang kanilang “sugar-dating transactions” ay malinaw na pambubugaw pa rin ang negosyong ito.

 

            Maraming mahihirap na batang kababaihan, lalo na ang mga single mothers at mga estudyante na ang kabuhayan ay grabeng naapektuhan sa mahabang panahon ng pandemya, ang nabubuyo sa pagiging “sugar-babies”. Sang-ayon sa isang “sugar-dating” site dito sa Asya, mayroon daw silang mga 127,000 na nakalistang mga “sugar-babies” sa buong Pilipinas, na edad 18 hanggang 34 anyos at handang makipag-relasyon sa mayayamang mga “sugar-daddies”. Mga 46% daw sa mga ito ay mga estudante, samantalang 25% ay naalis na mga empleyada sa nagsaradong mga negosyong may kinalaman sa hospitality at entertainment.

 

            Sa lahat ng mga kapitalistang bansa kung saan nag-o-operate ang ganitong mga “sugar-dating” sites, ito ay isang malaking panganib sa kababaihan, lalo na sa panahon ngayon ng pandemya. Sa kabila ng mapang-akit na mga pangako na ang “sugar-dating” ay matutungo sa pangmatagalang relasyon na may malaking kita para sa “sugar-babies”, lumalabas na ang “sugar-dating” ay kadalasang short-time transactions lamang sa pagitan ng maramihang mga kliyente. May mga “sugar-dating” na agad napupunta sa kapahamakan, lalo na kapag ang compromising na mga larawan o video ay ginagamit na panira sa “sugar-baby”, at kapag ang sinasabing lihim na transaksiyon sa pamamagitan ng “sugar-dating site” ay ginagamit namang pang-blackmail sa “sugar-daddy”.

 

Mga kasama at mga kaibigan,

 

            Sang-ayon sa mga pag-aaral, ang mga kaso ng panggagahasa at sexual abuse sa mga batang babae ay dumarami sa ating bansa. May isang pag-aaral na nakarating sa United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) na nagpaapakita na isa sa bawat 5 bata na edad 13 hanggang 17 anyos ang naging biktima na ng sexual violence, samantalang isa sa bawat 25 ay nagahasa noong sila'y bata pa lamang. Ngunit ang pag-prosecute sa mga rapists ng mga bata ay nasasagkaan kapag pinalalabas na ang kanilang pagtatalik ay “consensual” kuno.

 

            Ang Pilipinas ay isa sa mga bansang may pinakamababang edad ng “sexual consent” sa mundo, kaya maraming kaso ng pakikipagtalik sa mga batang babae na 12 anyos pataas ay hindi napaparusahan. Sa ibang bansa, ito ay itinuturing agad na “statutory rape”, na isang krimen na hindi pwedeng piyansahan. Pero sa ating bansa, 12 anyos ang itinuturing na edad ng consent (ito rin ang dating edad ng pag-aasawa ng babae, basta may parental consent, sa ilalim ng dating Kodigo Sibil). Sa ilalim naman ng batas Sharia ng mga muslim ay pwede nang ipakasal ang batang babae (o “child-bride”) kapag nag-umpisa na siyang mag-regla.

 

            Matagal na ipinaglaban ng mga child-rights activists sa ating bansa ang pagtataas sa edad ng sexual consent, at ipinapanukala na ngayon sa Kongreso na itaas ito sa 16 anyos. Kapag ito ay maisa-batas, magiging illegal ang pakikipagtalik sa mga batang wala pang 16 anyos. Gayunpaman, kung ito ay gagawin ng magkasintahan na hindi naman magkalayo ang edad sa 16, sila ay magiging exempted sa anumang kaparusahan.

 

            Ang pagtataas sa age of consent ay isa na ring pagsulong, bagama't marami pa rin ang dapat gawin upang masugpo ang sexual violence laban sa mga batang babae, kasama na ang pagbabantay sa mga online platforms tulad ng Facebook kung saan may mga “predators” o maniacs na nambibiktima sa kabataang babae. Ang lahat ng mga bata ay dapat ring mabigyan ng sex education na angkop sa kanilang edad, upang mapigilan ang sexually-transmitted na mga sakit, at gayundin ang maagang pambubuntis at pagbubuntis.

 

            Ang pagbubuntis sa hanay ng mga adolescents o mga kababaihang teenagers ay isa na ngayong pambansa at panlipunang emergency sa ating bansa. Isa sa bawat 10 pagbubuntis sa Pilipinas ay sa teenagers. Noong 2019, 62,510 Filipino adolescents ang naging mga batang ina. Ang bilang na ito ay inaasahang tataas pa nang hanggang 30% sa pandemic year na 2020, dahil sa kawalan ng mga serbisyo ukol sa family planning, at dahil na rin sa pagtaas ng mga kaso ng sexual violence sa mahabang panahon ng lockdown. Tinatayang may 2-milyong ina na ayaw nang madagdagan pa ang kanilang mga anak, o kaya ay nagnanais na magkaroon ng “spacing” sa kanilang pagbubuntis, ang hindi nakatanggap ng mga kaalaman sa family planning, at serbisyo ukol sa temporaryo o permanenteng contraception, sa taong 2020 dahil sa lockdown.

 

            Ang panganganak ng mga batang teenagers ay may seryoso at pangmatagalang epekto sa mga batang ina, sa kanilang mga sanggol, at sa kanilang mga pamilya. Sang-ayon sa World Health Organization, ang pangunahing sanhi ng kamatayan ng mga batang babaeng edad 15 hanggang 19 anyos ay ang mga komplikasyon na may kinalaman sa pagbubuntis at panganganak. Ang pag-aaral ng batang ina ay kadalasang natitigil na sa kanyang unang pagbubuntis, kaya lumiliit na agad ang kanyang pag-asang makapagtrabaho, at ang kanyang inaasahang kikitain sa kanyang buong buhay. Siya at ang kanyang pamilya ay maaaring masadlak sa kahirapan, at ang kanyang kalusugan at gayundin ng kanyang sanggol ay kadalasang nagiging mahina. Ang pagbubuntis ng mga batang teenagers ay kadalasang sumisira sa kanilang kinabukasan, at ito ay may negatibong epekto maging sa ating ekonomya.

 

Mga kasama at mga kaibigan,

 

            Ang mga suliranin ng kababaihan at ng mga bata sa Pilipinas, at gayundin ng kabuuan ng mga uring gumagawa, ay mga panlipunang suliranin na nag-uugat sa ating neo-kolonyal na sistemang kapitalista. Ito ay isang sistemang kontrolado ng mga imperyalista at ng kanilang mga kasapakat na lokal na oligarkiya. Mayroon itong ekonomyang mapanghuthot sa mahihirap, pumipigil sa malayang industriyalisasyon, at kung gayon ay walang kakayahang makapagbukas ng maramihang mga trabaho. Mayroon itong kaayusang pampulitika na sumusunod sa mga nais ng mapanghuthot na mga oligarko, at nagpapanatili sa mga palalong dinastiya sa lahat ng antas. Mayroon itong kulturang gaya-gaya sa mga kanluraning pamantayan ng kultura, at nakatali sa mga mass media o pabatirang imperyalista. At mayroon itong kaayusang militar na palaasa sa imperyalismo at sa mga payo ng Pentagon.

 

            Ang kalutasan sa mga suliranin ng kababaihang Pilipina ay nakasalalay sa ating pambansang paglaya mula sa imperyalismo, at sa pagbaklas sa mga kontra-manggagawang tunguhin ng ating neokolonyal na sistema. Ang solusyon sa mga problema ng kababaihan at sa lahat ng mga panlipunang sakit ng ating sambayanan ay nakasalalay sa ating pakikibaka para sa demokrasya ng taumbayan at sosyalismo. Sa ating mga lunggating iyon ay titiyakin ang sapat na ayuda para sa lahat lalo na sa panahon ng pandemya, at mahigpit na ipagbabawal at paparusahan ang mga karahasan at panghuhuthot sa kababaihan at kabataan.

 

            Walang babae ang dapat mag-alay sa kanyang sarili bilang “sugar-baby” para sa mga “sugar-daddies”. Ang pakikipag-relasyon ay dapat na nakabatay sa pantay na paggagalangan at wagas na pagmamahalan, at hindi bilang mga pansamantalang komersiyal na transaksiyon lamang. Ang panahon ng pagiging teenager ay dapat ilaan sa pag-aaral, sa pagtuklas sa sarili at sa sanlibutan, sa matinong paglilibang at sa pagtiyak sa kanilang reproductive health ; at hindi sa maagang pagbubuntis at maagang pag-aalaga ng sanggol. Sa huli, ang ating pakikibaka para sa demokrasya ng taumbayan at sosyalismo ay nakatuon sa tunay na kapantayan, kasama na ang pag-aalis sa maling kultura ng paternalismo o ispesyal na katayuan ng pangingibabaw ng lalake sa relasyong pampamilya.

 

            Mabuhay ang Pandaigdigang Araw ng Kababaihan ! 

            Ipaglaban ang kapantayan at mga karapatan ng kababaihan !

            Mabuhay ang Ika-46 na Anibersaryo ng Katipunan ng Bagong Pilipina !

            Mabuhay ang pakikibaka para sa demokrasya ng taumbayan at sosyalismo !

 

1. TONY  PARIS

                                                                                                            Pangkalahatang Kalihim  

 

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INARESTO SA BOLIVIA SI DATING “INTERIM PRESIDENT”

JEANINE AÑEZ AT IBA PANG MGA NAMUNO SA TERORISTANG

KUDETA LABAN KAY PANGULONG EVO MORALES  NOONG 2019

 

            Sa Bolivia, kung saan muling nagwagi sa eleksiyon noong Oktubre 2020 ang Movimento Al Socialismo (MAS) sa pamumuno ni Pangulong Luis Arce, inaresto  ang dating “interim president” na si Jeanine Añez at ang ilang ministro at military/police chiefs ng kanyang “interim government”. Sila kasi ang namuno sa pasistang kudeta noong Nobyembre 2019 na binalak ng USA at ng reaksiyonaryong “Organization of American States (OAS)” upang ibagsak ang lehitimong pamahalaan noon ni Pangulong Evo Morales.

 

            Sina Añez ay nahaharap sa mga kasong terorismo kaugnay sa ginawang kudeta noong Nobyembre 2019, sa sumunod na panunugpo sa mapayapang mga pamamahayag ng sambayanang Boliviano, at sa brutal na mga paglabag sa mga karapatang pantao ng mga mamamayan. Ang isang taong pamumuno nina Añez ay kinakitaan ng malawakang corruption at incompetence, kung kailan marami ang naghirap at nagutom, at pinabayaang magkasakit ng Covid-19, lalo na sa hanay ng nakararaming mga indigenous na mamamayan. Higit pa rito, ibinalik nina Añez ang pangingibabaw ng iilang puting dugong-Espanyol sa nakararaming indigenous na sambayanang Boliviano.

 

            Pinilit rin nila Añez na alisin ang mga programa ng social benefits para sa sambayanan na naibigay sa 14 na taon ng pamumuno ni Evo Morales at ng MAS –- mga tulong pinansiyal para sa matatanda, sa mga buntis at mga batang mag-aaral ; libreng publikong edukasyon at hospitalisasyon ; pamamahagi ng lupa sa mga magsasaka ; karapatan ng lahat sa libreng internet access ; atbp. Ngunit tulad ng inaasahan, ang paghuli kina Añez ay agad tinuligsa ng USA at ng pinuno ng OAS na si Luis Almagro.

 

            Samantala, ang pamahalaan ni Luis Arce (na siyang dating ministro ng patakarang ekonomiko sa panahon ni Evo Morales) ay agad nagpanumbalik sa relasyong diplomatiko ng Bolivia sa Cuba, Venezuela at Iran. Nagbigay rin agad siya ng “Bonus Laban sa Gutom” na halagang katumbas ng $150.00 para sa bawat mahirap, at ito'y agad nakatulong sa 4 na milyong mamamayan. Itinaas niya ang tax sa mga pag-aari ng mga mayayaman, samantalang ibinaba niya ang tax sa mahihirap. Nagdeklara siya ng moratorium sa pagbabayad sa mga utang panlabas ng bansa. Nagpapatupad rin siya ng programa para sa food sovereignty, at para sa pagpapalakas sa kontrol ng estado sa elektrisidad, gas/petrolyo, public works, at mga industriya ng bakal/asero at lithium. Ipinapatupad rin niya ang malawakang pagbabakuna laban sa Covid-19, gamit ang mga bakuna mula sa Rusya at Tsina.

 

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MAAGANG PANGANGAMPANYA NG

BURGES NA ADMINISTRASYONG DIGONG

 

            Bilang pagtiyak na hindi makukulong si Pangulong Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte sa pagbaba niya mula sa pagiging pangulo sa susunod na taon, ihinahanda na ng kanyang administrasyon ang iba't-ibang plano para ang mga tauhan niya ang mahahalal sa pambansang eleksiyon sa Mayo 2022. Bagama't malayo pa, may nananawagan na para sa pagtakbo ni Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte sa pagkapangulo sa 2022. Si Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque ay isa na sa mga pumupustura sa harapan ng mga tarpaulins na nananawagan nang ganoon kay Sara.

 

            Si Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo naman ay lantarang sumusuporta sa panawagan para si Digong ay tumakbo bilang bise-presidente sa 2022, para daw matiyak na ang kanyang ka-tandem na kandidato sa pagka-pangulo (na si Sara Duterte) ay manalo. Hindi na bale kung lalabas na pagkagahaman sa posisyon, at kawalan ng delicadeza, ang kanilang pagtatayo ng Duterte dynasty sa pambansang larangan. 

 

            Isa pang binabanggit ni Digong na maaaring patakbuhin sa pagka-pangulo ay ang kanyang sidekick na si Senador Bong Go, na panay na ang pag-ikot para mangampanya sa pamamagitan ng diumano'y “pagtulong” sa iba't-ibang lugar, at pagtatayo ng “Malasakit Centers”, gamit ang mga pondong galing din naman sa sambayanan. Sinabi naman ni Go na tatakbo lamang siya sa pagka-pangulo kung si Digong ang ka-tandem niya bilang kandidato sa pagka-bise-presidente.

 

            Sa loob ng ruling party na PDP-Laban ay nagkakaroon ng mga hidwaan dahil sa iba't-ibang nagbabalak sa pagtakbo bilang pangulo at pangalawang-pangulo. Ang deputy secretary-general nito na si Melvin Matibag ay tinutuligsa ng ilan dahil sa kanyang paglalabas ng isang resolusyon na sumusuporta sa pagtakbo ng tandem na Sara-Digong. Ang tandem na Sara-Digong ay agad ikinakampanya ng PDP-Laban sa pamamagitan ng mga lokal na pagpupulong at mga caravans, sa kabila ng mga pagbabawal sa mga public meetings dahil sa pandemya.

 

            Ang isang umaangal sa tandem na ito ay si Senador Manny Pacquiao, na ang nais palang tandem ay Pacquiao-Digong. Si Pacquiao, na kilala bilang absentee congressman at absentee senator sa buong panahon ng kanyang panunungkulan, ay nananawagan ngayon na tigilan daw muna ng PDP-Laban ang pamumulitika, at tutukan na lang daw muna ang “pagtulong sa mahihirap” sa gitna ng pandemya. Pero patuloy naman ang pagpapalabas niya ng campaign video na nagpapakita sa kanya bilang “tagapagligtas” kuno ng sambayanang Pilipino.

 

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TINATAPATAN NA NG OPOSISYONG BURGES ANG MAAGANG

PANGANGAMPANYA NG ADMINISTRASYONG DIGONG.

 

            Sa gitna ng mga paghahanda ng burges na administrasyong Digong para sa eleksiyong 2022, nagbuo naman ang kapwa-burges nilang oposisyon ng isang “pinagkaisahang demokratikong koalisyon” na kung tawagin ay “1-Sambayan”. Ito ay pinangungunahan nina dating mahistrado Antonio Carpio at Conchita Carpio-Morales, at dating DFA secretary Albert del Rosario, na nagsabi na ang koalisyon nila ay bubuo ng nagkakaisang slate na pangtapat sa mga itatakbo ni Digong sa eleksiyong 2022.

 

            Ang koalisyon daw nila ay kontra sa dictatorship at authoritarianism, kontra sa extrajudicial killings at violations ng human rights, kontra sa pandarambong sa pondo ng bayan, at kontra sa kawalang-pagtatanggol sa ating sovereign rights sa West Philippine Sea, na pawang isinisisi nila kay Digong. Kung ang burges na grupo ni Digong ay grupo ng mga traditional politicians (trapos) na umaasa sa pamumuhunan ng imperyalismong Tsino, ang burges na grupo naman ng mga oposisyonistang ito ay kumakatawan sa mas maka-Amerikanong grupo ng mga traditional politicians (trapos) na suportado ng mga lokal na oligarkong kalaban ni Digong.

 

            Si Antonio Carpio ay isang masugid na kalaban ng mga komunista at tagapagtanggol sa kapitalismo (siya ang “ponente” o sumulat sa desisyon ng korte suprema sa kasong “Atong Paglaum vs. COMELEC” noong 2013, kung saan binuksan ang partylist system sa pagpasok ng mga partidong hindi naman kumakatawan sa mga marginalized na mga uri at sektor). Si Albert del Rosario naman ay nakabase sa Estados Unidos, at masugid na tagapagtanggol ng mga posisyon ng imperyalismong Kano. 

 

            Kapansin-pansin na sumama  agad sa koalisyon nila ang ultra-rightist group na “Magdalo” ni dating-senador Antonio Trillanes IV, at ang maka-maoistang partylists nina Colmenares, Zarate, atbp. Hindi nakapagtataka kung magkakasama sa koalisyong ito ang mga ultra-rightists at ultra-leftists, dahil makikita naman na nagkakaisa sila sa pagtatanggol sa kapakanan ng ABS-CBN at iba ang oligarko na kalaban ni Digong.

 

            Maaasahan na ang bagong koalisyong “1-Sambayan” ay tutustusan ng mga dayuhan at lokal na oligarko. Samantala, panay ang paninira ng mga tauhan ni Digong sa bagong oposisyonistang koalisyong ito, dahil sa “maagang pamumulitika” daw nito, imbes na tumulong na lang daw sila sa mahusay namang ginagawa ng administrasyon upang lunasan kuno ang paghihirap sa gitna ng pandemya.

 

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GREETINGS  ON  THE  90^th  ANNIVERSARY  OF

THE  PARTIDO  COMUNISTA  DE  VENEZUELA

 

                                                                                                                                    March 02, 2021

 

COMRADE  OSCAR  FIGUERA

Secretary-General

COMRADE  CAROLUS  WIMMER

Secretary for International Relations

PARTIDO COMUNISTA DE VENEZUELA (PCV)

Caracas, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

 

Dear comrades :

 

            Through you, the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP-1930, the Philippine Communist Party) sends warmest greetings and congratulations to all office-bearers, members and supporters of the Partido Comunista de Venezuela (PCV) which will mark the 90^th anniversary of its foundation this  coming March 5, 2021.

 

            The PCV has travelled an arduous path of struggle in defending and advancing the interests of the Venezuelan working peoples since the first grassroots organizations of  the PCV were constituted in March 1931. From its illegal existence and clandestine activities at its founding, the PCV has grown into the only strident and strong proponent of scientific socialism in Venezuela.

 

            Repressed by military dictatorships which functioned as zealous guardians of US and British oil companies, the PCV suffered so much before winning advances and victories  for the Venezuelan working peoples. We hail the PCV's long history of fighting for democratic freedoms, being constantly present in all the major episodes of popular struggles in Venezuela, and maintaining leadership of the struggles of the Venezuelan working peoples for the construction of a socialist homeland. We salute the PCV's firm condemnation of imperialist aggression against Venezuela, and of the numerous US-instigated coup attempts to overthrow the duly-elected president, Nicolas Maduro.

 

            At the same time, based on the principles of proletarian internationalism, we support the PCV's position of distancing itself from the ruling PSUV party's growing collaboration with the local capitalists that exploit the people and trample on their rights. In this complex period of the political struggle in Venezuela, we stand with the PCV's struggles against the PSUV's campaign of slander, anti-popular management of the capitalist crisis, and threats of anti-communist persecution and anti-working-class repression.

 

            We wish every success to the PCV's continued activities as a political instrument of the Venezuelan working class for the struggle against the bourgeoisie, for the seizure of political power and the construction of a socialist society.

 

                                                                                                            With communist greetings,

 

                                                                                                            ANTONIO  E.  PARIS

                                                                                                            General  Secretary    

 

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LETTER OF THANKS FROM THE POLITBUREAU OF THE

CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF VENEZUELA

 

March 09, 2021

THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE

PHILIPPINE COMMUNIST PARTY (PKP-1930)

 

Esteemed comrades :

 

On behalf of the Central Committee and all our members, we would like to express our heartfelt appreciation for your solidarity fraternal greeting which you sent for the 90^th anniversary of the foundation of our Party.

 

In the complex conditions of struggle in which our Party, the working class and the Venezuelan people in general are defending their social victories and building a revolutionary way out from the capitalist crisis, all in the context of an ongoing imperialist attack, the solidarity and class conscious messages from the workers of the world will always be a motivating stimulus.

 

Dear comrades, we also take this opportunity to reiterate our firm determination to continue working towards a strengthening of our bonds of articulation, cooperation and solidarity between our Parties.

 

Fraternal greetings and solidarity,

 

POLITBUREAU OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE

COMMUNIST PARTY OF VENEZUELA (PCV)

 

              OSCAR FIGUERA                                                   CAROLUS   WIMMER

Secretario  General del CC-PCV                    Secretario de Relaciones Internacionales

 

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GREETINGS  ON  THE  CENTENNIAL  OF 

THE  PORTUGUESE  COMMUNIST  PARTY  (PCP)

 

                                                                                                                                    March 03, 2021

 

COMRADE JERONIMO DE SOUSA

Secretary-General

PORTUGUESE COMMUNIST PARTY (PCP)

Lisbon,  Portugal

 

Dear comrade :

 

            Through you, the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP-1930, the Philippine Communist Party) sends warmest greetings and congratulations to all office-bearers, members and supporters of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) which will mark the Centennial of its foundation this  coming March 6, 2021.

 

            We salute the heroic history of your Party which, against all odds, constantly affirms the Communist ideal and project for the emancipation of humanity. At the same time, we pay homage to the thousands of PCP members who became martyrs in the 48 years of the struggle against the bloody Salazar-Caetano dictatorships, and to the tens of thousands more who suffered imprisonment and torture during that “Estado Novo” fascist period.

 

            We hail the PCP's vanguard role not only in the patriotic struggle within Portugal, but also in the internationalist struggle for the liberation of peoples from Portuguese colonial rule. We well remember the PCP's support for the Indian struggle for the liberation of Goa from 1954 to 1961, and then for the struggles of other national liberation movements in the remaining Portuguese colonies.

 

            It is truly admirable that the PCP had been involved in the formation of the MPLA in Angola, FRELIMO in Mozambique, PAIGC in Guinea-Bissau, FRETILIN in Timor Leste, as well as the national liberation movements in Cape Verde and Sao Tome and Principe. The anti-colonial-war campaign of the PCP, and the overthrow of the Caetano dictatorship with the victory of the April Revolution of 1974 (where the PCP played an important role), helped in the liberation of those countries which were former Portuguese colonies.

           

            We salute the PCP's firm defense of Marxism-Leninism, its militant anti-imperialist and anti-NATO/EU activities, its hosting of an International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties, its holding of the annual “Avante! Festival”, and its promotion (along with the Portuguese Communist Youth) of international brigades of solidarity with Cuba, Palestine, Venezuela and other countries suffering from imperialist blockades and aggression.

 

            We wish every success to the PCP's struggles for the realization of an Advanced Democracy with the values of the April Revolution, and for the construction of a socialist society freed from capitalist exploitation and oppression.

 

                                                                                                            With communist greetings,

 

                                                                                                            ANTONIO  E.  PARIS

                                                                                                            General  Secretary    

 

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MESSAGE OF CONDOLENCE TO THE  TUDEH  PARTY OF

IRAN, ON THE PASSING AWAY OF COMRADE ALI KHAVARI

 

                                                                                                                        March 26, 2021

 

COMRADE NAVID SHOMALI

Secretary, International Department

Central Committee

TUDEH PARTY OF IRAN

e-mail : navid.shomali@btinternet.com

 

Dear comrade :

 

            The Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP-1930, the Philippine Communist Party) sends heart-felt condolences to the Tudeh Party of Iran over the passing away of Comrade Ali Khavari, veteran leader of your Party and a major figure in the history of the left-wing movement in Iran and the Farsi-phone countries.

 

            We pay homage to Comrade Khavari's almost 80 years of struggle since your Party's foundation in 1941 --- his early activities in Iran until the rise to a short-lived power of the progressive administration of Mohammed Mossadegh, the years of forced exile after the 1953 US-UK coup d'etat which overthrew Mossadegh and reimposed the dynastic Shah Pahlavi dictatorship, his clandestine return to Iran to re-strengthen your Party, his arrest and torture, the death sentence imposed on him, his release on the eve of the 1979 Revolution (after 15 years in the Shah's prisons), his forced exile again before the theocratic regime started a  horrific campaign of torture and execution aimed at completely eliminating your Party, and the dangers that he constantly faced in his monumental task of rebuilding and re-strengthening your Party. 

 

            In this hour of grief, the Tudeh Party of Iran will surely be consoled by the fact that the younger generations of cadres nurtured under Comrade Khavari's leadership, during the period from the third to the sixth Congresses of your Party, are continuing to lead the struggle for peace, freedom and socialism in Iran.

 

            Comrade Khavari's indomitable commitment and valiant leadership will surely continue to inspire all your comrades, as well as communists everywhere.

           

            Kindly extend our condolences to the family and friends of Comrade Khavari.

 

                                                                                                            With communist greetings,

 

                                                                                                            ANTONIO  E.  PARIS

                                                                                                            General Secretary        

 

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LETTER OF THANKS FROM TUDEH PARTY OF IRAN

 

                                                                                                                        March 27, 2021

 

Dear Comrade Antonio Paris,

 

            I am writing to confirm our receipt of the message of fraternal condolences –- on the occasion of the passing away of our longtime Leader, Comrade Ali Khavari –- from the Philippine Communist Party (PKP-1930).

 

            The Tudeh Party of Iran greatly appreciates your solidarity at this difficult moment and would like to reaffirm its commitment to develop further the bilateral fraternal ties between our two parties.

 

                                                                                                            With best wishes,

 

                                                                                                            Navid Shomali

                                                                                                            Secretary

                                                                                                            International Department

                                                                                                  CC, Tudeh Party of Iran

 

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MESSAGE OF CONDOLENCE TO THE PARTIDO COMUNISTA

DO BRASIL (PCdoB) ON THE DEMISE OF COMRADE HAROLDO LIMA

 

                                                                                                                                    March 27, 2021

COMRADE LUCIANA SANTOS

National President

PARTIDO COMUNISTA DO BRASIL

e-mail :  relacoesinternacionaispcdob@gmail.com

Dear comrade :

 

            The Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP-1930, the Philippine Communist Party)  condoles with the Partido Comunista do Brasil (PcdoB) and all your grieving supporters over the demise of Comrade Haroldo Lima, a historic leader of your Party. It is tragic that he succumbed to Covid-19, the pandemic that has raged over your country –- with over 12.4-million infections and with the loss of the most precious lives of over 307,000 Brazilians –- due to the incompetence and Trump-ish blundering of the present ultra-reactionary Bolsonaro regime.

 

            We pay homage to Comrade Lima's more than half a century of communist militancy --- his leadership among the youth and students while studying to be an engineer, his joining the clandestine PCdoB at a time of great risk when the forces of repression were hunting for communists, his courageous part in the leadership of the struggle against the military dictatorship during the 1970s, the brutal torture and years of incarceration he endured before amnesty, his active participation in the struggle for the final overthrow of the military dictatorship, his election to the federal parliament in the 1980s as a representative of his native Bahia, his leadership of the PCdoB group within the Constituent Assembly, and his heading of the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) during the presidency of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, during which period he strengthened Petrobras as an important instrument for Brazil's national sovereignty and economic and social development.

 

            It is remarkable that in his parliamentary activity and in all his assignments, Comrade Haroldo Lima always placed his leadership at the service of strengthening the PCdoB and at mobilizing the Brazilian working class and people. You will surely be consoled by the fact that new generations of Brazilian fighters for the great cause of socialism have been developed through Comrade Lima's contribution in spending time teaching at  the PCdoB party school.

 

            Kindly extend our condolences to Comrade Lima's wife Solange Silvany, to his daughters and other members of his family, as well as to all his friends. 

 

                                                                                                            With communist greetings,

 

                                                                                                            ANTONIO  E.  PARIS

                                                                                                            General Secretary

 

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GREETINGS TO THE 4TH CONGRESS OF

THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SWAZILAND

 

                                                                                                                                    March 27, 2021

 

COMRADE THOKOZANI KENNETH KUNENE

General Secretary

COMRADE PIUS VILAKATI

International Secretary

COMMUNIST PARTY OF SWAZILAND (CPS)

e-mail :  cpswa.org@gmail.com

 

Dear comrades :

 

            Through you, the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP-1930, the Philippine Communist Party) is pleased to send warmest fraternal greetings to all the delegates to the 4^TH Congress of the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) which will be held this coming April 2 to 4, 2021, under the theme of “Decisive Mobilisation for Democracy Now !”.

 

            We are confident that this Congress will chart a successful path of struggle for the oppressed people and revolutionary forces of Swaziland, towards the unbanning of political parties and activities, the ending of the suppression of workers and farmers, and a transition to democracy through the sweeping away of the archaic “tinkhundla” system of tyrannical rule under a parasitic autocracy presently represented by “King Mswati III” who is siphoning off the country's wealth.

 

            Swaziland's poverty, unemployment and grave inequality, with close to 70% of the people living below the poverty line, are indeed products of almost half a century of despotic rule and imperialist exploitation, which also stunted the educational, healthcare and other social services delivery systems of the country. 

 

            We wish every success to your 4^TH Congress, and its call for the unity of the oppressed people towards revolutionary action –- for a conscious and militant fight against despotism, capitalism and imperialism.

 

            Finally, warmest congratulations and best wishes to the new CPS national leadership to be elected at this Congress.

 

                                                                                                            With communist greetings,

 

                                                                                                            ANTONIO  E.  PARIS

                                                                                                            General Secretary           

 

 

(Note : The Communist Party of Swaziland has sent a short note of appreciation in response to the above greetings of the PKP-1930 to their forthcoming 4^th Congress.)

 

 

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