#natdem

[connorthemaoist]

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[mlmenopi]

"At a time when global neoliberalism is rousing more people to fight back and reconsider the socialist alternative, the undefeated and resilient Philippine struggle is offered as a pillar of hope. It has a clear understanding of what modern revisionism has done in the Soviet Union and post-Mao China. It can benefit from the experience of other national liberation movements which succeeded in asserting political independence but remained hostage to capitalist interest and corrupt party leadership. It has useful lessons to share with other progressive movements about how it maintained its political relevance, revolutionary credibility, organizational discipline, and fighting will after five decades of waging struggle in an archipelagic terrain.

The pioneers of the NatDem struggle have already passed the torch to their younger comrades. But some of them are still actively pursuing the political dream that fired up their commitment during their younger, hippie years. They have given us a working template on how to continue the struggle, and we are fortunate to inherit this legacy. This is the real triumph of the Philippine revolution: Continuing the unfinished struggle of 1896, reviving the national democratic movement in the 1960s, and making revolution work in the 21st century. Spreading hope and winning the fight from the countryside to the cities, from the barrios to the eskinitas, and even in the digital realm.

Are we there yet, kasama? Maybe not today. But definitely in this lifetime."

[comrademango]

Saw this screenshot on Twitter from this 2014 article interviewing the cast of Mockingjay:

The name of the author is Amado Guerrero a.k.a. Joma Sison's pen name. Basically, Donald Sutherland read one of the essential natdem readings.

[mechanicalbride16]

Day 3: Favorite Single

Sorry if I'm late for a few days on this one HAHAHAHAHAHA school just got in the way again grrrrrrrrr... btw, I just edited this because I confused the "single" with the "music video". So as for my favorite single, it would be Angst.

I'm not a fan of this music video because I don't like how it was edited. But one thing that I loved about Angst that makes it remarkable for me is the imagery and ofc, its storyline.

Watching the music video and reading the translated lyrics made me smile because finally, there's a Rammstein song that I can relate to HAHAHAHAHAHA

if you ever wanna continue reading, here's a reminder that this is a very long post and it mostly contains politics.

3 months before the release of the music video was our presidential election. In case you didn't know, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. was our current president. He was the son of our former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Thanks to the machinery and the historical distortion that was created by his family, he won the election.

Decades after EDSA Revolution, the Marcoses were already plotting and making advances on how they will change the image of their family. Little by little, each one in their clan is starting to gain a seat in the government until they start ruling Ilocos Norte again.

The historical distortion became prevalent in the last 2016 election. People were starting to paint Ferdinand Marcos as a hero who uses dictatorship to protect the country from insurgents and to instill discipline in the Filipinos. There was also false information spreading around on Facebook during those times about Marcos's alleged credentials. A lot of shit was going around during those times that helped the popularity of Bongbong Marcos to rise. Because of the disinformation, many people looked up to him, hoping that he was as "intelligent" as his father.

Just like how it was portrayed in the music video, the cheerleaders reminded me of the admins on those Facebook pages who were posting false information to lift up the Marcoses. Fast forward to now, some of their critics became their supporters and many people voted for him to be our president. I know that there's machinery involved there, but I can't deny the fact that he has lots of supporters.

During the recent election period, people were too busy scrolling on their social media, reading the posts about the presidential candidates. They were too absorbed with the content they were watching and reading, to the point that they believed everything that is posted there. That is why I literally face-palmed myself at the part in the music video where the band is facing the monitor screen because it reminded me of what happened during the campaign period.

While some people need to be held accountable for not being responsible enough in checking the information they're consuming, we can't blame those who are too tired from their responsibilities in real life to even fact-check the information they're reading.

So what was the aftermath of that election?? Well, a few weeks after Marcos was elected, my classmates and I were paranoid about our safety that's why we decided to create a group chat in Telegram for a while. When our fear and paranoia subsides, we transferred back to Messenger again.

I was hoping that it will be the last time I'll experience that kind of paranoia. But just a few weeks ago, some people from a certain university suspected that there were intelligence officers disguised as civilians who were roaming around the campus. I don't know what their reasons are, but the only reason that I could think of as of now is that they're searching for people who are activists and members of NatDem organizations.

I guess I gotta thank my meds for helping me not to be anxious about the political issues, and I honestly think that I'm already numb from all the shits happening here.

[ang-paborito]

Feminism, French, and Ferdinand Marcos

My mother is illiterate. She can't read well. But her favorite author is Lualhati Bautista. She read all her books that have existed indirectly. She also read the newspaper but only the business section and the obituaries then classified ads. I asked why she read the obituaries.

"If someone died in a property especially if it's murder, market value goes down."

Mommy has a monthly subscription of fashion and gossip magazines. She loves the photos and pictures, but hated the words. She still read it.

All of it through my dad. He reads it to her. It was mostly a habit normally I see my parents doing. When Holmes came by and witnessed it herself, she thought it was sweet.

The scene was Dad was reading a translated french poetry to her by Victor Hugo I think.

"Oh?" Just my reaction.

Earlier this year, Lualhati Bautista released her latest, 60s in the city. It's very insightful and entertaining, you should read it. On mom's birthday this year, the first birthday she didn't have on Earth, I read it to her.

I went to Pyramid in Buyagan and sat and read through her. The people there must have seen a lot and ignored me.

I bought the copy personally in the Book Fair and ligned up with greasy weather during the signing. I met Ms. Bautista personally and asked her to sign. I told her that my mom loves her.

"Anong pangalan ng mama mo?"

"Rita."

I was gonna say she doesn't have to because she's dead but I know it'll invoke an uncomfortable interaction. Awkward ess dortof thing.

Mom never went to college but when she joined a group of activists and protesters for labor rights women's rights, she wasnt with intellectual activists but with the marginalized.

Unlike today's breed of activists who love to circlejerk with their intellectual ejaculation for hours with very impractical yet arousing theories of Mao and Marx, the likes of my mother understood only one thing: oppression kills them. The most basic.

I have a lot of hate with today's activists who thinks they are so edgy especially the NatDem but I'm trailing off again from my thoughts.

During the dictatorship, mom's first husband died in the mines. The mining is owned by Marcos's crony. Just like the CCP tragedy, the news was buried alive. They were buried alive. They were complicit so they complained for their labor rights.

My mother doesn't know shit about the law before but she understands rights. She got jailed nonetheless. Then got freed by my dad whose son and daughter were working on giving legal aids to activists.

My mother was a feminist even if she doesn't realize she is one. She is aware but she don't know the word feminist.

She knows deeply what are double standards, inequality, being a woman in a patriarchal society. I believe my uneducated mom is more intelligent on this matter than an educated liberal, intellectual western woman. Because she lived through it. She saw her sisters live through it and she felt that hand over her throat tightening so she demanded to make it stop.

Lualhati Bautista was the same in her own right. She's an activist and a feminist but what I admire about her is how she articulates this knowledge of how oppressive patriarchy is and chews it down on how it trickles down to from the woman in all social classes, most especially in the marginalized area.

I also love that her idea of feminism is not to force women out of marriage and domesticity as others might have misinterpreted.

All her characters aren't the girlboss, CEO with blue hair. They are traditional women in a sense on how society cages a woman. They are housewives, mothers, working mothers, prostitutes, mistresses, poor women, rich women, middle class women daughters-- all of which are living the hellish and brutish patriarchy. It shows that feminism isn't academic. It's lived and experienced is enough to make one a feminist.

That's why for me her books are an eye opener of what patriarchy looks like in the Philippines. Because I think it is not something often talked about. It is not approached in a way as the western world does.

Because we still think women's problems and complaints are not real or not something to be concerned of. NOBODY TAKES A WOMAN SERIOUSLY. Just look at how reproductive health is designed.

Hormonal contraceptives have a lot of side effects for women. When a male hormonal contraceptive was invented, it was not approved because of the same side effects it will cause the men. Sure there are condoms, but we instilled into men that rubbers aren't pleasurable. Ligation. I just found out from a sister that you can't ligate if you never gave birth and if you are married you need a husband's permission. It's a very invasive process too.

For Vasectomy, men can get it as young as 21, married or not, with child or childless. And they will still FUCKING COMPLAIN THAT THE PROCEDURE IS A HASSLE.

If you think the only time tr world take women seriously is when they get assaulted. WRONG!

Sure men aren't taken seriously as well when they get assaulted but that's a different thing altogether.

According to PSA stats only 15% of rape cases filed in a year alone is won.

When you complain about sexual assault. This is what you'll meet:

1. Victim blaming

2. Telling the victim to get over it

3. Be slutshamed

I know because I've been through it. I was blamed of seducing my attacker with my orange sweater and blue jeans and sneakers. And also apparently am a 13 year old slut because I have photos of me on friendster with boys during badminton match.

I learned about feminism when I watched The Dictator in 2012. It's a comedy satire film. The female character considers herself a liberal, all-inclusive, progressive feminist. But going further from Simone du Beauvoir, the Suffragettes, the first wave to the second wave, I came to an understanding why western feminism works a little in Ph settings.

I'd love to dive deep into it but I have less time. I can theorize also.

Filipinos are still secluded to liberal ideas and has a completely different notion of it.

Semantics, maybe?

What is a liberated woman? What is an emancipated woman? What is a free woman? What is an independent woman?

You get different answers.

Totally different.

In the wester world, a liberated woman is someone who pushes back on sexism and pushes for rights.

In Filipino context, a liberated woman is the total opposite of a conservative one not in ideal butin appearance. I asked Hollmae to picture it immediately if I mention it.

"What's a liberated woman?"

"Someone who smokes, drinks, flirts with men and goes home with them and also wear mini skirts."

There's this long tirade Facebook post about telling women to dress properly so we will be respected by men. So laughable and it makes my blood boil. The last one says that women should be more like "Lucy" and not "Kris."

Ibthibk he is or she is referring to the Lucy Torres who is by the way a kleptomaniac. And Kris Aquino is the other one who by the way is Ph's top tax payer. I'd rather be the latter, thanks.

You know whenever a man would tell me or anyone about modest clothing, I'd show them a photo of Igorotas in bare breasts and just tapos. And the men too interlinking their arms. And tell the this is how my ancestors dress up in the days, and there are no recorded rape cases. In fact, there's a docu movie about it by Lester named Walang Rape sa Bontoc. Tis is backed by statistics by the way.

I'm which speaking of politics, I just learned that women only make up a quarter of the government.

A woman's body is treated by society weirdly. It is begged to be seen and touched and when it does, they are called whores. Marjan Satrapi is my favorite comic artist. Iranian born who witnessed the civil war in her country and the changing political scenes in Iran. Most especially her observation of how women are seen and treated. One strip in her comic book was about modesty where the teacher reprimands the girls to cover up to not to tempt the boys but Marjan points out that the boys are wearing tighty little jeans thatmolds the bulk.

She has also punted out the hipocrisy of religion and internal misogyny. Her mother was like my mother too. Here's my mom photo during one of the protests in Mandaluyong. She made history on being a really cool feminist, liberated mom.

When I get asked what image pops when I hear "a liberated woman".

I picture of this. Mom in bobbed hair with her vintage Gucci glasses with a placard. Raising a middle finger at the government. Her eyes swollend crying for the loss of the love of her life . Another one is when she's sitting at home chugging a Maria Clara wine bottle reading Yes Magasine in her green chiffon daster.

Or that time she is negotiating her way out during a court mediation that even if she never read a single law book in her life, she is well informed about the law. Also she's in red lipstick and gold Tiffany co earrings. That's a historical liberated woman for me

Many women in our history are considered a liberated woman who wears a very long saya and doesn't even course. Look at our politicians, Santiago Defensor, Robredo, Aquino, okay Arroyo hmm, Conchita Carpio--they are what the western world consider as liberated.

No wonder the laws about women's bodies are by men.

Why is it?

I have yet to understand because I'm not a jerkass who claims to understand things.

Religion? Culture? Environment?

Probably.

[iamlivingatmyownworld]

hindi ko na alam totoo sa mga iniisip ko -- kung sino ang gumagawa na lang ng kwento. Ni hindi ko na rin alam kung ano ang punto nila sa buhay ko-- sinisira ako o sinasalba. Maaring ginuguho lahat ng pagsubók, lahat ng pagtangka kong ayusin ang sira ko ng buhay at pagkatao. Maaring nililigtas ako sa lubos na pagkalunod sa katotohanang ang hirap-hirap na umahon- nakakasakal, nakakaubos, ang hirap huminga, gusto ko na pumikit, may barado sa lalamunan ko, wala na akong ibang marinig kundi ang ingay ng elektrik fan, ang ingay mula sa selpon ni geya na hindi ko na maintindihan, umaalingawngaw lahat ng mga bagay na gusto kong masulosyunan, maisip, magawa at mapanagautan. Pawang gumagawa ako ng sariling reyalidad para lang maingat ang sarili ko kahit hindi naman na nararapat. Kailangan kong managot sa mga pagkakamaling nagawa. Humingi ng tawad dahil sa mga gawaing hindi nagawa at magawa. Hindi ako nararapat sa lahat ng pagkakataon na hinahain sa akin upang mabuo muli.

Ngunit sa totoo lang ang tanging pinanghahawakan ko ay ang pagkakataon na naibigay sa akin ng pagmamahal. Hindi man nakatuon mismo sa akin, alam kong mula iyon sa mga tao sa paligid ko. Mula kila Viray na gusto lang naman din magturo, kila rapha, brit, elisha, danica at haze na gusto lang din makatulong, adel na pinagsasabay ang org, acad at work na lahat ay nagsisilbi sa midya, kay ate reg at ate nina na gusto lang naman magfangirl at mapasaya lang din ang esbi at mga atins gaya ng kung paano sila bilang mga working-adults ay napapasaya ng group at ng fandom, kila ate precious na ginagawa lahat upang makakilos pa rin kahit may full time job upang patuloy na labanan ang rehimeng sinungaling at magnanakaw, kila dany, joshtin, angelika, ming, louise at iba pang mga kasama sa pagsulong ng natdem na lipunan, sa mga kapatid at nanay kong mahal ang pamilya namin, kay sam na lubos lang talaga magmahal. Kung hindi dahil sa patuloy nilang pagbibigay ng pagkakataon upang ipakita ko rin ang pagmamahal na kaya kong ibagay, baka sumuko na rin. Kahit ang katotohanan ay wala na dapat akong puwang sa buhay nila at mundong ito dahil sa mga pagkakamaling nagawa ko.

Pero habang wala akong ginagawa, patuloy na lumaki ang espasyo pagitan sa akin at sa mga tao at bagay na mahal ko,,,

[appleflavoredkitkats]

wanted 2 share that i think if anyone needs to start learning where 2 start... first start by learning what the main leftist ideologies r here sa pinas (socdem, natdem, marxist-leninist) tas search for orgs u can join!!! being part of a community is the foundation of political knowledge and info so plsplspls look around

thinking about how . ok some of u chronically online filipinos (including me) need to hop off from socmed like . a lot . because we r literally barring ourselves from assimilating into our own culture. like i'm serious. years of being chronically online made me realize how despite how comforting online spaces can be, it has literally distanced me from my own culture because social media is inherently westernized. like we need to get off of here. get out touch grass .

[milkboydotnet]

Jose Maria Sison - The Philippine National Democratic Movement and China

[irritatinglytidsoptimist]

Hello! When you get this you have to answer with 5 things you like about yourself, publicly. Then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers. 😃

Ang hirap pala neto ahaha 😅

1. Maalam ako mag luto. And somehow i get the attention and validation pag napapakain ko yung iba.

2. I tend to be the clown of the group. Tho double edged ito since i cannot really distinguish serious times with fun times, so akala nung iba di ako nag seseryoso.

3. My socio-political stance. NatDem is the way, the truth, and the light. 😅

4. I'm super ez to befriend. Even mga taong pangit ang first impression ko minsan nagiging tropa ko din sila.

5. Being gay? Dunno, pero at times i wonder, what if i ended up straight? I wonder if i would still have this kind of mindset? Or baka nagkaron din ako ng cronic toxic masculinity problems?

Hahaha arigathanks dito @notyourkenji. Di ako sanay mag isip ng "good" parts in me, pero i guess we all have that good part, we just need to acknowledge them no matter how small they may be.

[pulangpluma]

[dasha-aibo]

Not to be That Person, but there DO exist right-wing nationalists who are not fascists. Historical nationalist movements that predate Nazis and are not built on race superiority exist (Finish or Czech nationalists, for example) and there are modern bozos like natdems, who are essentially for free societies with tighter borders.

tumblr is a free website compilation

[connorthemaoist]

[phgq]

Makabayan bloc’s anti-econ cha-cha to lead to higher unemployment

#PHnews: Makabayan bloc’s anti-econ cha-cha to lead to higher unemployment

MANILA – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Sunday said the opposition of the so-called Makabayan Bloc in Congress to the economic amendments in the 1987 Philippine Constitution is based on an impractical and outdated economic model that would lead to higher unemployment and suffering of the people.

“The so-called Makabayan Bloc opposes the lifting of the restrictive economic provisions in our constitution because they adhere to their own so-called ‘national industrialization program’ where the electric, water, mining, oil, telecommunications and transportation industries, among others, are to be confiscated from their owners and taken over by the State as dictated by their obsolete ideology,” DILG Spokesperson and Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said.

The House of Representatives has begun plenary debates on Resolution of Both Houses No.2 authored by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

Malaya said the alternative proposed by the so-called Makabayan Bloc is obsolete and impractical because it is pre-globalization and has been discarded by all nations all over the world.

He said the Makabayan Bloc would want us to abandon the free market economy and be protectionist in a globalized world.

“If we will follow their proposal, we will be bringing back our country to the dark ages and we will be a pariah in the global economy,” he added.

He said the Makabayan Bloc follows the NatDem (National Democracy) ideological line of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison which dictates that all strategic industries must be nationalized or owned by the State.

He said the economic model of the National Democratic Front (NDF) being espoused by the so-called Makabayan bloc is contained in their proposed Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reform (CASER), which is one of the items being pushed by the CPP-National People’s Army-NDF in the collapsed peace talks with the government.

Among the items in CASER is the confiscation of all land used by foreign corporations and landlords, take-over of all large plantations and corporate farms by the State, take-over of all industries deemed as strategic by the Left, and the closure of all large corporations – whether foreign or local – to give way to their national industrialization program.

He said this type of economic model has been a disaster all over the world citing the collapse of the Soviet Union and its satellite countries in the 90s.

"All the remaining communist countries like China and Vietnam which are ruled by Communist parties have adopted free market economies," he said.

Malaya said he concurs with Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez Jr.’s statement that CASER is a product of a secret backchannel maneuvered by the communist insurgents where there was zero consultation with the government’s economic team, security forces, local agencies, and local government units, and most importantly, the Filipino people.

Given the impact of the pandemic to the Philippine economy, Malaya said economic amendments are necessary for the country to begin the road to recovery.

Citing figures from the National Economic Development Authority, he said the pandemic has caused a total income loss of PHP1.04 trillion last year. On average, that translated to PHP2.8 billion in salaries lost — or an annual income loss of PHP23,000 per worker.

He said for the country to fully recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, the government must open up the economy to achieve a truly inclusive investments-led economic growth that will create more jobs for the people especially since many Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) returned to the country amid the pandemic.

In January, the Senate conducted the first public hearing on the proposed lifting of the protectionist provisions of the Constitution.

In the House of Representatives, House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr., chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, proposed that the upper and lower Houses of Congress vote separately on the proposed economic amendments. (PR)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Makabayan bloc’s anti-econ cha-cha to lead to higher unemployment." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1132867 (accessed March 08, 2021 at 06:34AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Makabayan bloc’s anti-econ cha-cha to lead to higher unemployment." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1132867 (archived).

[jrocas]

I was prepared to be disappointed with NatDem politics but instead, I became more immersed in their mass campaigns. I was overwhelmed with several political realizations: Here was a movement making democracy work through collective leadership, here was a political force whose strength is linked to the empowerment of its members in the grassroots, here was history claiming the present to build a new future. And I was genuinely surprised to learn that anti-Left academics were wrong on many things about the practices of the NatDem Left. Contrary to what I read about them, the NatDem Left acknowledged its mistakes and the excesses it committed. This was one of the early resolutions of the rectification movement. Again, against what I expected, there were nonstop debates within the Left about tactics, strategies, campaign demands, alliances, and analysis of the political situation. There were always new lessons in organizing, victories and defeats in mass struggles, and the constant vigilance over state reprisals. The Left can’t survive, thrive, and surge in many places if it were a dogmatic political force.

Mong Palatino, HOW I SURVIVED ANTI-LEFT ACADEMICS AND BECAME AN ACTIVIST

[diwangpalaboy]

DS 100 additional pointers to review for the test and graded recitation (definition and examples)

5 forms of undesirable growth (UN) 3 members of the power elite (CW Mills) 3 kinds of academic (RG Simbulan) 5 classes in the Philippine agrarian society (NatDem) 3 general policies of globalization 3 sectors in the military-industrial complex 3 sectors that comprise the iron triangle 3 economic sectors 4 elements of gross national happiness 3 dimension of Juche ideology 4 Ps of marketing 4 Gs of Philippine elections 7 Ms of dynasty building 7 Ss of medical tourism 4 factors of production 4 Rs of education 3 levels of trifocal education in Philippines 5 pillars of the criminal justice system 5 subfields in Political Science 3 basic ills in the Philippine society 4 crises that beset US imperialism 3 Ds of hazardous job 3 domains of educations 4 Cs of credit 4 Ps of labor and delivery (maternal health)

[litera-triste]

Hinggil sa mga tunay na Anak ng Bayan

Tatandaan ko ang bawat patak

ng luhang laman ay isang alaala ng

pagkilos kahit tila dagli lang ang oras

kung saan naglapat ang ating mga buhay

ay walang tigil ang daloy;

naisasama pati ang mga alaalang matagal nang alam

ngunit hindi pa kailanman nalalaman;

ang mga alaalang matagal nang alam

ngunit paparating pa lamang.

Marahil sa dating buhay natin

ay nag-alay din tayo ng dugo kaibigan,

kasama. Nadatnan man lang natin kaya

ang tagumpay noon

bago ito kinuha ng iba?

Iwinagayway kaya natin ang sagisag

ng ating pakikibaka habang

nagmamartsa kasama ang masa?

Tatandaan ko ang bawat hikbi

na sinusundan ng tawa

at ang mga tawang sinusundan ng hikbi

kasabay ng mga alaalang dala’y pag-asa

ngunit dala rin ay paghigpit ng hawak

sa braso mo na kung sakali’y hindi ako iiwan,

bagkus dalhin din sa larangan.

Tatandaan ko ang tuwa,

ang pag-asa,

ang pangako,

ang obligasyon sa bayan,

ang galit sa kung sino mang magtatangkang hamakin ka,

ang mga kasamang hahalili sa amin,

tatandaan ko ang nakaraang bulag

kong sinuong habang ika’y mulat

na’t naghihintay na ako’y

mahanap,

tatandaan ko ang maikling oras

na hanggang ngayon ay titimbang ng mabigat

sa aking buong buhay.

Tatandaan ko ang lahat ng ito

upang sa susunod ay ibabalita ko sa iyo

ang pag-usbong ng iyong iniwang

mga butil ng pag-asa at sabay sabay nating

aanihin ito, kasama ng mga nagtanim

sa’yo, sa kanila at sa iba pang daang taong saklaw

ng mga magsasaka ng pag-asa

ng mga manggagawa ng tagumpay.

Walang panghihinayang ang aking pag-luha kasama,

pagka’t ito ang luha ng pangakong pagpatak

nito sa lupa ay uusbong ang maraming

ikaw,

mga anak ng lupa,

mga anak ng bayan

na pinanday ng buhay upang balang araw rin ay

lumuha

habang patuloy na nagmamartsa

nang sa gayon ay bawat hakbang ay may

Kasama na tatandaan

ang bawat yabag,

pupunasan ang mga mata,

at taas kamaong susunod diyan.