Posted to Website of Jose Maria Sison (Dec 19): People’s War, People’s Press: History and Evolution of Ang Bayan (The People), the News Organ of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)
http://plarideljournal.org/article/people%E2%80%99s-war-people%E2%80%99s-press-history-and-evolution-ang-bayan-people-news-organ-communist
People’s War, People’s Press: History and Evolution of Ang Bayan (The People), the News Organ of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)
Archive Year:
2015
Volume 12
Issue No. 1
Author:
Lucia Palpal-latoc Tangi
Issue Theme:
News and New Media
Type of Paper:
Main Article(s)
Abstract:
Due to the pivotal role of the press in revolutions, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) released its official publication Ang Bayan (The People) just months after it was re-established on December 26,1968. CPP founding chairperson Jose Maria Sison used only a few typewriters and one mimeograph machine to write the first issue of Ang Bayan, published on May 1,1969. For almost half a century, Ang Bayan was the CPP’s propagandist, agitator, and organizer. It was instrumental to establish and to maintain party unity and to popularize Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideals. It simultaneously provided alternative news and perspective, especially during the martial law years, and inspired the rise of more revolutionary publications. The advent of the digital age also prompted the CPP to wage its revolution online. By recruiting members from the information technology sector and providing computer literacy training, Ang Bayan was first accessed online in 1998 on the National Democratic Front (NDF) website. Ang Bayan established its own website in 1999.
http://josemariasison.org/peoples-war-peoples-press-history-and-evolution-of-ang-bayan-the-people-the-news-organ-of-the-communist-party-of-the-philippines-cpp/
Attacked below is full text of journal article from Plaridel Website:
People’s War, People’s Press: History and Evolution of Ang Bayan (The People), the News Organ of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)
Lucia Palpal-latoc Tangi
Due to the pivotal role of the press in revolutions, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) released its official publication Ang Bayan (The People) just months after it was re-established on December 26,1968. CPP founding chairperson Jose Maria Sison used only a few typewriters and one mimeograph machine to write the first issue of Ang Bayan, published on May 1,1969. For almost half a century, Ang Bayan was the CPP’s propagandist, agitator, and organizer. It was instrumental to establish and to maintain party unity and to popularize Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideals. It simultaneously provided alternative news and perspective, especially during the martial law years, and inspired the rise of more revolutionary publications. The advent of the digital age also prompted the CPP to wage its revolution online. By recruiting members from the information technology sector and providing computer literacy training, Ang Bayan was first accessed online in 1998 on the National Democratic Front (NDF) website. Ang Bayan established its own website in 1999.
Keywords: Underground press, Revolutionary Press, Marxism in the Philippines, Communist Party of the Philippines
Introduction
Every two weeks, red fighters and members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in remote guerilla bases nationwide lay down their arms, literally. They comb their armory for silkscreen and ink to create their weapon of mass propaganda and agitation: Ang Bayan (The People). Producing the new issue takes one or two days, depending on the number of stencils and the print run. Other variables include the availability of stencil ink and the security situation in the community. In another part of the globe, a CPP sector based in the United States only needs to click the website of the CPP to download the latest issue. The latest issue of the news organ can be sent or shared with sympathizers and allies at the speed of light.
These are the two phases of reproducing an underground newspaper: the traditional and the digital. The convergence of these media platforms reflect how Ang Bayan evolved during almost five decades of publication. Maintaining the old-fashion "guerilla-type" printing depicts how the revolutionary movement reaches the majority of its readers in the countryside
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who have no access to electricity, let alone the internet. The movement also reaches its growing recruits and allies among professionals, students, and overseas Filipinos. Published biweekly and originally written in Filipino and English, Ang Bayan, is also translated in Hiligaynon, Cebuano and Ilocano.
Ang Bayan chronicles the victories and challenges of the Marxist-Lenninist-Maoist movement in the Philippines, including the history of the party from a handful of young Marxists to several thousand members. It also documented the rise of new revolutionaries from different sectors: teachers, government employees, artists, religious, women, and the youth. It voiced the people’s cry for genuine land reform, higher wages, better working and living conditions, justice, and a lasting peace.
Ang Bayan has also survived various challenges during its almost five decades of publication. The repressive years of Martial Law made printing and circulation difficult because of security risks. The change in editors following the arrest of top CPP leaders also led to changes in the journalistic style. The publication survived the tactical errors, political blunders, and purging operations of the revolutionary movement.
This study traces the history of a newspaper that has served as the voice of revolutionaries when mainstream publications were censored. Underground publications have been conspicuously invisible in literature on the press after the Period of Liberation. This study also highlights the contributions of a newspaper to the people’s war.
Methodology
Due to the security risks of conducting face-to-face interviews, the main research method used in this study was the online structured interview. Founding chairman of the CPP Jose Maria Sison, who is now based in the Netherlands, was interviewed online. The CPP Information Bureau based in Metro Manila was also interviewed online. Former National Democratic Front Peace Negotiator Carolina Malay also shared her experiences as former writer and editor of Ang Bayan through an online interview.
The study also includes reviews of the original copies of Ang Bayan. The original mimeographed issues of Ang Bayan were hardly readable and several issues produced during Martial Law were confiscated and lost during military raids of safe houses following the arrests of CPP leaders. CPP members, who wanted to avoid being caught with subversive documents, burned other copies. The copies that managed to survive Martial Law did not survive Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.
Party documents and directives were also reviewed for this article. Majority of the important CPP documents are now available online.
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Tangi • People’s War, People’s Press
Birth of Ang Bayan
Jose Maria Sison or "Joma" was a graduate student and an instructor at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, when he joined the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP) [Communist Party of the Philippines] in December 1962 upon the invitation of then PKP general secretary Jesus Lava. At that time, the party was so small it could not yet establish a single branch. At the age of 23, Sison joined a five-man executive committee tasked to revive the party. They were also responsible for the youth movement, providing refresher courses for senior workers and peasant farmers. Sison used the nom de guerre Amado Guerrero [Beloved Warrior] and founded the Kabataan Makabayan [Patriotic Youth], the youth organization involved in the First Quarter Storm and the Diliman Commune in the 1970s. Sharp ideological divisions between Marxist-Leninists and the Lava revisionists prompted Sison and other proletarian revolutionaries to reestablish the CPP ("Interview with Com. Jose Sison," 2000).
On December 26, 1968, Sison launched the CPP, with himself as the founding chairperson under the guidance of the theory of Marxism-Leninism and following the general line of national democratic revolution. After three months, on March 29, 1969, the CPP established its military arm, the New People’s Army, in the second district of Tarlac province. The NPA started with 60 fighters armed with 9 automatic rifles, 26 single-shot rifles, and handguns to defend a base of around 80,000 peasants (Liwanag, 1988).
Aside from the CPP’s ideological and military needs, Sison also felt the urgency of producing propaganda to further the revolution. Together with the CPP Central Committee, he published a central organ for disseminating news, articles and documents.
We considered it necessary to have a periodical for propagating our basic principles and program for a people’s democratic revolution, for reporting the activities of the Party, the NDFP and the united front, for arousing, organizing and mobilizing the people and for exposing and opposing US domination and the local exploiting classes of big compradors and landlords. In the history of modern revolutions, bourgeois or proletarian, the periodical is a necessity (Sison, personal communication, April 7, 2015).
The maiden issue of Ang Bayan was published on May 1, 1969 in Central Luzon. Although no copy of the first issue is available in the Philippines, its format closely resembled the first few issues. The earliest design used the 45 Plaridel • Vol. 12 No. 1 • February 2015
hammer and sickle and riffle logo, and the slogan, "Pahayangan ng Partido Komunista Ng Pilipinas Pinapatnubayan ng Kaisipang Mao Tsetung." [New Organ of the Communist Party of the Philippines Guided by Mao Zedong Thought] Volume 1 number 2 was dated July 1, 1969 and Vol. 1 Number 3 was dated August 1, 1969. Printed using mimeograph machines and mimeograph paper, Ang Bayan had four major sections: the editorials, local news, international news, and CPP documents.
The editorial section contains a publication’s stand on certain issues. Usually found inside the fold, newspapers rarely publish their editorial on the front page unless the issue or topic is extremely important. From its earliest days, Ang Bayan has always published its editorial on page one, occupying the first few pages depending on the length of the editorial. This practice continues today. This shows how the Central Committee wants its members to be informed about the party’s stand on important issues. For instance in Vol. 1 Number 2, the editorial focused on the significance of the holding of the first Plenum of the CPP "under the supreme guidance of Mao Tsetung Thought" ("Intensify Party Rebuilding," 1969, p. 1).
"Intensify Party Rebuilding and the Armed Struggle"
The holding of the Plenum of the Central committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines for the first time not only since the Congress of the Re-Establishment , but since more than eighteen years ago is clearly a highly significant event indicative of the new vigorous forces of the people’s democratic revolution now resurging.
However, what is most essentially significant about the First Plenum is that it is the concrete result of determined efforts by proletarian revolutionary (cadres) to integrate Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought the concrete practice of the Philippine Revolution. In this sense, the first Plenum of the Communist Party of the Philippines under the supreme guidance and inspiration of Mao Tsetung Thought is firmly in line with the Congress Re-Establishment of December 26,1968. (p. 1)
The local news section records the people’s war and other important issues related to the anti-imperialist struggle. During Ang Bayan’s early issues, many of the local news stories were about military operations and the 46 Tangi • People’s War, People’s Press
victories of the CPP-NPA. Reports on crimes committed by US servicemen and US companies were also found in the local news section.
"Marcos Puppet Administration condones Abuses in U.S. Military Bases"
The puppetry of the Marcos administration, despite its protestations of initiating an "independent" foreign policy, is blatantly demonstrated by its condonation and approval of the absolute right of the U.S. imperialists to murder and exploit Filipino workers in the U.S. military bases.
A Filipino workers, Clicorio Amor, was murdered on June 10 by the U.S. imperialists inside the Subic Naval Base. Until now, the Marcos administration has not taken any step in defense of a Filipino citizen. Instead it has merely issued press statements affirming the "right" of U.S. base authorities to investigate and try the murder case under the unjust U.S.-RP Military Bases Agreement. ("Marcos Puppet Administration," 1969, p. 9)
Ang Bayan’s international section was comprehensive during its first few years. Among its favorite subjects were developments in the Soviet Union, China, Vietnam, and Cuba. Developments in Marxist movements in various parts of the globe were also covered in the international section. The second issue of the publication featured 10 international news articles and occupied nine pages. The articles included, "Thai People’s Liberation Army Grows Rapidly," "Crisis for U.S. and British Imperialism in Malaya," and "Palestinian People’s Struggle Advances."
The documents section was reserved for important CPP documents and policy directives. Most of such documents are long and theoretical. Ang Bayan’s first issue included the first three parts of the document, "Rectify Errors, Rebuild the Party," which was ratified by members during the CPP reestablishment on December 26,1968. The 39-page document is believed to have been penned solely by Guerrero (1969). According to the Brief Review of the Communist Party of the Philippines, in 1964, Guerrero proposed a summary of the Party’s experience since 1930. He was eventually assigned by the PKP Executive Committee to write a general report, which he completed in 1966. However: Guerrero’s report was suppressed until Ang Bayan provided a platform for its dissemination. Guerrero criticized PKP’s ideological, political, organizational, and military errors and weaknesses.47 Plaridel • Vol. 12 No. 1 • February 2015
Guerrero (1969) first claimed that Mao Zedong’s thought, considered the purest application of Marxism-Leninism, serves as the supreme guide in analyzing and summarizing the experience of the CPP.
Next, Guerrero (1969) identified CPP’s urgent task: to analyze its experiences as a Party in order to draw revolutionary lessons, identify errors and weaknesses, and rectify them. Only then can the Party strengthen and rebuild a revolutionary party guided by Mao Zedong thought.
Finally, Guerrero (1969) provides a concise history of the PKP from its founding on November 7, 1930 until its demise in the 1960s. Barely two years after its founding, the PKP and its mass organizations were outlawed by the Supreme Court, which resulted in the arrest and detention of leaders and sympathizers. The PKP merged with the Socialist Party (SP) in 1938. They built a massive base among peasants and agricultural workers in Central Luzon. During the Japanese occupation, on March 29, 1942, the PKP established the Hukbong Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon [People’s Anti-Japanese Army] in Barrio San Lorenzo in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija. Betrayals and selfishness among key party leaders finally led to the collapse of the old CPP.
Sison was deeply involved in writing and editing news articles, essays, and editorials. He served as editor-in-chief of the political organ from 1969 to 1975. Despite his hectic schedule as chairperson of the revolutionary movement, Sison found time to write long articles and editorials.
As editor-in-chief, I could schedule my stay with the AB staff or be anywhere and send my pieces by courier to the staff of Ang Bayan which was usually in tandem with the Central Publishing House (CPH) of the CPP. My circumstances were varied from month to month and from year to year and my schedule was hectic most of the time (Sison, personal communication, April 7, 2015).
During its first few years, CPH printed 500 to 1,000 copies of Ang Bayan. CPH eventually reduced the print run when stencil master copies increased. These stencil copies were distributed to the regions and reproduced using V-type silkscreen. As the party grew, the number of Ang Bayan copies also increased significantly.
The cost of operating the revolutionary paper was very minimal. The CPP Central Committee allotted modest amount of funds for the editorial staff and the publishing house. Writers and volunteers did not received only a subsistence allowance. Other essential expenses included mimeographing 48 Tangi • People’s War, People’s Press
machine, paper stencils, ink, and rent of the production house unless this was provided by a comrade or ally.
Ang Bayan was distributed in various parts of the country using the CPP’s organizational structure. From the CPP Central Committee, copies were delivered to the CPP regional branches, in turn charged with distributing copies in the provincial level. "Party cadres gave copies by hand to key friends in the bourgeois opposition, universities, trade unions, government offices, professional groups, religious institutions and so on," Sison recalled (personal communication, April 7, 2015). Copies were also sent by Party members to their friends and relatives in the anti-Marcos struggle overseas. This explains how the only surviving copy of the maiden issue of Ang Bayan ended up at a university library in the United States.
Joma’s Journalistic Style
It is often said that the journalistic style and content of a newspaper reflects the personality of its editor-in-chief. Sison’s writing and editing style were apparent in the central organ. From 1969 to 1972, Ang Bayan was more theoretical than simply a vehicle to deliver news because it published theoretical articles and documents. News articles and analyses were also titillating and replete with politically loaded terms. An example is this news article on the military victory of the NPA:
"New People’s Army Scores Victories"
Every regular unit of the New People’s Army in its respective local area of operation in Tarlac, Zambales, Nueva Ecija and Pampanga scored victories during the period of June 25 to July 25, consisting of the annihilation of uniformed troopers, "Monkees" and informers in groups ranging from two to seven.
During the same period, local regular units of the New People’s Army eliminated four PC sergeants who had been acting as paymasters for informers at the barrio level and as extortion masterminds preying on the people in various occupations. In the course of its operations, the New People’s Army captured a large number of arms and ammunitions.
In Zambales, a jeep load of reactionary puppet troopers, including an informer, was annihilated. Refusing to admit publicly the rapid expansion of the New People’s Army, the 49 Plaridel • Vol. 12 No. 1 • February 2015
reactionary military authorities did not allow the publication of the incident in the bourgeois press. ("New People’s Army Scores Victories," 1969, p. 6. )
A news article in the third issue reports on a shooting incident where two US servicemen were killed and two others seriously wounded by NPA red fighters. The news article defied conventional rules in journalism. It also showed how an important story was suppressed by both local and US authorities. The article also reveals how the local press was used as an instrument to conceal the truth about the incident.
"New People’s Army Punishes U.S. Imperialists"
On July 4, the New People’s Army showed that U.S. military airmen could not just enjoy wine, women and song in Angeles without being punished for their crimes inside the U.S. military bases and for their wanton bombing raids on the Vietnamese people.
Despite the Saigon atmosphere in Angeles city, with the local puppet constabulary men and police tightly guarding the city especially its sin center in Balibago where U.S. airmen on R&R enjoy themselves at the expense of Filipino womanhood, the New People’s Army penetrated enemy lines and shot four U.S. servicemen, killing two and wounding another two seriously. "
The people’s armed unit that performed this patriotic task also managed to distribute leaflets with inscription, "37 Filipinos were murdered in U.S. military bases. From now on justice will be served" ("New People’s Army Punishes US Imperialists," 1969, p. 7 ).
Journalists write news reports using the inverted pyramid style where the most important details or the climax of the story are in the lead paragraph and succeeding paragraphs elaborate. Neither article cited above followed the inverted pyramid style. Journalists also follow a stylebook, a style guide to writing, spelling, and abbreviation. Neither article followed any stylebook. For instance, the New People’s Army can be spelled out on first mention but the abbreviation NPA can be used in subsequent mention. Journalists prefer short sentences and paragraphs in writing news stories. 50 Tangi • People’s War, People’s Press
The ideal length of a lead is between 20 to 30 words. The lead of the first article on NPA’s victory in Central Luzon contains 50 words, while the lead of the news article on NPA’s killing American troops contains 43 words. Journalists are required to get their information or data from reliable sources or official documents to ensure accuracy. Both articles only relied on secondary sources and on personal observation and opinion. There are no direct quotes from police investigators or public officials.
As part of ethics, journalists are required to provide facts when writing news articles. Reporters are discouraged from "editorializing" or interpreting events. This practice ensures fairness and objectivity. Both articles cited above defied this ethical consideration. The first article described PC sergeants eliminated as those "who had been acting as paymasters for informers" and as "extortion masterminds" ("New People’s Army Scores Victories," 1969, p. 6). The second article stated that the US servicemen were killed as punishment for their crimes inside the U.S. military bases and for bombing raids in Vietnam. Opinions about the PC sergeants and U.S. servicemen would have been removed during the editing process.
Under Sison, Ang Bayan emphasized international solidarity. Several articles and analyses on the Marxist movement worldwide were included. For instance, Ang Bayan released a special issue dated January 28,1973 to celebrate the end of the Vietnam War on January 27, 1973:
By virtue of their resolute revolutionary struggle, the Vietnamese people have effectively and victoriously asserted their right to self-determination. They have waged the most heroic battles and made the most astounding sacrifices in fighting for their noble cause of liberating the south, defending the north and reunifying their great Fatherland. ("Statement of the Communist Party of the Philippines on the Agreement Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam," 1973, p. 1)
Although Zumel, Sison’s successor, also included short news articles on international news, they were not as extensive and as numerous as those Sison published. Zumel focused instead on international events such as the assassination of Indira Gandhi on October 31,1984 ("Gandhi," 1984, p. 22); and the Union Carbide accident in Bhopal, India in December 1984 that killed 2,500 people and injured 125,000 ("India," 1984, p. 19).51 Plaridel • Vol. 12 No. 1 • February 2015
Martial law and the underground press
The declaration of Martial Law on September 21, 1972 dealt a major blow to the mainstream press and underground publication. Journalists and publishers were arrested following the declaration of Martial Law. Many journalists also joined the revolutionary movement. President Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 36 on November 2, 1972, which censored radio and telecommunication organizations, prohibited the creation of the Mass Media Council, and imposed new rules and regulations on the operation of mass media. Marcos justified the control by proclaiming that media "have been used for the conspiracy against the Government and have taken part in that conspiracy…by directly giving aid and comfort to the forces of insurgency and subversion seeking to overthrow the Government by organized violence" (P.D. No. 36, 1972).
Presidential Decree No. 140 issued on March 2,1973 had a more direct impact on the circulation of Ang Bayan. The decree required all owners or operators of photocopying machines and equipment to register with the Philippine Constabulary. Marcos justified the regulation on copying machines because it was used "for the production of subversive propaganda materials" (P.D. 140, 1973).
While Ang Bayan managed to produce special issues on Martial Law in October and November 1972, there were few issues of the revolutionary newspaper during the first years of the dictatorship. Members of the Executive Committee were involved in the revolutionary movement, so printing and circulating copies of the newspaper became difficult because of militarization. Since Ang Bayan was considered a "subversive document," mere possession could be used as damning evidence for conviction as a subversive. To avoid being caught, members buried their copies after reading. One former member said she hid her copies in the ceiling.
Sison’s arrest on November 9, 1977 was also a major development in the history of Ang Bayan. Sison was captured by combined forces of the military and then constabulary in Barrio Pagdalagan del Norte in San Fernando, La Union (Sison, personal communication April 7, 2015). He was in a transit house waiting for transport to another region when the raid occurred. The CPP founder was under maximum security detention and subject to various forms of physical and psychological torture until March 5, 1986 ("Interview with Com, Jose Maria Sison," 2000).
Sison recalled that his torturers tried to extract information from him regarding Ang Bayan: "The enemy tortured me but could not force me to reveal the location of the AB. Thus, the AB personnel and equipment were intact" (personal communication, April 7,2015), he said. In an interview with People’s March (2000), a publication by Indian revolutionaries, Sison 52 Tangi • People’s War, People’s Press
endured punches and water poured into his nostrils under the hands of the enemy. The worst psychological torture that he received was when he was chained to a cot in a small cell. He was in solitary confinement for five years. Since Antonio Zumel was editor-in-chief since 1976, Ang Bayan did not suffer any major setback following Sison’s arrest: "My detention did not adversely affect the publication of AB, except probably for a few months, when the AB had to adjust its personnel and situation" (personal communication, April 7, 2015), he said.
Period of Reform Under Zumel
In 1976, Sison ceded the editorship of Ang Bayan to Antonio Zumel, a veteran journalist and organizer. Although his work with Ang Bayan was greatly reduced with Zumel’s appointment, Sison continued to play a key role in the publication as its political director.
Zumel started as a copy boy for the Philippine Herald, eventually working his way up to sports edito