More than 400 internationals gathered in the Philippines today, coinciding with the 119th founding anniversary of the Katipunan, the movement against Spanish colonialism founded by the Father of Philippine Revolution, Andres Bonifacio.
On July 7, 1892, Bonifacio and patriots Emilio Jacinto, Ladislao Diwa and other Filipino workers formed the Kataas-taasang, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK) or the Katipunan, which led the widest, most organized, armed resistance in the Philippine Islands and ended the 400 year-Spanish rule.
The Fourth Assembly of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) became a virtual gathering of Andres Bonifacios and Katipuneros from 40 countries from Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, Canada, US, and Europe. The participants are internationalists, those activists who crossed the limited boundaries of patriotism, to link arms with the different struggles of peoples against exploitation and repression all over the world.
“The people united, can never be defeated!” rang out in English, Tagalog, Spanish, and other languages, depicting the multilingual character of the League, which is made up of at least 350 mass organizations united in the struggle against imperialism and for national and social liberation.
Amidst the worsening global crisis and poverty, the assembly took off on a positive note with the theme “Build a bright future! Mobilize people to resist exploitation and oppression amidst the protracted global depression, state terrorism and wars of aggression!”
“We have no time to lose,” said Malcom Guy, ILPS secretary general and activist filmmaker from Canada as he exhorted the delegates to expand and consolidate their activities.
He said that the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and other countries prove the “growing number of pro-people and anti-imperialist forces around the world whom the League must close ranks with.
“That is the only way we can counter the imperialist offensive and its immensely destructive ‘war of terror’ and criminalization of resistance,” Guy said.
On July 10, members of the ILPS will pay tribute to the founding chairperson of the League, Crispin Beltran, an internationalist and a great plebian of his time. -30- Angge Santos, ILPS
