As an Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) priest who should work on Sunday to exercise a ministry of prayer and communion with God and with IFI congregation has nothing to do but to obey the order to “stay at home.” This day is supposedly a special day of the Lord because it is the last Sunday in Lent and the 51st anniversary of the people’s army.
I really wanted to see the faces of the IFI members in the parish I am serving when I would wish to include in our prayer of supplication and thanksgiving for those who are fallen in the service of the revolutionary struggle. But I could not do it this Sunday.
Speaking of the martyrs of “people’s army,” I did not only think of the commanders and fighters of the New People’s Army but the army of the people for national independence since the outbreak of the 1896 Philippine revolution. The heroes, heroines and martyrs of the Filipinos who long for genuine independence in which the IFI has a continuing prayer: “Ama, sumilang nawa ang aming pagsasarili.”
I also think of the lives of state forces who have no record of human rights violations but had died fighting in the civil war because they had no choice but to obey the orders of their superiors and some of them are now controlling the Philippine republic enjoying of big salaries, hazard allowances and “donations” to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
We should thank God for the lives of the people who are offered in the name of independence, justice and lasting peace. I always cherish the contribution of the IFI first Obispo Maximo as the Vicar General Castrence of the Filipino Revolutionary Army against the US colonial forces from October 1898 to April 1901. He is the reason why the IFI cannot denounce “armed struggle”.
The late Obispo Maximo Alberto Ramento during the International Conference on Globalization in 1999 stood up when some of the participants wanted to include in the conference statement that the struggle against globalization would be through non-violence. Obispo Maximo Ramento informed the body that the IFI cannot support the proposal because the first Obispo Maximo of the IFI had participated in the armed struggle for national independence. His opinion was respected by the participants and the statement was approved without bias against the people who support the struggle in any form.
Today, March 29, I am thinking of a “people’s army” who is an instrument of the revolutionary organizations to seize a political power. I am reading an article of Prof. Jose Maria Sison released today, March 29, 2020, “The Key Role of the New People’s Army in the People’s Democratic Revolution”, that states: “The central task in any revolutionary struggle is the seizure of political power. The New People’s Army plays the key role in smashing and destroying the military and bureaucratic machinery of the counterrevolutionary state and enabling the people’s democratic revolution to arise.”
In the Philippines, where there are people who have no choice but to support the “armed struggle” because they have realized that election is not the answer at all of their problems and the chronic crises of the Philippine society, are the churches or church people can prevent the people? Is non-violence the main reason why the politicians or the rulers of this land abuse their powers, enjoy corruption and wield a fascist fist against the people? Do the leaders of the Philippine Churches that openly denounce “armed struggle” and exhort the people to take the non-violence struggle consider their stand amid these realities? Do the churches mend their divisions?
The IFI and other churches who cannot denounce “armed struggle” are always the lonely voice in the wilderness in propagating God’s message of justice and peace. Thus, they are always the target of red-tagging, vilification and discrimination.
Continuing the reading of Prof. Sison’s article, there is still hope of the Filipino people to unite even they would not directly participate in “armed struggle”. The article states: “We can expect that the broad masses of the Filipino people, the broad united front of patriotic and democratic forces and the armed revolutionary movement of the people will confront and fight more resolutely and more courageously than ever the escalating conditions of oppression and exploitation under the traitorous, tyrannical, genocidal, corrupt and mendacious Duterte regime as it aggravates the crisis of the semicolonial and semifeudal ruling system.”
The reasons for this expectation, among others, are:
- “We can be certain that the rapid worsening of the crises of the semicolonial and semifeudal ruling system and the world capitalist system inflict extremely intolerable suffering of the people and thus generate exceedingly favorable conditions for the rapid rise and advance of the people’s democratic revolution through protracted people’s war.”
- “The Filipino people and their revolutionary forces are more inspired than ever before as the crisis of the world capitalist system has worsened and US imperialism has declined from being the sole superpower to being one of the imperialist powers in the multipolar world. It is still the No. 1 imperialist power but is on a downward course in contrast to the economic and military rise of its chief rival China.”
- “The spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has aggravated the economic and financial crisis by compelling lockdowns, production breakdowns, mass unemployment, loss of incomes and extreme suffering for the jobless and homeless. It has exposed the lack of social protection and social services for the overwhelming majority of the people and the cruelty of the capitalist system, while the monopoly bourgeoisie that is merely one per cent of the population is being assured of financial bailouts and asset protection.”
- “The Duterte regime is preoccupied with grabbing more powers, applying repressive measures and looting the hundreds of billions of pesos that has been given by Congress to Duterte in violation of the 1987 Constitution which allows the president to reallocate savings but not the entire budgets of departments of the reactionary government.”
With this situation, most of the Philippine Churches are compelled to reconsider their position on non-violent struggle. I believe that an ecumenical movement in the Philippines along with the Roman Catholic Church’s 2020 declaration as year of Ecumenism will be given attention after this COVID-19 crisis. The Christian Churches should hear the cry of the people.
The Filipino people are the reasons of the Philippine Churches to exist. The Filipino people are also people of God. The Filipino people are also the reason of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.
