Jose Maria Sison
Chairman
International Initiative Committee
International League of Peoples’ Struggle

March 22, 2001

I extend my warmest and most militant greetings to the College Editors Guild of the Philippines- National Capital Region on your 24th Regional Student Congress and Lunduyan 2001 to be held on March 22-26, 2001 in Baluarte, Vigan, Ilocos Sur. I wish you the utmost success in your working congress that aims to bring together about 400 campus journalists from about one hundred school publications and organizations in Metro Manila.

Your congress is being convened fresh from the Filipino peoples’ resounding victory in ousting the corrupt, gangster, incompetent and anti-people US-Estrada regime. It is therefore apt that your congress carries the theme: "Celebrate the victory of the people in ousting the Estrada regime! Consolidate our ranks and carry forward our struggle for justice and meaningful change!"

I wish to extend my special congratulations to the CEGP for the important role you played in the broad democratic movement to oust Estrada. You were instrumental in convening the Estrada Resign Youth Movement (ERYM) and Youth Movement for Justice and Meaningful Change (YMJC) and played a very important role in arousing and mobilizing tens of thousands of young people for the mass actions that eventually forced Estrada out of office.

In the process of ousting Estrada, you, together with the other progressive forces, gained in strength and valuable experience. You are now in a very good position to further expand and consolidate your ranks for the struggles ahead.

One more reactionary clique has been ousted from power. However, the reactionary ruling system of the big compradors and landlords remains intact. The revolutionary process is still going on and is on the road of protracted struggle until complete victory is won. The Filipino people must accomplish the necessary task of overthrowing the semicolonial and semifeudal ruling system, establishing a genuine people’s government of all democratic forces and carrying out national industrialization, land reform and other social reforms.

It is certain that the socioeconomic and political crisis of the ruling system will continue to worsen even after the ouster of Estrada. The crisis is not due simply to the corruption and repressiveness of the Estrada ruling clique. The crisis is due to the fundamentally oppressive and exploitative workings of the ruling system of big compradors and landlords who are servile to foreign monopoly capitalism.

The US-controlled ruling system of big compradors and landlords is rotten to the core. Neocolonialism, especially under the neoliberal terms of imperialist globalization, has aggravated and deepened the semicolonial and semifeudal conditions. It continues to inflict great suffering on the people and incite them to wage all forms of struggle.

As campus journalists, you are in a good position to expose the evils of the moribund ruling system and espouse the general line of the new-democratic revolution. You must develop close links with the masses and help amplify the demands of the people, especially the toiling masses of workers and peasants. You must be one with the progressive forces and people in the struggle for national liberation and democracy against foreign monopoly capitalism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism.

I am confident that you will reap greater victories in the future. I wish you all the success in your efforts to develop campus journalists who are socially aware, militant and committed to genuine social change. More power to you! #