FORMER high-ranking officials of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDF) have spoken out against the youth organization, Anakbayan, disputing its recent claims that it has no affiliation with the underground communist movement.
This comes after a June 14, 2025, article by SunStar Davao stating that the CPP and its “allied group” Anakbayan-Southern Mindanao Region (SMR) have denounced Davao City First District Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte’s remarks against the NPA.
The groups accused the lawmaker of launching a propaganda campaign to distort historical narratives and shift blame for decades of violence and impunity to the Duterte family.
In response, Anakbayan-SMR issued a statement on June 15 expressing alarm over the article’s headline, calling it “misleading” and accusing the media outlet of endangering its members by falsely linking the group to the CPP. The group insisted it is a legal, national-democratic organization that operates independently.
However, two former high-ranking officials of the communist group, both of whom were once part of the Marxism-Leninism-Maoism revolution, countered the organization’s denials with firsthand accounts.
‘Anakbayan is part of CPP’s united front strategy’
Arian Jane Ramos, also known by her former nom de guerre “Ka Marikit,” said her entry into the CPP’s armed revolution was through a legal mass organization, specifically, Gabriela Youth at the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao.
At the time, she said, she believed she was merely joining a group advocating for women’s rights and youth empowerment. But over time, her involvement deepened, and she was eventually inducted into the NPA as secretary of Guerrilla Front 55 under the Southern Mindanao Regional Command.
Now the president of Kalinaw Southeastern Mindanao and a peace advocate, Ramos said Anakbayan cannot truthfully claim to be unaffiliated with the CPP when both its structure and ideological output align almost perfectly with what the underground movement calls its “legal democratic front.”
She explained that in CPP-NPA-NDF documents, Anakbayan is consistently categorized as part of the National Democratic Front’s legal infrastructure.
“While Anakbayan-SMR claims that such association is ‘misleading and red-tagging’, a closer examination of public records, organizational behavior, and ideological alignment reveals that the concern is not baseless nor malicious — it is rooted in facts, not fear-mongering,” Ramos said.
The second-year law student also emphasized that being legally registered does not shield a group from accountability if it promotes a revolutionary agenda. She added that Anakbayan’s consistent use of socialist rhetoric phrases is not incidental but reflective of a deep alignment with CPP doctrine.
Moreover, Ramos defended SunStar Davao’s coverage, noting that citing public records and known ideological ties does not qualify as red-tagging, especially when the Supreme Court (SC) has made a clear distinction between vilification and factual reporting. She referenced the landmark “Deduro v. Gen. Vinoya” ruling, in which the High Court stated that accurate, verifiable associations do not amount to unlawful red-tagging.
“Anakbayan-SMR's appeal to journalism ethics falls flat when one considers their demand to take down an article that merely reported a public official's statement and the response of various sectors. Journalism is not a one-way platform for groups to dictate their narrative; it is a space for truth-telling — even when that truth is uncomfortable,” she warned.
“Lastly, Anakbayan ends their letter by affirming that ‘activism is not a crime’ and ‘resistance is justified.’ I agree — activism, in its purest form, is a cornerstone of democracy. However, when activism becomes a conduit for underground recruitment into armed rebellion, it ceases to be civic engagement and becomes part of a larger insurgent machinery,” Ramos emphasized.
Anakbayan’s denial is dishonest and harmful
Similarly, Jam Saguino, who once served as Anakbayan’s National vice-chairperson for Mindanao, called Anakbayan’s statement hypocritical and dishonest. Now a staunch critic of the CPP-NPA, Saguino said she was once deeply embedded in the same structure that Anakbayan now denies being a part of.
She revealed that during her years in the organization, many student activists were systematically funneled into underground revolutionary work.
According to her, Anakbayan acts as a critical pipeline for recruitment into the CPP-NPA, especially among idealistic and disillusioned youth.
She criticized the group’s June 14 statement for pretending to be “shocked” at being associated with the CPP despite consistently using its language, supporting its causes, and maintaining silence on NPA-perpetrated atrocities.
“You use the same talking points the CPP has used for decades — “semi-feudal”, “imperialist”, “national-democratic struggle.” That’s not accidental. That’s the framework you push in every forum, every “ED,” every rally,” Jam said.
“You plant the line, then act shocked when people connect the dots? You say it’s all legal. But that’s the point: you operate legally so the underground can operate freely. You say you don’t recruit for the armed struggle. But how many of your members suddenly vanish from school, only to turn up in NPA casualty lists? How many stories like that before you stop pretending?” she added, emphasizing that the group’s failure to speak out on NPA attacks, especially those targeting farmers, Lumads, and government troops, undermines its claim to be a legitimate civic organization.
Anakbayan denies links to CPP, calls article “dangerous”
Anakbayan-SMR, in its statement, affirmed that it is not and has never been part of the CPP or NPA. The group highlighted its two-decade-long track record as a legal youth organization advocating for reforms in education, land distribution, labor rights, and national sovereignty.
It also accused SunStar Davao of irresponsible journalism, saying the newspaper endangered its members by publishing a “reckless and misleading” headline.
“The recent statement is a clear manifestation of the infestation of red tagging to the minds of every individual. Associating our organization as an “allied group” of the CPP is a form of red tagging – a malicious association of individuals and groups with communist organizations. Anakbayan is consistent in fighting against all forms of misinformation and red tagging. Anakbayan believes that this alarming headline is a clear manifestation of the editor's mind drowned by red tagging propaganda by the reactionary state,” the statement read.
The group also cited jurisprudence from “Deduro v. Vinoya” to argue that any baseless labeling of legal organizations as terrorist-affiliated is unconstitutional and life-threatening. It emphasized that being vocal on national issues such as military abuses or government neglect should not be misconstrued as support for armed rebellion.
Anakbayan demanded the removal of the article and called on the media to “be more discerning in reporting narratives that align too closely with state propaganda.”
“The recent statement is unethical in nature. It defies the core principles of journalism. Let us be reminded of the Society of Professional Journalism code of ethics that ‘Journalists should maintain their independence from outside influences, including political, commercial, or personal interests’ and other parallel principles to maintain impartiality and accuracy of news articles,” the group added.
Moreover, SunStar Davao, in response, updated its article and omitted the part linking the group to the CPP.
Former officers identify nabbed NPA leader as former Anakbayan secretary general
Meanwhile, authorities previously announced the arrest of eight suspected NPA members in Southern Mindanao. Among them was Charisse Bernadine Bañez, who reportedly operated under an alias, “Nikki.”
According to Jam, Bañez known by her peers as “Chaba”, once served as national secretary general of Anakbayan and later became national chairperson of the League of Filipino Students (LFS). Saguino recalled that she had been a prominent figure in the youth activist community before allegedly going underground.
“Chaba attended the 6th National Congress of Anakbayan in April 2009 and was elected as the organization’s national secretary general,” Saguino shared.
“The last time I saw her was in January 2015 at the KM@50 cultural event in UP Diliman. By then, she was already leading the LFS.”
By 2017, Saguino said he began hearing reports that Bañez had joined the NPA full-time as a political officer in Southern Mindanao. “She was assigned to Guerrilla Front 56 in Bukidnon, while I was with GF20 in Compostela Valley. Stories about her circulated among comrades — how she became a political instructor and eventually a political officer,” he added. “Another bright student leader lost to armed struggle — something I’ve witnessed again and again.”
In early June, a joint military and police operation dismantled the last known elements of the NPA’s Jaguar Platoon in Southern Mindanao, with simultaneous raids in Barangay Bunawan Brooke and Purok 2, San Teodoro, Bunawan.
Several key members of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC) were arrested, including Bañez, identified by the 10th Infantry Division as the platoon secretary. Her capture has reignited debate over the controversial shift of student activists into armed insurgency, now at the center of public discourse between former rebels and progressive youth groups.
CPP-NPA documents confirm strategic use of legal fronts
In an article published by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in early January 2025, titled “Sa Bunganga Nahuhuli ang Isda," the agency stated that CPP’s official publication, “Ang Bayan”, has long credited legal organizations like Gabriela, Anakbayan, Bayan, and Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) for advancing its revolutionary agenda. Its December 7, 2016 issue described these groups as key in mobilizing mass support for the CPP’s political goals.
During the 2017 peace talks, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) officially named Bayan, Anakbayan, and the League of Filipino Students (LFS) as sectoral representatives within its allied network.
A June 12, 2021 NDFP statement reaffirmed their role, calling them legal organizations that “advance the people’s struggle” while operating within legal bounds.
CPP founder, late Jose Maria Sison, also acknowledged this alignment. In a 1992 interview, he described these groups as "legal democratic forces" integral to the CPP-NPA-NDF cause. In 2009, on Kabataang Makabayan’s 45th anniversary, Sison emphasized that KM’s legacy lived on through these organizations.
In December 2017, then-President Rodrigo Duterte issued a proclamation labeling the CPP and its armed wing, the NPA, as terrorist organizations under national laws. However, Philippine courts have yet to issue a formal legal designation. Internationally, the United States (2002) and European Union (2005) have recognized the CPP-NPA as foreign terrorist groups.
A call to recognize truth and uphold press freedom
As tensions continue to rise, former rebels like Ramos and Saguino say they are prepared to testify publicly and present documentary evidence to prove that Anakbayan and other legal fronts are part of a well-orchestrated strategy by the CPP.
“Thank you, SunStar Davao, for standing firm,” Ramos said, further stating that the truth is not red-tagging but rather an accountability, to stop romanticizing activism trying to serve as camouflage for insurgency.
Both former rebels assert that this is not about silencing dissent, but about safeguarding truth and protecting the next generation from being misled into a violent struggle masked as civic engagement.
Anakbayan and its ties to Kabataang Makabayan (KM)
In light of Proclamation No. 404, which offers amnesty to former members of CPP-NPA-NDF, and their so-called front groups, discussions have resurfaced regarding the legal and political classification of organizations like Anakbayan.
Although Anakbayan and other national democratic mass organizations (NDMOs) have never been declared as terrorist groups by Philippine courts, the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 has the authority to label individuals or entities as terrorists. This administrative designation does not require a court ruling and has been reaffirmed through various ATC resolutions, most recently as of April 2024.
Despite this, legal distinctions remain important: only the judiciary can convict an individual of terrorism, and the courts have not recognized Anakbayan as part of the CPP-NPA. Nonetheless, the organization’s ideological roots and political alignment continue to draw scrutiny from the state and the public.
A key historical document highlighting Anakbayan’s ideological lineage is a message from Jose Maria Sison, founder of the CPP, addressed to the group during its founding congress in November 1998.
In his letter titled “Message to the National Conference of Anak ng Bayan,” Sison extended his “warmest greetings of solidarity” and urged the organization to continue the legacy of Kabataang Makabayan (KM), a youth formation he also founded in the 1960s. He emphasized the vital role of youth in advancing the national democratic movement, calling on Anakbayan to organize among workers, peasants, students, and the urban poor.
The NDFP, widely considered the political wing of the CPP-NPA, has publicly identified its underground member organizations (UGMOs), which include Kabataang Makabayan (KM). These underground groups typically work in tandem with aboveground, legal mass organizations known as NDMOs, which share similar goals but operate publicly within legal frameworks.
Within this structure, Anakbayan is often described as an open, legal counterpart of Kabataang Makabayan, inheriting both its ideology and its organizing traditions, particularly among Filipino youth.
Anakbayan was officially established on November 30, 1998 during Bonifacio Day to symbolize its revolutionary commitment. It brings together young Filipinos aged 13 to 35, including students, workers, and out-of-school youth, under a shared goal of achieving genuine national democracy. The group believes that the country remains under semi-colonial and semi-feudal conditions, and that true freedom and democracy can only be realized through systemic change.
One of the enduring quotes embraced by Anakbayan is a line from Jose Maria Sison’s 1968 speech, Youth on the March: “Only through militant struggle can the best in youth emerge.”
Today, Anakbayan maintains international affiliations. It is a member of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS), an international alliance of progressive, anti-imperialist movements. The ILPS, also established by Sison in 2001, seeks to unify global campaigns against imperialism and neoliberal exploitation.