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Philippine Society and Revolution
"Integrating Marxist-Leninist theory with Philippine practice is a two-way process. We do not merely take advantage of the victories achieved abroad so that we may succeed in our own revolution. But we also hope to add our own victory to those of others and make some worthwhile contribution to the advancement of Marxism-Leninism and the world proletarian revolution so that in the end mankind will be freed from the scourge of imperialism and enter the era of communism."
"The basic principles and historical lessons already founded in the universal theory of the revolutionary proletariat have been paid for in blood by various peoples triumphant in their respective revolutions. But as far as carrying out and winning our own people's war is concerned, there is nothing more important than those principles and lessons that we learn on the basis of Philippine conditions and our own we put the highest premium on those principles and lessons paid for in blood by our own people."
"The basic principles and historical lessons already founded in the universal theory of the revolutionary proletariat have been paid for in blood by various peoples triumphant in their respective revolutions. But as far as carrying out and winning our own people's war is concerned, there is nothing more important than those principles and lessons that we learn on the basis of Philippine conditions and our own we put the highest premium on those principles and lessons paid for in blood by our own people."
175 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 16, 2017
The only book that I truly memorized from repetitive use for its practical import. This is a blend of the lucid and the poetic. Perfect if not for the rather lengthy enumeration of pre-1970s reactionary laws and treaties that makes the book less emphatic. It is at once epic (in its grand narrative of Philippine history), encyclopedic (in its description of the Filipino people’s basic problems), and prophetic (in its call for a national democratic revolution with a socialist perspective).
July 8, 2011
Akalain mong me PSR sa Goodreads. Ano bang magandang rating dito? Liked it o it was amazing? Sige na nga, it was amazing na lang dahil binago ng librong ito ang buhay ko at ng buhay ng marami sa mga taong importante at naging importante sa akin.
5 stars sa iyo Amado Guerrero!
5 stars sa iyo Amado Guerrero!
July 10, 2016
A glimpse of consolidation of Socialism and Communism likewise Marxism-Leninism- Maoism to Philippine setting . It is arguably revolutionary like Andres and among others has a Socialist perspective. It tackles history, imperialism and social structure.
The revolution continues ?
The revolution continues ?
January 3, 2018
This person would like to convey that the underlying message of this work, a seminal venture for its time and our time is still the bedrock of the continuous analysis of the Philippine society from the perspective of an internationalist branch of socialism. It perhaps embodies the aspirations of its ideology embedded throughout the text; that the feudal, imperialist and colonial institutions have formed an unholy alliance to deprive the majority of the people their basic decency to live, to thrive and to exist.
However, this author disagrees on what is to be done. Granted, one may concede the notion that the Revolution is to be best achieved through a protracted struggle across the countryside. But the transformation of the Filipino society from the 1990's onwards due to the specks of globalization and the collapse of the Leninist states made the struggle an auxiliary rather than a primary approach. The base of power has shifted from the country to the city, and once again, the banners of a successful socialist uprising is to be taken to the streets rather than the rice fields. Ergo, the urban struggle must become a paramount concern if one wishes for the uprising and the movement to gain traction, with energies directed against the core and its vassals.
Furthermore, it has a generalistic view of Philippine history, but this person does not blame the author for such a generalization. After all, the purpose of the text is to serve as a pamphlet and a synthesis of the recurrent dilemmas engulfing the body politic, the social structure and the cultural sphere. But the point still stands that a new approach is needed, that the people's war has served its purpose. To fight in the decadent cities is the fight that one must commit for the sake of the future.
However, this author disagrees on what is to be done. Granted, one may concede the notion that the Revolution is to be best achieved through a protracted struggle across the countryside. But the transformation of the Filipino society from the 1990's onwards due to the specks of globalization and the collapse of the Leninist states made the struggle an auxiliary rather than a primary approach. The base of power has shifted from the country to the city, and once again, the banners of a successful socialist uprising is to be taken to the streets rather than the rice fields. Ergo, the urban struggle must become a paramount concern if one wishes for the uprising and the movement to gain traction, with energies directed against the core and its vassals.
Furthermore, it has a generalistic view of Philippine history, but this person does not blame the author for such a generalization. After all, the purpose of the text is to serve as a pamphlet and a synthesis of the recurrent dilemmas engulfing the body politic, the social structure and the cultural sphere. But the point still stands that a new approach is needed, that the people's war has served its purpose. To fight in the decadent cities is the fight that one must commit for the sake of the future.
June 5, 2021
“Whoever sides with the revolutionary people is a revolutionary. Whoever sides with imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism is a counterrevolutionary. Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in words only but acts otherwise is a revolutionary in speech. Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in deed as well as in word is a revolutionary in the full sense.” — Mao Tse-Tung
Bilang isang aktibista galing sa League of Filipino Students, napaka importante na mabasa ko itong libro para mas mapalawak at mapalalim pa ang aking kaalam. Malaking tulong din ito sa pagiging instructor ko sa educational discussions.
Sana mabasa ito ng lahat ng Pilipino.
Bilang isang aktibista galing sa League of Filipino Students, napaka importante na mabasa ko itong libro para mas mapalawak at mapalalim pa ang aking kaalam. Malaking tulong din ito sa pagiging instructor ko sa educational discussions.
Sana mabasa ito ng lahat ng Pilipino.
February 21, 2022
essential read to understand the history of the Filipino people and the importance of a people's democratic revolution through protracted people's war against a semi-colonial and semi-feudal ruling system
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December 4, 2025Important text that serves as the basis for the Philippine National Democratic Movement. It gives a broad view of the forces of feudalism, imperialism and bureaucrat-capitalism that have shaped the Philippines through its history and uses that as a basis to argue the case for a people's revolution.
December 10, 2024
A masterpiece! Wish I read it sooner.
November 17, 2022
I attended an Anakbayan PSR session online earlier this year, but joined in the last of its four sessions which was on the revolutionary history of the Philippines. I've since joined another ND org and have been attending PSR sessions which have been really interesting. I decided to read the original text on which PSR curricula are largely based upon. It’s a classic text written under one of Jose Maria Sison’s pen names, Amado Guerrero and its contents are the basis of most introductory ND org educational programs.
It gives a great overview of Philippine History (precolonial, colonial, and the semi-colonial ‘puppet regimes’ that followed), specifies the three basic problems of the Filipino People, provides a class analysis of Philippine society, lays out the Communist Party’s revolutionary strategy and tactics, and enumerates tasks in various fields for people who want to participate in the struggle for national democracy.
If you want a Marxist history of a really important country in Southeast Asia, this is a really great text to work through. The history of various mutinies and revolutions including the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 (involving Fathers Burgos, Gomez, and Zamora was fascinating), the Propaganda Movement (involving Rizal whom I know mostly from the writings of Benedict Anderson), the Revolution of 1896, the fierce guerrilla resistance of the people of Mindanao in the early 20th century against US colonial rule (including “Hassan uprising of 1903-1904; Usap rebellion of 1905; Pala revolt of 1905; Bud Dajo uprising of 1906; Bud Bagsak battle of 1913 and many others”), large International Workers’ Day strikes and mass actions in the 1920s, early communist organizing with the PKP in the 1930s with Crisanto Evangelista, and so on.
I’m not a Maoist, but ND orgs work with various groups on the left and are really great at building popular fronts. They are particularly eager to work with faith groups which is something I personally appreciate a lot, and I think it is an uncommon alliance that is of tremendous interest to me. I’m involved with the SCM Canada and it’s always amazing to me to see how militant the SCM Philippines is and how openly it supports the struggle for national democracy and socialism there.
This doesn’t get discussed in the original text, but the fourth Anakbayan PSR session goes into some of the front organizations of the national democratic movement including Christians for National Liberation and Liga ng Agham para sa Bayan (LAB, League of Scientists for the People). I have also since found a similar org called Agham (Advocates of Science and Technology for the People) which I’d like to read more about some time. Anyway, lots of Bayan orgs run PSR educational sessions throughout the year, and if it’s something of interest you should check them out. Or if you want to listen to the PSR audiobook FLP has a free audiobook of the text in a collected volume of Sison’s writings (it’s the first text in the volume).
It gives a great overview of Philippine History (precolonial, colonial, and the semi-colonial ‘puppet regimes’ that followed), specifies the three basic problems of the Filipino People, provides a class analysis of Philippine society, lays out the Communist Party’s revolutionary strategy and tactics, and enumerates tasks in various fields for people who want to participate in the struggle for national democracy.
If you want a Marxist history of a really important country in Southeast Asia, this is a really great text to work through. The history of various mutinies and revolutions including the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 (involving Fathers Burgos, Gomez, and Zamora was fascinating), the Propaganda Movement (involving Rizal whom I know mostly from the writings of Benedict Anderson), the Revolution of 1896, the fierce guerrilla resistance of the people of Mindanao in the early 20th century against US colonial rule (including “Hassan uprising of 1903-1904; Usap rebellion of 1905; Pala revolt of 1905; Bud Dajo uprising of 1906; Bud Bagsak battle of 1913 and many others”), large International Workers’ Day strikes and mass actions in the 1920s, early communist organizing with the PKP in the 1930s with Crisanto Evangelista, and so on.
I’m not a Maoist, but ND orgs work with various groups on the left and are really great at building popular fronts. They are particularly eager to work with faith groups which is something I personally appreciate a lot, and I think it is an uncommon alliance that is of tremendous interest to me. I’m involved with the SCM Canada and it’s always amazing to me to see how militant the SCM Philippines is and how openly it supports the struggle for national democracy and socialism there.
This doesn’t get discussed in the original text, but the fourth Anakbayan PSR session goes into some of the front organizations of the national democratic movement including Christians for National Liberation and Liga ng Agham para sa Bayan (LAB, League of Scientists for the People). I have also since found a similar org called Agham (Advocates of Science and Technology for the People) which I’d like to read more about some time. Anyway, lots of Bayan orgs run PSR educational sessions throughout the year, and if it’s something of interest you should check them out. Or if you want to listen to the PSR audiobook FLP has a free audiobook of the text in a collected volume of Sison’s writings (it’s the first text in the volume).
July 2, 2021
I swear it took me years to read and re-read the first 20 pages, I was just not interested in reading the book, even knowing it’s highly influential. I’ve heard presentations on PSR numerous times and maybe that’s why it took me so long to get into the book. But I finally sat down and read the whole thing in just a few days. The breakdown of history and three root problems is informative, however chapter three was the most engaging for me. It gave more clarity for class analysis and I could imagine how these concepts translate across movements. I like how it parallels rural versus urban and how they intermingle, and how clearly it lays out the objectives. I can see how this text shapes the filipino movement today.
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January 13, 2022This book has had a huge influence on the way I think. It transformed my lens of approaching things. The book answers the question: Why do Filipinos remain poor despite the Philippines being rich? What is the root cause of this problem? How can we solve it? It reviews our history and analyzes the current status of our society through the lens of the oppressed. It tells us that we, the people oppressed by the system, are the creators of our own history and that we can change the material conditions of the Ph through building class consciousness and collective action. SOLID!! The revolution continues.
September 29, 2025
“If the natural wealth of the Philippines were to be tapped and developed by the Filipino people themselves for their own benefit, it would be more than enough to sustain a population that is several times bigger than the present one.”
The Filipinos and Mexicans have two enemies in common: Spanish colonialism and U.S. imperialism. The Spaniards employed the encomienda system against the indigenous people of the Philippines and precolonial Mexico. Both countries were colonized by Spain and both are fighting U.S. multinational corporations. Both had Spanish friars burn and destroy indigenous cultural and sacred artifacts. Indigenous people of both countries revolted.
The Philippines is made up of 7,641 islands, categorized into three main island groups: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The geographic position of the Philippines next to China makes it a strategic location for U.S. imperialist interest, military aggression and intervention; therefore the U.S. has multiple military bases around the islands, protecting U.S. foreign investments.
Spanish colonial rule is discussed as well as the Philippine Revolution of 1896, the Philippine-American War, U.S. colonial rule, Japanese imperialism, the influence of the Chinese Revolution, and the different puppet regimes leading up to the Marcos regime.
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) employs a Marxist-Leninst-Maoist outlook to analyze their conditions. They’ve broke down their society by class structure and identified friends and enemies of the revolution. The peasantry are 75% of the population, therefore, they are the main force of revolution. The working-class is identified as the leading force, with the petit bourgeoise as the swing force. The national and the comprador bourgeoise are identified as enemies of revolution and collaborators of U.S. imperialism.
The Philippines is a semi-colonial, semi-feudal ruling system. The U.S. forced the Philippines to become an export-oriented, import-dependent economy. The CPP identifies three basic problems of the Filipino people: U.S. imperialism, bureaucrat capitalism and feudalism.
The basic character of the Philippine revolution is a national-democratic revolution. National revolution through Philippine sovereignty and independence against U.S. imperialism and a democratic revolution to uphold democratic rights and the interests of the majority. The end goal is socialism with state power in the hands of the working-class. This book is a call to coordinated revolutionary struggle in the countryside and the city.
“The Filipino people are literally in a large prison surrounded by strategically located US land, air and naval bases.”
The Filipinos and Mexicans have two enemies in common: Spanish colonialism and U.S. imperialism. The Spaniards employed the encomienda system against the indigenous people of the Philippines and precolonial Mexico. Both countries were colonized by Spain and both are fighting U.S. multinational corporations. Both had Spanish friars burn and destroy indigenous cultural and sacred artifacts. Indigenous people of both countries revolted.
The Philippines is made up of 7,641 islands, categorized into three main island groups: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The geographic position of the Philippines next to China makes it a strategic location for U.S. imperialist interest, military aggression and intervention; therefore the U.S. has multiple military bases around the islands, protecting U.S. foreign investments.
Spanish colonial rule is discussed as well as the Philippine Revolution of 1896, the Philippine-American War, U.S. colonial rule, Japanese imperialism, the influence of the Chinese Revolution, and the different puppet regimes leading up to the Marcos regime.
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) employs a Marxist-Leninst-Maoist outlook to analyze their conditions. They’ve broke down their society by class structure and identified friends and enemies of the revolution. The peasantry are 75% of the population, therefore, they are the main force of revolution. The working-class is identified as the leading force, with the petit bourgeoise as the swing force. The national and the comprador bourgeoise are identified as enemies of revolution and collaborators of U.S. imperialism.
The Philippines is a semi-colonial, semi-feudal ruling system. The U.S. forced the Philippines to become an export-oriented, import-dependent economy. The CPP identifies three basic problems of the Filipino people: U.S. imperialism, bureaucrat capitalism and feudalism.
The basic character of the Philippine revolution is a national-democratic revolution. National revolution through Philippine sovereignty and independence against U.S. imperialism and a democratic revolution to uphold democratic rights and the interests of the majority. The end goal is socialism with state power in the hands of the working-class. This book is a call to coordinated revolutionary struggle in the countryside and the city.
“The Filipino people are literally in a large prison surrounded by strategically located US land, air and naval bases.”
October 30, 2021
Matagal nang naisulat ang librong ito pero nakakamanghang isipin na ilang dekada ang nakalilipas, nananatiling angkop at napapanahon ang nilalaman nito.
5 stars dahil binago ng librong ito ang pagtingin ko sa lipunan. Nailinaw rin sa librong ito ang kawastuhan ng paghahangad ng pagbabago at pagtahak sa rebolusyon.
5 stars dahil binago ng librong ito ang pagtingin ko sa lipunan. Nailinaw rin sa librong ito ang kawastuhan ng paghahangad ng pagbabago at pagtahak sa rebolusyon.
November 18, 2025
The book shows us a glimpse of Philippine society from a socialist perspective. Written in the 1970s, everything written here are still applicable to the current social and economic conditions in the Philippines. The issues of feudalism, imperialism, and bureaucrat capitalism as well as class exploitation and the suppression of the people's democratic rights still persist to this day.
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August 23, 2019Very concise (but why did he make a different definition of bureaucratic capitalism from Mao's?).
July 9, 2021
SOLID TO. BAGUHIN NATIN ANG FUCKING MKMP NA LIPUNANG TO
November 15, 2021
Nganong dili ingon ani ang pagtudlo sa kasaysayan sa eskwelahan?
January 4, 2024
great book
March 20, 2024
a must read for every filipino
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December 24, 2025Free my people
EVERYONE GET RADICALIZED NOW! THE FUTURE IS RED
EVERYONE GET RADICALIZED NOW! THE FUTURE IS RED
April 18, 2023
A good Marxist-Leninist-Maoist analysis of the Philippines tracing how the colonial history of the Philippines has led to the problems of its people today as well the steps needed to be taken for a people's democratic revolution
I thought the sections on Marxist analysis of class in the Philippines were particularly good including the role of the national bourgeoisie and petty bouregoisie in the periphery vis-a-vis the imperial core
However certain parts of the book were certainly dated, such as the portrayal of the waves of migration theory as the founding myth of the peopling of the Philippines and the author's particular use of the example of China and Albania as succesful socialist revolutions and paths to follow, and the divergence in outcomes that has followed since the book's time of writing has not aged well
I thought the sections on Marxist analysis of class in the Philippines were particularly good including the role of the national bourgeoisie and petty bouregoisie in the periphery vis-a-vis the imperial core
However certain parts of the book were certainly dated, such as the portrayal of the waves of migration theory as the founding myth of the peopling of the Philippines and the author's particular use of the example of China and Albania as succesful socialist revolutions and paths to follow, and the divergence in outcomes that has followed since the book's time of writing has not aged well
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November 22, 2025again , not something you can really just "rate". I read this and finished a course relating to it earlier this year. It is both a history and an analysis of the Philippines and the basic problems the peoples of the Philippines face day to day. it is the crucial back bone to understanding material condition in the Philippines. Crucial to understanding American driven imperialism in the Philippines (as well as the global south) and will build upon one's own knowledge of Imperialism, Bureaucrat Capitalism and Feudalism / semi-feudalism.
Written under a pen name here. Joma does a great job with his explanations for folks who have prior knowledge and those who have none.
Written under a pen name here. Joma does a great job with his explanations for folks who have prior knowledge and those who have none.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews