Kabataang Makabayan (KM)...

Chapter 21– Kabataang Makabayan (KM), Organized & Started the Struggle for National Democracy in Iloilo and Panay

The Kabataang Makabayan (KM), the student movement that rocked Iloilo and Panay in 1972 until 1987, started in 1969 with some 12 atudents from a college and a universities of Iloilo City. The liberation ferment started softly with flickering embers, grew steadily with flares and flames that touched and moved the poor people to Panay to participate in the revolutionary struggle..

Alberto Espinas was the missionary of this liberation movement in Iloilo City. He came from Lyceum of the Philippines in Manila, a product of what was known, the First Quarter Storms of Philippine Revolutions. With 8 of his friends, they organized the Iloilo chapter of Kabataang Makabayan. Bert Espinas came to Iloilo as Joven Defensor. That was his new name. His nom-de- guerre.

Bert Espinas recruited Fluelyn Ortigas and Rolly Lorca for KM -Iloilo. Flu Ortigas, on the other hand, recruited his younger brother Virgil Ortigas and Vic Beloria. Rolly Lorca recruited Francis Monfort, Eddie Carilimdiliman and VSC. They continued their Discussion Groups (DG) and made studies on the arts and technics in organizing and mobilizations of students. They studied histories. They studied the revolutionary movements in the country and other parts of the world. They studied the lives of revolutionaries. They studied the ideas of Mao Zedong, from a small booklet knowin known as Mao Zedong Thoughts.

They organized the first Kabataang Makabayan (KM) chapter in Iloilo. The organizational meeting was held at the home of Flu Ortigas, at the front of CPU. Flu Ortigas presided the organizational meeting. Flu’s parents, Rev. Restituto Ortigas and Mrs. Felisberta Ortigas, were Baptist Minister of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churcches.

Elected first KM officers were Alberto Espinas, President; Josil Jaen, Vice President; Virgil Ortigas, Chairman Education.

Members were Fluelyn Ortigas, Rolly Lorca, Francis Monfort, Eddie Carilimdiliman, Vic Beloria.

Soon, other members came - Norman Cabangal, Romie Deprado, Boy Estandarte, Pablito Araneta, Tomas Dominado, Alex Gonzales, Fabie Fernandez, Elmer Unsay, Gregorio Castigador, Ferdie Arceo and Jim Geduspan.

There were 4 ladies who were members of CPU KM chapter, shortly after the organizational meeting. Three of the lady KM members were from Davao City and 1 from Iloilo. We’re trying to recall their names.

The first KM members guided Kabataang Makabayan, as it organized chapters in Central Philippine Unversity, University of San Agustin, University of the Philippines –Iloilo, Iloilo City Colleges, Visayan Central Colleges and other colleges, including girls exclusive schools.

After they have organized the chapters in Iloilo City, they moved forward and organized KM chapters in colleges, high schools and communities in towns in Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique and Guimaras.

Earlier, KM chapters were organized in universities, colleges and communities if Bacolod City. And softly, it reached out to colleges and high schools and communiteis in the towns of Negros Occidental.

In 1972, before President Marcos declared Martial Law, KM and its allied associations has organized chapters in nearly 25% of the barangays in Panay.

When President Marcos was overthrown in 1986, KM, SDK, CPP and NDFP with their allied associations has chapters in some 60% barangays in Iloilo and Panay.

When martial law was declared, the first who were arrested in Iloilo and Panay were KM and SDK members, student activists, militant farmers and workers, some pastors and urban poors. Commander Walingwaling, the veteran of the HUKs and People’s Liberation Army of the 50’ and 60’s was arrested. The Pastor of Katipunan Baptist Church in Katipanan, Tapaz, Rev. Dianala, at 70 years old, was also arrested. They were detained for months at the military stockade of Camp Delgado in Iloilo City.

A big military Stockade was built in several rooms at Camp Delgado for those who were detained.

KM was declared an illegal organizations. From their groups, cadres of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) were organized. They were the vanguards for the revolutionary movement in Iloilo and Panay.They resisted the martial law regimes. They stood and fought with the people of Panay in the hard struggle for the liberation of the poor and struggling masses.

The revolutionary spirit instilled deep on KM members hearts, steeled them to resist martial rule for decades, until President Marcos was toppled from power and exciled to Hawaii.

During the first ^t three months after the declaration of martial law, 10 KM members and activist were killed. They were the first victim’s for President Marcos martial rule. Killed by military operatives in Bingawan, Iloilo, few months after martial law was declared were Alex Gonzales, UP-Los Banos, Fabie Fernandez, Central Philippine University, Elmer Unsay, Univesity of San Agustin, and student Gregorio Castigador.

Few months after the Bingawan incident, student activists and KM members were killed by military operatives in Antique. They were Virgil Ortigas, CPU, Eddie Legislador, USA, Alberto Espinas, Lyceum of the Philippines, Vicente Biloria, CPU and Jim Geduspan.

Many KM members died fighting for the liberation of the masses. A big number of them were imprisoned by the martial law regimes and succeeding regimes. Others, in their old age, continue to different battle fronts. And those who have gift for singing struggle songs, again sung their songs while in the hills. In the old age today, they sung their today, whenever there were opportunities to sing these again.

Other KM members joined labor and farmers unions. Some joined professional groups– physicians, lawyers, nurses, professors, engineers and other professionals. Some joined poltical parties. Some priests, pastors and nuns served in the united fronts.

They participated in the hard and long struggle. They were mostly unknown. And they remained unknown until today. But soon, their lives and struggles will be written. They will write it themselves. They will tell the stories of their lives and their struggles. They will tell the stories of their failures and successes. They will share the pains and laughters of their past. They will tell us their defeats and victories, their loses and gains. They will share their faith, hopes and dreams to the young and coming generations. They will tell the simple stories of their lives, and like the living stories of the Bible, it will live for years and years, if not forever.

In 1971, to help the workers’ education works, PANELFU opened “People to Peoples Program” at Station DYRI. I was assigned Anchorman and news commentator. By that time, PANELFU has some 350 village chapters in Panay. We reached out to them through “People to People's Program”. We were heard daily, 7 days a week at 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM.

And many years later, in the 90’s, I started a religious radio program, a social, economic, political and Biblical reflections, a radio ministry that lasted for 24 years until 2006, at DYFM and DYRI in Iloilo City.

I spoke once a week reaching out to the people. We also reached out on the Air, some NPA and CPP in the hills. We shared the simple messages of God’s Love, that saves, redeem and liberates us from the forces that enslaved and buried the poor in poverty. And some listened to our message. For Jesus Christ’s social, economic, political and revolutionary perspectives was similar, in not the same, with the communists in different lands. Jesus fought and condemned the oligarchs of his time. He condemned the elites of his generations. But he was a friend of all the poor and struggling masses..

Last week, April 22, 2017, I met Caster, a former NPA commander. He is a farmer. He fought for years when martial law was declared. There were times, when he and his group were building guerrilla zones in the mountain boundaries of Iloilo Capiz, Aklan and Antique. It was a lonely place to live. But it was also dangerous, for often military operations were in nearby areas. .

They were building their camp with small huts, these were their sanctuary against the rains and coldness of the nights. For a short moment, he shared his life in the hinterlands. “It was hard. It was lonely. It was always dark. We could see only little lights at noon, when noontime lights penetrate heavy leaves and foliage of “lunok” trees that covered the skies.” He said, he continued with his group fighting the cause of the liberation.

He said me, he remembered me. Rather, he knew me. For he always listened at “Hour of Discovery”, our radio ministry. For “Hour of Discovery” was designed to study biblical, social, historical and political realities of our time. It was a radio program that spoke softly and clearly the evils of the elites, and super rich, that owned and controlled for themselves, the lands that God has intended for all people to use for their living. Feudalism and oligarchy were evels that buried the masses of our people in deep poverty and hopeless lives.

The KM movement was a phenomenon in the history of students organizations. I think, one of the reasons was the inspiration and guidance given by the great revolutionary in Asia, Chairman Mao Zedong. The power of his thoughts touching the minds and hearts of the youth.

The small booklet, with quotes from the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party become a powerful force in the re-education of the youths in the late 1960’s to 1972’s. It has transformed KM members to cadres and missionaries for social transformation, exposing and fighting the three evils of Philippine society. The small booklet was known “Mao Zedong Thoughts.”

While working with PANELFU in 1971, Bert Espinas and Josil Jaen and some KM members visited, stayed and discussed relations with Coronacion Chiva (Commander Walingwaling) and her husband Federico Togonon (Commander Guevara), in Alibunan, Calinog. Coronacion Chiva was Chairperson of PANELFU in Calinog. And Federico. Togonon was Chairman of PANELFU in Central Panay. The two, has very strong influences with the fighters of HUKs and the People’s Liberation Army in the 50’s and 60’s.

That meeting and the decision made was very important and strategic. It unified the forces of the old revolutionary fighteers of the HUKS & HMB with youth of Kabataang Makabayan. This two forces, helped greatly in strengthening the CPP, NPA and NDF in Panay

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Last February 11, 2017, several KM members attended the ”10 Reunion of FQS Hidlawanay –WV “ in Iloilo City. There I met nearly a hundred Kabataan Makabayan veterans. Most of them were now old. They were retired. They were veterans of the struggles. There knees were weak. Many have myopic visions. But their hearts were still aflame. There hopes and dreams for a liberated country remained strong in there hearts.

The KM of West Visayas, veterans of the 1^st Quarters Storms came all the way from different parts of the country. Some came from the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, Asia, the Middle East. Most of them have been imprisoned for years, fighting for their beliefs and dreams. Some called for the continuation of the Peace Talks now going on in Neitherland. Some calls for the continuation of the People’s War until victory is finally won. In 1986, when President Marcos was thrown out of power and exciled to Hawaii by the US, The painful record of Marcos martial law victims and atrocities in the Philippines were recorded for posterity to remember. 3,257 were killed. (400 of these were from Panay).

35,000 tortured.

70,000 imprisoned.

The revolutionary movement has become a powerful force that now challenged the government of the Philippines.

The National Democratic Front, in its peak in the mid-1980’s “commanded 35,000 Party members, 60 guerilla fronts, two battalions and 37 company formations and foisted ideological and organizational hegemony in the progressive politics during the Marcos dictatorship.” It was said, that this time, the Democratic Front has chapters in some 60% of barangays/villages in Panay.

In Iloilo City, the NPA partisans were operating in different villages. In the outskirt of Iloilo City -- in the towns of Leganes, Pavia, San Miguel. Zarraga and Sta. Barbara, the NPA and the partisants were strengthening the organizations. The same were happening in Capz, Aklan and Antique. The possible victory can be seen at a distance, as the revolutionary movement moved on to a possible stalemate.

But soon a crack developed in the once united movement. The national democratic movement had devided – re-affirmists that support Joma Sisons positions and the rejectionists block that was opposing Sison’s position. This devided the movement. But it moved on, even it was quite broken and splintered in several pieces.