By: Dum Dew

In November 2010, the Military Commission of the Revolutionary Woprkers’ Party – Mindanao, Revolutionary Peoples’ Army called for a Military Conference. This resulted to the election of National Operational Command and the adoption of its basic documents affirming its orientation and principles for the masses. As part of its continuous capacitation of its ranks and cadres, a military training was resolved to be launched thru the Politico-Militar Academy..

The Politico-Militar Academy (PMA)
The PMA is a military and political machinery of the Revolutionary Peoples’ Army tasked to capacitate RPA military ranks, political cadres, and members in all necessary trainings, ideologically and militarily.

The planned military training was realized in the second year of 2011. A month-long military training was organized with more than a hundred military comrades from different guerrilla, partisan and military units participating at Camp Cielo, Mindanao.

Meanwhile, responding to the call of strengthening the peoples’ armed forces, the South Central Mindanao Region of the RPW-M and RPA base opened a similar PMA run by the Ancestral Domain Defense Unit (ADDU). The participants of the military training in this area comprised of Bangsamoro, Indigenous People and Migrant Settlers. The military exercise was also in response to the challenge of consolidating, expanding and strengthening the revolutionary military forces among tribes, communities and regions given the challenges posed by the time and objective conditions.

The ADDU-RPA Military Training
Following the success of the military training in Camp Cielo, the ADDU launched its military training at Camp Mingkugu, Mindanao. Trainees came from the different units of ADDU and RPA in South Central Mindanao. The training was not only limited to military orientation and actual combat exercises but as well as theoretical discussions. Prior to the start of the said military training was the formal opening of the Politico-Militar Academy – South Central Mindanao.

The success of the training was mainly attributed to the important role of the masses and local militia that helped in the security and preparations until the end of the exercise. During the discussions, crucial issues came up concerning local landlords, political dynasties and warlords that posed as constant threats to the ancestral domain claims of the Lumad and land security of the peasants. The security situation is also aggravated with the presence of bandits, ‘lost commands’ and other armed groups who loot the properties of the masses.
It ended with military honors and tribute to the graduates, attended by mass supporters and activists including comrades from different lines of work.
After the training were series of consolidation activities which saw more daring comrades joining the revolutionary forces in the regular guerrilla units and partisan and organizer operatives in the urban and rural areas in the Region.

The Ancestral Domain Defence Unit
The Ancestral Domain Defence Unit (ADDU) was founded from a bitter experience of the Indigenous People in Mindanao because of the oppressive assaults by the ruling elite of the society. Its historical existence is rooted tribal communities’ defence force against aggressors. This cultural practice existed even before the Sultanate System and Colonization era. Weapons used also evolved from bow, arrow and bolos to sophisticated ones in its struggle. During the Commonwealth period in 1900s, Indigenous Peoples in Mindanao fought thru the Alangkat Movement which aimed to protect their territories that were being included and or integrated to the Commonwealth government.

At present, even if many Lumad are already assimilated into into the mainstream and those who continue to live by their traditions, more Lumad still remain conscious and continued to fight for the protection and preservation of their ancestral domain and for social liberation in various arenas. This includes the revolutionary (underground) form, like ADDU that have continuously worked with the Revolutionary Workers’ Party- Mindanao – Revolutionary Peoples’ Army (RPM-M-RPA) for a more comprehensive and inclusive socialist revolutionary framework. ADDU knew that the prevailing ruling system is capitalist and there will never be a society of the oppressed peoples and class, unless they will work and contribute in the dismantling of that oppressive system.

ADDU consistently sow seeds to consistently advance the oppressed peoples struggles. It has to consolidate and strengthen its ranks, cadres and units politically, ideologically and militarily. In the Politico-Militar framework, a peoples’ army should be equipped with political and military capabilities and never prioritize the former or the latter. It is always a combination of both. Armed struggle, meanwhile, should complement with the other forms of struggle in the reform and revolution framework.