Kabataang Makabayan

 

Kabataang Makabayan

PHOTO DU JOUR

A muni bus shelter displaying the letters “K M” at night.  KM stands for Kabataang Makabayan or patriotic youth in tagalog.

The History of KM

The Kabataang Makabayan (KM) which was founded on November 30, 1964, arouses, organizes and mobilizes a wide section of the youth and students sector for the revolutionary cause. A major contribution of the KM is its relentless disposition of its members in the countryside to help build organs of political power and conduct important revolutionary work. It is constantly engaged in building and consolidating revolutionary chapters in schools and communities. 

KM was driven underground by the Marcos dictatorship under his decree of martial law to maintain the bourgeoisie rule at a time when workers and peasants were organizing for their basic rights.  KM, which is composed mainly of youth and students was declared illegal.  Those who were caught in KM were tortured and those who were suspected were accused of being enemies to the state.  Families and friends were threatened to any members known or suspected to be in KM.  A dark period had blanketed the Philippines in Marcos’ reign of terror.  With the leadership of KM, many students were able to mobilize with the broad masses to bring Marcos’ terror to an end.  People Power I will forever be remembered.  Today, President GMA,  is targeting legal mass organizations and labeling them terrorists without justification.  Her attempts to silence the masses is a slap in the face to human rights. The  jailing, kidnapping, extrajudicial killings of progressive lawyers, teachers, mass leaders, vocal women and students, unions, workers and peasants, as will as church leaders will continue to be documented, ridiculed, and condemned by the people.

The real heroes of the people have been fighting for their rights.  The real terrorist of the people have been silencing them.  

Kabataang Makabayan, in its historic role as the vanguard organization of Filipino youth, should know the balance of forces between imperialism and feudalism on the one hand and national democracy on the other. On the side of U.S. imperialism are the compradors and the big landlords. On the side of national democracy are the broad masses of our people, composed of the working class and the peasantry to which the vast majority of the Filipino youth today belong; the petty bourgeoisie, composed of small property-owners, students, intellectuals and professionals; and the national bourgeoisie, composed of Filipino entrepreneurs and trade

From the present scheme of social classes, we can derive a new and powerful combination of youth-the students, young professionals, labor youth and the peasant youth. Above all, the Filipino youth should integrate themselves with the masses in order to achieve victory in the fight for national freedom and democracy.

Kabataang Makabayan, as the vanguard organization of the Filipino youth, should assist in the achievement of an invincible unity of all national classes and forces to push further the struggle for national and social liberation in all fields-economic, political, cultural, military-against the leading enemy, U.S. imperialism, and against the persistent and pervasive main enemy, landlordism. Both have frustrated the national democratic aspirations of the Philippine revolution of 1896 and have made the suffering and exploitation of our people more complex and more severe.

KM is part of the legacy of Bonifacio, a true revolutionary of the Filipino people.  I can only hope that more students take a stand and not sit on the fence any longer.  In order for that to happen, we must equip ourselves with the knowledge.  We must Continue to read and study; continue to mobilize and make it known we do not stand for exploitation; and continue to organize because without organizations we are weak and powerless.  

Kabataang Makabayan!  Lumalaban! (patirotic youth, Fight!)

Kabataang Lumalaban!  Makabayan! ( Youth Fight!, Patriotic)