The League of Filipino Students ( fil, Kapisanan ng mga Pilipinong Mag-Aaral}, abbreviated as LFS) is a student-led
national democratic mass organization and movement organized during the
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
era in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
on September 11, 1977. It claims to be the leading anti-imperialist organization of the Filipino youth, under the ideological line of
national democracy National Democracy may refer to:
* National Democracy (Czech Republic)
* National Democracy (Italy)
* National Democracy (Philippines)
* National Democracy (Poland)
* National Democracy (Spain)
See also
* Civic nationalism, a general concept
* ...
. It is part of the broader movement known as Bagong Alyansang Makabayan.
Brief History
The League of Filipino Students started on September 11, 1977, as an alliance against tuition fee increases and school repression during the
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Marti ...
era.
During the Marcos regime, students were principal protesters against the government.
While the League focused on broad and unifying issues, including the restoration of student councils and governments in the Philippines, it has directed its attack against the government with the use of student protests, strikes, and mobilizations.
The assassination of
Benigno Aquino Jr.
Benigno "Ninoy" Simeon Aquino Jr., (; November 27, 1932 – August 21, 1983) was a Filipino politician who served as a senator of the Philippines (1967–1972) and governor of the province of Tarlac. Aquino was the husband of Corazon Aqui ...
in 1983, the
Marcos' government became vulnerable and the organization sets off a nationwide student mobilization. They have participated in protests against the government and have joined street demonstrations with workers which shifted the group into student radicalism. They became the principal actors in the removal of
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
from power.
Ideology
The League of Filipino Students ascribes to the
national democracy movement (locally known as ND), a Filipino left-wing alliance of various
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
,
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
, and
Marxist-Leninist-Maoist organizations that opposes foreign imperialism, landlordism, monopolistic capitalism, and corrupt government officials.
It is a youth activist group that primarily organizes among the anti-imperialist line. It opposes the existence of the Philippines as a
neocolony of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. The League synthesizes that the roots of poverty in the Philippines at the present are caused by the continuous presence of American power in the country.
References
{{reflist
Further reading
Brief History of the CPP Movement in the Philippine Student Sector 1976-1977 Part 3Political Activism: An International Reference Handbook
History of the Philippines (1965–1986)
Activism in the Philippines
Student organizations in the Philippines
National Democracy Movement (Philippines)
Students' unions in the Philippines