^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Communist Party of the Philippines

Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas

collected by Zach Harden, 5 March 2001

Background information
Flag of the CPP
Flag of the NPA
Flag of the NDF
Variant flags

Background information

A Marxist-Leninist-Maoist armed group, the CPP was founded on 26 December 1968 by Jose Maria Sison, still its head. The CPP armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA), was founded on 29 March 1969. The CPP political branch is the National Democratic Front (NDF) founded on 24 April 1973. The CPP and NPA were involved in armed actions against the government of the Philippines. On 6 September 2007, President of the Republic Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo signed the amnesty proclamation for members of the CPP, NPA, NDF and other Communist groups.

After articles published in the Filipino information website "Inquirer.net":
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20071226-108822/Joma_Sison_recalls_birth_of_CPP_in_Alaminos
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=87233

Ivan Sache, 31 May 2008

Flag of the CPP

The FOTW website shows three red flags with hammer-and-sickle, the third of them with three yellow stars also found in the symbolics of the NDF and NPA flag (and in the Philippines national flag). The third flag seems to be more "specific" of the CPP than the two "generic" Communist flags. I have not been able to find anything else on the flag of the CPP.

Ivan Sache, 31 May 2008

Flag of the NPA

The flag of the NPA is shown in the image gallery on the party website: http://www.philippinerevolution.net/gallery/lawakpiks.shtml, on the two following photographs: http://www.philippinerevolution.net/gallery/images/h.hbandila.min.2003.jpg, http://www.philippinerevolution.net/gallery/images/KaOris.presscon.min.2003.jpg.

The flag of NPA is red with the NPA emblem in the middle. The NPA emblem is a white triangle with a black border and a golden star in each corner; the triangle is charged with a spear and a machine gun. However, the emblem of the NPA is shown in other sections of the website as a red triangle: http://www.philippinerevolution.net/cgi-bin/npa/pwb.pl

I understand that the triangle was made white on the flag for a better contrast and visibility of the stars, spear and machine gun.

An article published in "The Christian Monitor", 7 September 2005, shows a photograph of a NPA flag with a red triangle and NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY in white letters, below the triangle. The font used seems to be specific of the CPP and its organizations (see below the NDF flag). The photograph was taken during a demonstration, while the aforementioned photographs were taken in NPA camps. I guess that the name of the organization was added "for the benefit" of the general public.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1207/p04s01-woap.html

Ivan Sache, 31 May 2008

Flag of the NDF

The flag of the NDF is prescribed in the Constitution of the NDF, as follows:
"Section 1. The official name of the alliance is National Democratic Front - Philippines (NDF) or Pambansang Demokratikong Prente ng Pilipinas (PDPP). "Philippines" or "Pilipinas" may be dropped only if the context in which the name is used is clear.

Section 2. The emblem of the NDF is a white equilateral triangle with a gold star at each corner and the gold initials of the NDF at the center circumscribed by a blue circular band on which the name National Democratic Front - Philippines is written.

Section 3. The flag of the NDF is divided into two fields, red on top and blue on the bottom. Superimposed at the center is a white equilateral triangle with a gold star at each corner and the gold initials of the NDF at the center. The NDF flag expresses continuity of the revolutionary traditions which gave birth to the Philippine national flag."

http://ndfp.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=31

The flag of the NDF is shown in the photo gallery on the party website:
http://www.philippinerevolution.net/gallery/lawakpiks.shtml,
on the three following photographs:
http://www.philippinerevolution.net/gallery/images/h.ndfflag.min.2003.jpg
http://www.philippinerevolution.net/gallery/images/uf.midya1.min.2003.jpg
http://www.philippinerevolution.net/gallery/images/h.tableau2.min.2002.jpg

The lettering is particularly visible on the last photograph, which also shows a red flag with a yellow emblem, seemingly related to NPA rather than to NDF.

Ivan Sache, 31 May 2008

Variant flags

collected by Dov Gutterman, 24 January 1999

From http://www.philippinerevolution.net/

collected by Zach Harden, 5 March 2001

These flags were seen in an Associated Press photo of funeral, draped over a coffin.
Zach Harden, 5 March 2001