The Coalition Against the Marcos Dictatorship was a North America-based antiimperialist organization that was at the center of the international movement opposing the dictatorship of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos from the 1970s.

CAMD changed its name to Committee to Advance the Movement for Democracy and Independence (CAMDI) Its founders wrote: <blockquote>“[In] the struggle for national democracy in the Philippines,” the KDP must address the “exploitation and racist oppression of U.S. monopoly-capitalism” in America and in the Philippines.</blockquote>

In 1974, the KDP was among various anti-martial law groups to petition the U.S. Congress to stop support for Marcos. The campaign was followed by the first national anti-martial law conference in Chicago. The conference established the National Coordinating Committee of the Anti-Martial Movement, which later became the Anti-Martial Law Coalition (AMLC) in New York.</blockquote>

After Martial Law and Renaming

In 1981, after the formal proclamation of martial law was lifted, AMLC became the Coalition Against the Marcos Dictatorship (CAMD), and had identifiably become an anti-imperialist organization.

In 1983, CAMD merged with the Philippine Support Network to form CAMD/PSN, following a rift between former members of the Friends of the Filipino People (FFP).

<blockquote>Regularized activities like annual protests on the anniversary of martial law, Christmas caroling, community forums, annual conferences, and mass distribution of the Taliba newsletter kept the controversy over martial law alive in the Filipino community and general public during periods of low political activity (“ebbs”) around the Philippines. All KDP activists, regardless of their principal area of work (e.g., anti-racist, cultural, national staff, etc.), participated in some aspect of the martial law work. The consistency of the activities paid off when developments began to heighten in the Philippines during the early 1980s, accelerated by the assassination of Senator Benign0 (Ninoy) Aquino in August 1983, and erupting into the “people’s revolution” three years later. and protest rallies against the planned burial of Ferdinand Marcos at Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery) in Fort Bonifacio, Metro Manila, Philippines.

See also

  • Ruben Cusipag
  • Silme Domingo
  • Ging Hernandez
  • Fely Villasin

References