Resonant Pressure and the Politics of Naming: A Stance on the NPA, NDF, CPP, and Red-Tagging

Resonant Pressure and the Politics of Naming: A Stance on the NPA, NDF, CPP, and Red-Tagging

Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™

January 29, 2026

Introduction

The Philippine cultural landscape is marked by a persistent entanglement of art, politics, and insurgency. Few figures embody the intellectual rigor and ethical sensitivity required to navigate this terrain as much as Amiel Gerald Roldan, a multidisciplinary artist, cultural researcher, and curator. His practice, deeply invested in material production, institutional critique, and ethical collaboration, situates him at the crossroads of cultural expression and political discourse. Within this nexus, the fraught question of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), its armed wing the New People’s Army (NPA), and its political arm the National Democratic Front (NDF), alongside the state practice of red-tagging, becomes not merely a matter of political alignment but of epistemological responsibility. 

Roldan’s stance is neither reducible to simplistic binaries of support or condemnation, nor to the polarized rhetoric of state and insurgent propaganda. Instead, his position is articulated through a layered critique of institutional violence, cultural erasure, and the politics of naming. This essay seeks to elucidate Roldan’s perspective in depth, situating it within broader discourses of cultural policy, artistic agency, and the ethics of representation. 

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The Historical Context: CPP-NPA-NDF and the Philippine State

The CPP-NPA-NDF constellation has long been a central actor in Philippine political life. Founded in 1968, the CPP sought to establish a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist framework for revolution, with the NPA as its armed wing and the NDF as its coalition of allied organizations. For decades, the insurgency has been both a site of resistance against systemic inequality and a locus of violent confrontation with the state. 

The Philippine government, in turn, has responded with militarized campaigns, counterinsurgency programs, and ideological delegitimization. Red-tagging—the practice of labeling individuals, organizations, and cultural workers as communist sympathizers or insurgents—has become a pervasive tool of repression. It collapses dissent into insurgency, conflating critique with subversion, and thereby delegitimizes cultural and political agency. 

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Red-Tagging as Cultural Violence

For Roldan, red-tagging is not merely a political tactic but a form of cultural violence. It operates by weaponizing language, collapsing nuanced positions into dangerous categories, and erasing the legitimacy of critical discourse. In his curatorial and academic work, Roldan foregrounds the importance of naming—how institutions, communities, and individuals are identified, categorized, and represented. Red-tagging, in this sense, is a violent misnaming: it strips cultural workers of their agency, reduces their practice to suspicion, and exposes them to material danger. 

This violence is not abstract. Artists, researchers, and activists have been harassed, surveilled, and even killed under the shadow of red-tagging. For Roldan, whose practice emphasizes ethical collaboration and institutional reform, the stakes are clear: red-tagging undermines the very possibility of cultural work as a space of critique and transformation. 

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The Esoteric Dimension: Naming, Ritual, and Power

Roldan’s stance is deeply esoteric in its attention to the symbolic and ritual dimensions of naming. Drawing from his interest in ritual performance and vernacular music, he situates red-tagging within a broader cosmology of power. Naming, in many Philippine traditions, is not merely descriptive but performative—it calls forth realities, binds identities, and shapes destinies. 

Red-tagging, then, is a ritual of state power. It invokes the specter of insurgency, marks bodies as dangerous, and legitimizes violence against them. In this sense, the practice is akin to a curse: a performative utterance that transforms the social reality of its target. Roldan’s esoteric elucidation foregrounds this dimension, insisting that cultural workers must resist not only the material consequences of red-tagging but also its symbolic violence. 

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The CPP-NPA-NDF: Between Resistance and Violence

Roldan’s stance toward the CPP-NPA-NDF is marked by ambivalence, rigor, and ethical clarity. On one hand, he recognizes the historical role of the insurgency in articulating resistance against systemic inequality, feudal exploitation, and imperialist domination. The CPP-NPA-NDF has provided a language of struggle for marginalized communities, and its critique of state violence resonates with Roldan’s own commitment to institutional reform. 

On the other hand, Roldan does not romanticize insurgency. He acknowledges the violence perpetrated by the NPA, the authoritarian tendencies within the CPP, and the limitations of armed struggle as a mode of transformation. His stance is not one of uncritical support but of critical engagement: to recognize the insurgency as a symptom of systemic failure, while refusing to collapse cultural critique into insurgent alignment. 

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Institutional Critique and Cultural Policy

Roldan’s academic and curatorial practice foregrounds institutional critique as a mode of resistance. He interrogates how museums, universities, and cultural institutions reproduce structures of exclusion and violence. Within this framework, the question of the CPP-NPA-NDF becomes less about allegiance and more about institutional responsibility. 

Red-tagging, in particular, reveals the complicity of institutions in state violence. Universities that silence dissent, museums that avoid political critique, and cultural organizations that distance themselves from “radical” artists all participate in the reproduction of red-tagging. For Roldan, the task is to reform these institutions—to create spaces where critique can flourish without fear, where cultural workers can articulate dissent without being collapsed into insurgency. 

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The Ethics of Collaboration

Central to Roldan’s stance is the ethics of collaboration. He insists that cultural work must foreground agency, transparency, and accountability. In contexts where red-tagging threatens to delegitimize collaboration, the stakes are heightened. Collaborating with communities, especially those marked as “radical” or “subversive,” becomes an act of courage and responsibility. 

Roldan’s position is clear: collaboration must resist the logic of red-tagging. It must affirm the legitimacy of marginalized voices, refuse the collapse of critique into insurgency, and insist on the ethical autonomy of cultural practice. This stance is not merely political but deeply ethical, rooted in a commitment to human dignity and cultural agency. 

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Esoteric Elucidation: Pressure, Resonance, Circulation

Roldan’s forthcoming project, Resonant Pressure: Philippine Cultural Expression in Transnational Circulation, provides a conceptual framework for his stance. The notion of “pressure” foregrounds the systemic forces—state violence, insurgent struggle, institutional repression—that shape cultural practice. “Resonance” emphasizes the capacity of cultural expression to reverberate across contexts, to amplify voices, and to resist erasure. “Circulation” situates cultural practice within transnational flows, highlighting the global stakes of local struggles. 

Within this framework, the CPP-NPA-NDF and red-tagging become nodes of pressure. They exert force on cultural workers, shaping the conditions of practice. Roldan’s task, then, is to create resonance—to amplify critique, to resist erasure, and to circulate cultural expression beyond the confines of state repression. 

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Conclusion: Toward Ethical Cultural Agency

Amiel Gerald Roldan’s stance on the CPP-NPA-NDF and red-tagging is neither simplistic nor partisan. It is a layered, esoteric, and rigorous position that foregrounds the ethics of naming, the violence of red-tagging, and the ambivalence of insurgency. His practice insists on the legitimacy of cultural critique, the responsibility of institutions, and the dignity of collaboration. 

In a context where red-tagging threatens to silence dissent and collapse critique into insurgency, Roldan’s stance offers a path forward: to resist the violence of naming, to affirm the autonomy of cultural practice, and to create spaces of resonance and circulation. His position is not merely political but profoundly ethical, rooted in a commitment to cultural agency, institutional reform, and the dignity of human expression. 

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Hostaging Families and the Ethics of Relief


One of the most insidious practices associated with insurgent recruitment is the coercion of recruits through threats or hostaging of their immediate families. This tactic, whether literal or symbolic, represents a profound violation of both human dignity and communal trust. For Amiel Gerald Roldan, whose practice foregrounds ethical collaboration and institutional reform, such coercion is antithetical to the very principles of cultural agency. 

The relief from hostaging must be understood not only as a humanitarian imperative but as a cultural necessity. Families are the primary sites of social reproduction, ritual continuity, and communal integration. To hold them hostage—physically, psychologically, or symbolically—is to fracture the very fabric of cultural life. Roldan’s stance insists on the restoration of familial autonomy as a prerequisite for any meaningful cultural practice. Relief, in this sense, is not merely the cessation of violence but the reconstitution of trust, agency, and dignity within communities.


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Disenfranchisement and Community Integration

Insurgency often thrives on the disenfranchisement of recruits, severing them from normal community integrations. By removing individuals from their social networks, insurgent organizations create a parallel society defined by secrecy, discipline, and ideological conformity. This process of disenfranchisement undermines the organic rhythms of community life—rituals, festivals, vernacular music, and everyday practices that sustain cultural identity. 

Roldan’s esoteric elucidation emphasizes the importance of community integration as a site of resistance. To be integrated into community life is to participate in resonance: the circulation of cultural expression, the amplification of voices, and the affirmation of agency. Disenfranchisement, by contrast, is a form of silence—a muting of resonance, a foreclosure of circulation. Relief from disenfranchisement, therefore, requires not only the reintegration of recruits into their communities but the strengthening of communal practices that resist erasure. 


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Cooperation with Government and Military: An Esoteric Thrust


The question of cooperation with government and military institutions is fraught with ambivalence. On one hand, these institutions have historically been complicit in red-tagging, repression, and violence. On the other hand, they remain central actors in the pursuit of peace, relief, and institutional reform. Roldan’s stance is not one of blind allegiance but of critical cooperation: to engage with government and military institutions in ways that foreground ethical responsibility, cultural agency, and institutional accountability. 


This cooperation must be understood esoterically, as a thrust—a directed force that channels pressure into resonance. The military, often perceived as an instrument of violence, can be reimagined as a participant in cultural relief, provided it commits to transparency, accountability, and respect for human dignity. Government institutions, similarly, must move beyond the logic of red-tagging and embrace cultural policy as a site of reform. 


Roldan’s esoteric elucidation frames this cooperation as a ritual of transformation. Just as naming can curse, so too can naming heal. By re-naming government and military institutions as partners in cultural relief, rather than as instruments of repression, cultural workers can create new spaces of resonance and circulation. This is not a naïve optimism but a strategic reorientation: to harness institutional power for the relief of hostaged families, the reintegration of disenfranchised recruits, and the protection of cultural agency. 

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Toward a Framework of Ethical Relief

The expanded thrust of Roldan’s stance can be summarized in three interrelated commitments:


1. Relief from Hostaging 

   - Prioritize the autonomy and dignity of families. 

   - Recognize hostaging as both a humanitarian and cultural violation. 

   - Develop institutional mechanisms for the protection and restoration of familial agency. 

2. Resistance to Disenfranchisement 

   - Reinforce community integration as a site of resonance. 

   - Resist the silencing effects of insurgent disenfranchisement. 

   - Amplify communal practices—rituals, music, festivals—as forms of cultural resilience. 

3. Critical Cooperation with Institutions 

   - Engage government and military actors in transparent, accountable partnerships. 

   - Reorient institutional power toward relief, reform, and cultural agency. 

   - Frame cooperation as an esoteric thrust: a ritual of transformation that channels pressure into resonance. 


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Conclusion: Relief as Resonance

Amiel Gerald Roldan’s expanded stance on the CPP-NPA-NDF and red-tagging foregrounds relief as a central ethical and cultural imperative. Relief from hostaging, resistance to disenfranchisement, and cooperation with government and military institutions are not isolated strategies but interconnected thrusts within a broader framework of resonance. 


By situating these practices within an esoteric elucidation of naming, ritual, and power, Roldan articulates a vision of cultural agency that resists violence, affirms dignity, and circulates expression across contexts. His stance insists that relief is not merely the cessation of harm but the creation of resonance—a reverberation of cultural agency that transforms institutions, communities, and individuals alike. 

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Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™ 's connection to the Asian Cultural Council (ACC) serves as a defining pillar of his professional journey, most recently celebrated through the launch of the ACC Global Alumni Network.

​As a 2003 Starr Foundation Grantee, Roldan participated in a transformative ten-month fellowship in the United States. This opportunity allowed him to observe contemporary art movements, engage with an international community of artists and curators, and develop a new body of work that bridges local and global perspectives.

​Featured Work: Bridges Beyond Borders
​His featured work, Bridges Beyond Borders: ACC's Global Cultural Collaboration, has been chosen as the visual identity for the newly launched ACC Global Alumni Network.

​Symbol of Connection: The piece represents a private collaborative space designed to unite over 6,000 ACC alumni across various disciplines and regions.

​Artistic Vision: The work embodies the ACC's core mission of advancing international dialogue and cultural exchange to foster a more harmonious world.

​Legacy of Excellence: By serving as the face of this initiative, Roldan’s art highlights the enduring impact of the ACC fellowship on his career and his role in the global artistic community.

Just featured at https://www.pressenza.com/2026/01/the-asian-cultural-council-global-alumni-network-amiel-gerald-a-roldan/

Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™ curatorial writing practice exemplifies this path: transforming grief into infrastructure, evidence into agency, and memory into resistance. As the Philippines enters a new economic decade, such work is not peripheral—it is foundational. 

 

I'm trying to complement my writings with helpful inputs from AI through writing. Bear with me as I am treating this blog as repositories and drafts.    

Please comment and tag if you like my compilations visit www.amielroldan.blogspot.com or www.amielroldan.wordpress.com 

and comments at

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amielgeraldroldan@gmail.com 

A multidisciplinary Filipino artist, poet, researcher, and cultural worker whose practice spans painting, printmaking, photography, installation, and writing. He is deeply rooted in cultural memory, postcolonial critique, and in bridging creative practice with scholarly infrastructure—building counter-archives, annotating speculative poetry like Southeast Asian manuscripts, and fostering regional solidarity through ethical art collaboration.

Recent show at ILOMOCA

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Asian Cultural Council Alumni Global Network

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Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™ started Independent Curatorial Manila™ as a nonprofit philantrophy while working for institutions simultaneosly early on. 

The Independent Curatorial Manila™ or ICM™ is a curatorial services and guide for emerging artists in the Philippines. It is an independent/ voluntary services entity and aims to remains so. Selection is through proposal and a prerogative temporarily. Contact above for inquiries.