Much of the KDP's work was centered around opposing martial law and the Marcos government. The KDP identified with the National Democratic Movement and
New People's Army led by the
Communist Party of the Philippines and was critical of
Ninoy Aquino,
Raul Manglapus, and other moderate political opponents of Marcos. Later, however, the KDP cut ties with the CPP due to disagreements over organizing the Filipino community in the United States, Corazon Aquino's run for president, and the Khmer Rouge. The KDP grew to have chapters in ten US cities, and the Seattle chapter quickly became the largest and most diverse in the country. The KDP also published a monthly national newspaper,
Ang Katipunan. KDP members organized anti-Marcos rallies and educational events, fought against gentrification and racial discrimination, and were involved in the majority Filipino cannery workers union (
ILWU Local 37). The KDP was closely connected with left-wing activists in the Philippines who would regularly travel to the United States, and KDP members would also visit the Philippines and deliver money to anti-Marcos groups. Silme Domingo and
Gene Viernes, another member of the KDP and Local 37, introduced a resolution at the 1981 ILWU convention for the union to conduct an investigation of the labor movement in the Philippines. It is widely believed by many who were associated with them at the time that this action drew special attention towards them by the Marcos regime. and
Gene Viernes listed among other martyrs on the
Bantayog ng mga Bayani Wall of Remembrance in
Quezon City In June 1981, Silme Domingo and Viernes were murdered in their union hall in Seattle a month after the passage of the ILWU resolution. Viernes had recently implemented a new dispatch system based solely on seniority, replacing the old system based on bribery. The murders were committed by a group of Tulisan gang members and were made to appear as a dispute over dispatch. Family and friends formed the Committee for Justice for Domingo and Viernes (CJDV), and the murders became a central focus of many KDP leaders in the following years. After a years-long investigation and lawsuit, the CJDV proved that the murders were linked to the Marcos and paid for by his administration. The KDP disbanded in 1986 after the People Power Revolution ended the Marcos dictatorship. == Notable members ==