Wikipedia

Communist armed conflicts in the Philippines

The history of communist armed conflicts in the Philippines is closely related to the history of communism in the Philippines, with various armed conflict linked to the armed wings of the various communist organizations that have evolved since 1930. The two largest conflicts have been the Hukbalahap rebellion of 1942–1954, and the ongoing rebellion of the New People's Army, which began in 1969 under the auspices of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). But various splinter groups have since separated from the CPP and have had a history of armed conflict with the Philippine government since then.

The Hukbalahap rebellion was initiated by the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas of 1930 (PKP-1930) and its armed group the Hukbalahap[1]: 44  (HMB) (Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan, or "People's Liberation Army"). They went into decline in the early 1950s and was finally put down through a series of reforms and military victories which led to the 1954 surrender of its leader Luis Taruc.

The armed conflict of the New People's Army against the Philippine government can be traced back to March 29, 1969, when Jose Maria Sison's newly formed CPP entered an alliance with a small armed group led by Bernabe Buscayno. But the conflict was still in its infancy in 1972 when Ferdinand Marcos proclaimed Martial law. The declaration and the resulting human rights abuses led to the radicalization of even the moderate opposition against Marcos, significantly swelling the ranks of the New People's Army.[2]: "43" 

Major splits away from the Communist Party of the Philippines occurred in 1992 and 1996. A month after Marcos was ousted through the broad-based nonviolent People Power Revolution of February 1986, the unit led by Conrado Balweg formed a splinter group known as the Cordillera People's Liberation Army, whose conflict with the Philippine government formally ended with the closure of peace talks in 2011.[3] 1992 saw what the CPP refers to as the Second Great Rectification Movement, an effort whose stated intent was to "identify, repudiate and rectify the errors of urban insurrectionism, premature big formations of the New People's Army and anti-infiltration hysteria".[4] This resulted in the once monolithic Filipino communist party fragmenting into at least 13 factions during the 1990s,[5][6][7] the most notable being: the alliance that was the Revolutionary Workers' Party (RPM-P), the Revolutionary Proletarian Army (RPA), and the Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB); the Revolutionary People's Army – Mindanao (RPA-M), and the Rebolusyonaryong Hukbong Bayan (RHB, Revolutionary People's Army) of the Marxist-Leninist Party of the Philippines (MLPP).[6]

Hukbalahap rebellion (1942–1954)

edit
Main article: Hukbalahap rebellion

The Hukbalahap rebellion began in 1942 when the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas of 1930 (PKP-1930) formed an armed group called the Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon (People's Army against the Japanese) to fight against the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. At the end of the war in 1946, the PKP-1930 reconstituted the Hukbalahap as the Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan ("Peoples' Liberation Army"), transforming it into the party's armed wing. This conflict ended in 1954 under the presidency of Ramon Magsaysay.[1]: 44 

New People's Army rebellion (1969–present)

edit
Main article: New People's Army rebellion

The ongoing rebellion of the New People's Army began in 1969 under the auspices of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), which had been formed the previous year.

This conflict was still in its infancy in 1972 when Ferdinand Marcos proclaimed Martial law, but expanded significantly as even the moderate opposition against Marcos was radicalized.[2]: "43"  The Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP), then allied with Ferdinand Marcos, was responsible for killing more communists than the Marcos government itself due to a growing youth faction within the party called the Marxist-Leninist Group (MLG) opposing Marcos' imposition of martial law nationwide and attempting to splinter from the PKP.[8]

The CPP went through a series of setbacks and internal conflicts after the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, including the breaking away of the Cordillera People's Liberation Army of former priest Conrado Balweg. CPP co-founder Jose Maria Sison went into exile in the Netherlands in 1987 while Benito Tiamzon reportedly became the leader of the party upon successively acquiring the positions of chairman and secretary general in 1986 and 1987 respectively.[9]

In 1992 the CPP went through what it calls the Second Great Rectification Movement, whose stated intent was to "identify, repudiate and rectify the errors of urban insurrectionism, premature big formations of the New People's Army and anti-infiltration hysteria".[4] This resulted in the split of the party into "Re-affirmist" and "Rejectionist" groups, resulting in the formation of at least 13 factions during the 1990s.[5][6][7]

Cordillera People's Liberation Army conflict (February–September 1986)

edit
See also: Cordillera People's Liberation Army and Mount Data Peace Accord

A month after Marcos was ousted through the broad-based nonviolent People Power Revolution of February 1986, the unit led by former priest Conrado Balweg broke away from the New People's Army, accusing the latter of incompetence in pursuing its goals.[10] Balweg's splinter group became known as the Cordillera People's Liberation Army (CPLA). The formation of the CPLA also saw the merger of the Tingguian Liberation Force, a splinter group from NPA Abra to form the Cordillera organization.[10] Their stated goal was to fight for the self-determination of the people of Cordillera.[11]

The group began peace talks with the Philippine government later that year, and on September 13, 1986, the CPLA and the Government of the Philippines made a "sipat" (ceasefire) at Mt. Data Hotel, in Bauko, Mountain Province. The agreement between the two entities was called the 1986 Mount Data Peace Accord.[12][13] The conflict formally ended with the closure of peace talks in 2011.[3]

1992 re-affirmist/rejectionist split

edit
Main article: Second Great Rectification Movement

In 1992, main body of the CPP split into two factions: the reaffirmist faction led by Sison and the rejectionist faction which advocated the formation of larger military units and urban insurgencies. Several smaller factions emerged from the group,[6] the most notable being the RPM/P-RPA-ABB; the MLPP-RHB, and the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa Mindanao (Revolutionary Worker's Party - Mindanao - Revolutionary Peoples' Army, RWP-M/RPA, sometimes also RPA-M).[14]

The split resulted in a weakening of the CPP-NPA, but it gradually grew again after the breakdown of peace talks in 1999,[15] the unpopularity of the Estrada administration,[16] and because of social pressures arising from the Asian Financial Crisis that year.[17]

Revolutionary Proletarian Army – Alex Boncayao Brigade conflict (1996–2000)

edit
See also: Revolutionary Workers' Party (Philippines), Revolutionary Proletarian Army, and Alex Boncayao Brigade

Due to the ideological split known as the Second Great Rectification Movement, the Negros Regional Party Committee of the New People's Army broke away from the Communist Party of the Philippines in 1996 and formed the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawà ng Pilipinas ("Revolutionary Workers' Party of the Philippines"). It organized its military arm two months after the split, calling it the Revolutionary Proletarian Army.[18]

The Metro Manila-based urban assassination unit of the New People's Army, known as the Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB; also known as the Sparrow Unit),[19] also broke away from the New People's Army, and allied itself with the RPM-P and RPA in 1997.[20][21][22]

In 1999, the group began peace negotiations with the government, leading to a peace deal which was signed in 2000.[23]

Marxist–Leninist Party of the Philippines armed conflict (1998–present)

edit
Main article: Marxist–Leninist Party of the Philippines

In 1998, a group which operates mainly in Central Luzon broke away from the Communist Party of the Philippines, taking up a Marxist-Leninist ideology instead of the CPP's Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. This became the Marxist–Leninist Party of the Philippines which soon initiated conflict with the Philippine government through its armed wing, the Rebolusyonaryong Hukbong Bayan (RHB).[24]: 682 [25]

The conflict is still ongoing,[26][27][28] although incidents covered in the media focus more on incidents arising from the rivalry between RHB and NPA.[26]

Revolutionary Workers' Party in Mindanao (2000–ongoing peace talks)

edit
See also: Revolutionary Workers' Party (Philippines)

Breaking away from the Communist Party of the Philippines during the 1992 split, the group which called itself the CMR (Central Mindanao Region) Rejectionist Group initially joined other rejectionist factions from elsewhere in the country. During peace negotiations with the Estrada administration, however, they split from the other groups and formed the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa sa Mindanao (RPM-M, lit. Revolutionary Workers' Party in Mindanao). The group quietly began peace negotiations with the Philippine Government in 2003.[29]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Saulo, Alfredo (1990). Communism in the Philippines: An Introduction. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press. ISBN 971-550-403-5.
  2. ^ a b Kessler, Richard J. (1989). Rebellion and repression in the Philippines. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300044065. OCLC 19266663.
  3. ^ a b "Historical Background of Cordillera's Pursuit for Regional Development and Autonomy". Cordillera.gov.ph. March 1, 1991. Archived from the original on July 17, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Jalandoni, Luis G. (February 8, 2016). "The Revolutionary Struggle of the Filipino People". Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Pabico, Alecks P. (August 31, 2007). "The Great Left Divide". GMA News. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d "Armed Conflicts: Philippines-CPP/NPA (1969–2017)". Project Ploughshares. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Philippines' communist rebellion is Asia's longest-running insurgency". South China Morning Post. September 16, 2019. Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  8. ^ Harvard University Asia Center (September 24, 2022). The Imposition of Dictatorship:Fifty Years Since Marcos'Declaration of Martial Law in thePhilippines. Event occurs at 45:45. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "Tiamzon, moderate, UP scholar, still head of communist party". Manila Standard. Standard Publications, Inc. July 5, 1987. p. 2. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Dumlao, Artemio (31 January 2013). "Rebels still dream of Cordillera's autonomy". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  11. ^ "Former Cordillera Rebel Factions Reunited". Cordillera.gov.ph. Archived from the original on 2013-07-17. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
  12. ^ Virgilio M Gaje (2012-02-01). "[PIA News] CPLA commemorates Mount Data peace accord". Archives.pia.gov.ph. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
  13. ^ "Historical Background of Cordillera's Pursuit for Regional Development and Autonomy". Cordillera.gov.ph. 1991-03-01. Archived from the original on 2013-07-17. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
  14. ^ "PIA daily news in English, Tagalog, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Waray, Pangalatok from around the Philippines". Archived from the original on 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  15. ^ "TIMELINE: The peace talks between the government and the CPP-NPA-NDF, 1986 – present". 24 November 2017.
  16. ^ Romero, Paolo. "NPA-influenced barangays up during Estrada's term". The Philippine Star. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  17. ^ Romero, Paolo; Dumlao, Artemio (July 27, 2001). "NPA strength growing, MILF decreasing". The Philippine Star. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  18. ^ Peace Talk Philippines (November 28, 2012). "Peace Process with the Rebolusyarnong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas – Revolutionary Proletarian Army – Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPM-P/RPA/ABB)". PeaceGovPH. Archived from the original on 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  19. ^ Saracho, Joel (April 27, 1987). "The men they call Sparrows". Manila Standard. Standard Publications, Inc. p. 2. Retrieved November 26, 2020. ...[T]he Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB), the urban guerilla [sic] unit of the New People's Army that the military has labeled the Sparrow Unit.
  20. ^ Leifer, Michael (2013). Dictionary of the Modern Politics of Southeast Asia. Routledge. p. 51. ISBN 978-1135129453.
  21. ^ Leifer, Michael (May 13, 2013). Dictionary of the Modern Politics of Southeast Asia. Routledge. ISBN 9781135129453.
  22. ^ Peace Talk Philippines (28 November 2012). "Background of the GPH and RPMP/RPA/ABB Peace Process". Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  23. ^ "Peace adviser: Deal with RPA-ABB a good model for localized talks". The Philippine Star. March 27, 2019. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  24. ^ Schmid, Alex Peter (2011). The Routledge Handbook of Terrorism Research – Google Books. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780415411578. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  25. ^ "War with the NPA, war without end". Rappler.com. December 1, 2007. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  26. ^ a b (Philstar.com) (25 December 2000). "Two more killed in mounting NPA-RHB rivalry in Central Luzon". Philstar.com. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  27. ^ "Suspected RHB rebels fall in Pampanga checkpoint". GMA News Online. June 24, 2010. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  28. ^ Pabico, Alecks P. (August 31, 2007). "PCIJ: Flashback: The Great Left Divide". GMA News Online. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  29. ^ "GRP-RPM-M Peace Process".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Communist_armed_conflicts_in_the_Philippines&oldid=1250800215"