Documentary on the Philippines Peoples War

 

The Philippines has a history few would envy. Colonised by the Spanish, then the Americans whom fought an extremely brutal counter insurgency campaign to keep the native population from establishing independent states on the Islands rather then become incorporated into the USA. Estimates of Filipino civilian dead run as high as 1.5 Million and one General Jacob H. Smith issued the order to "Kill everyone over ten". The destruction of homes and settlements suspected of harbouring insurgents was also a common tactic. 

After that bloody episode the Americans left to be replaced by the Japanese, whom somehow despite publicly professing to be building an Asian "CO-Prosperity" alliance managed to treat non Japanese Asians so bad that most Nationalist Guerilla's (Like Ho Chi Minh in Indo-China) ended up allying with the remnants of there American and European oppressors. Then the Americans come back, but after 1945 formal Empires were no longer in style, and its hard to claim with a straight face to be defending the freedom of the globe from Red Tyranny whilst still directly subjugating land masses (apparently Puerto Rico doesn't count). 

Yes the treaty of Manila (1946) gave the Pinoy's and Moro's what they wanted (officially) formal independence. Of course like most Third World former colonies that had there freedom "generously" given to them from there oppressors it wasn't long before they were ensnared in a web of subservience via one sided trade agreements, close relationships between governments, military aide and good old fashioned corruption at the top of the Public and Private sector. The government of Philippines has been consistently two things, Pro-Washington, and corrupt. The last President Arroyo along with many high ranking staff she appointed has been found guilty of corruption. Understandably the ordinary citizens aren't to happy with these events and with the "Democratic" process shut down thanks to big brown envelopes and briefcases changing hands more then a few reached for there pitch forks. Then sold them for money to buy Ak-47's, a Peoples War had begun.

 This People's War has been going on since 1969, like many Communist Guerilla movements it declined as the Cold War ended in the 1990's but seems to have picked up again as the New Peoples Army (NPA) seems to be getting more active in recent years. Of course being an illegal band of rebels its difficult to get any exact information. The NPA have a vested interest in making themselves look stronger then they may be and the Army and Intelligence Agency manhunts for members make it unlikely many members will come out of the jungles and valleys to have a nice face to face interveiw backed up with a snazzy powerpoint demonstration. 

But Ulat ng Digmang Bayan (Report of a People's War)- NPA in Southern Mindanao a very well made short documentary on the NPA does a very good job of presenting some interesting facts. Many of the speakers claims are difficult to verify of course but the actual imagery of Guerilla camps and the level of equipment they can get there hands on does seem to confirm there claims to have liberated small numbers of high end military equipment. And there ability to organise training courses even if on abstract political theory shows they've maintained an impressive level of organisation given the pressure they must be under to maintain secrecy and mobility should government forces discover them and mobilise for an offensive. And it also shows that morale must be pretty high to maintain those levels of sophistication and keep up those "advances" and operations, especially given that the opening skirmishes where all the way back in 69.

And to make matters worse for the Presidential Palace in Manila, the NPA and the Communist Party seem to have been busy making new friends. Both are partners in the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, a very broad and large coalition that includes opposition parties, Unions civil societies and even a church.  And to make matters worse the NPA isn't the only armed group ambushing army trucks and nicking lost rifles. Islamist groups are also in operation mainly in Moro as part of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and with a presence in the Moro National Liberation Front. Sadly I don't have any documentaries detailing those groups but for those who'd like to know more about them I can recommend the Accidental Guerilla.

RIP Ka Roger

Committed Revolutionary Gregorio "Ka Roger"* Rosal died aged 64 after a series of heart attacks.



It was announced a few days ago (October 15th) in the Philippines that spokesman and senior member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)and its armed wing the New Peoples Army (NPA) Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal had passed away aftering a series of Heart attacks. The announcement was itself delayed (He died on 22 June 2011) to allow time for the CPP (an outlawed political party) to contact his daughters and break the news to them before public announcements.

Ka Rogers demise has received outpourings of grieve from many in the Philippines. The National Democratic Front of the Philippines(a coalition of left wing parties, unions, progressive churches and civil rights groups) released a statement which can be read in full here.

"The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) renders the highest tribute to Ka Roger, who loved and served the masses for more than forty years. The NDFP conveys its most heartfelt condolences to his children, his siblings, and other members of his family, and to his many comrades and friends."

Ka was imprisoned by the hated Marcos Dictatorship in 1973, and was after he and nine other prisoners escaped from prison that he made his way to the countryside to join up with the Guerrilla army of the NPA (established in 1969) which following the Sino-Soviet split had broken from the old Moscow aligned Communist party and had begun implementing Maoist ideology** whilst at the same time building a Peoples Army against the oppressions of the pro Washington government in Manila

"After his incarceration under the Marcos dictatorship in 1973 and his daring escape together with nine other comrades later that year, Ka Roger joined the revolutionary armed struggle and became an organizer of various guerilla fronts in the Southern Tagalog Region and also part of the Bicol region."

In 1993 he became the official Spokesperson of the CPP essentially making him the parties foreign affairs correspondent as well. There were several quite important shifts in position during his time as spokesman, in 1995 the CPP publicly supported same sex relationships and in 2002 the NPA had its first same sex marriage between members. Beating the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell in America by Six years.

Though the NPA peaked in the 1980s both it, the CPP and the NDFP continue to be a large thorn in the side of the government (regardless who gets to be its official "leader") and as a result like all threats to Washington aligned governments have been added to the dreaded list of Foreign Terrorist Organisations (currently number 9 below ETA but above Continuity IRA) this is despite two quite important factors; one the NDFP of which the CPP and NPA are members implements the Geneva convention. And two as that article states the government of Philippines is guilty of gross human rights abuses and war crimes.

"The International Committee of the Red Cross, the Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists and other respected international human rights organizations have extensively documented since the 1970s the gross human rights violations perpetrated by the military, police and paramilitary forces of the GRP and involving the forced displacement of millions of people, ethnocide against minorities, indiscriminate bombardments and strafing, massacres, assassinations, summary executions, torture, illegal detention of tens of thousands of people and wanton destruction of property and the people's livelihood. In the human rights class suit against the Marcos estate in the US Federal District Court in Hawaii, there is the documentation of at least 10,000 victims of torture, murder and involuntary disappearance."

And then there was the recent use of IED's by the Philippine military.

Its a shame Georgio Rosal passed away before he got to see the Philippines he fought so hard for but in the end I'm sure he could take solace in the knowledge that through his efforts and the hard work of the CPP and New Peoples Army prevented the corrupt government of the Philippines from having its way, and just maybe there sacrifices will pay off in the near future.


* Sometimes spelt Ka Rodger.
** For the uninitiated Maoist parties differed from the Soviet Communists in that they were more interested in the rural peasantry, more open to Guerilla warfare and completely against any relations
 with the West.