NEW PEOPLE’S ARMY (NPA)

 “Independent reports suggest that at the time, there were only about 1,000 NPA
guerrillas, whose arms were old-fashioned. In the NPA’s own history, only 350 men with
first-line rifles were documented at the time of Martial Law. Other analyses suggest that
it was in fact the declaration of Martial Law in 1972 which caused membership in these
radicalized groups to swell. Reports on the increased following of the radical movement
emphasize the role of idealistic youth, fed up with the abuses committed during the
regime. Toward the end of Martial law, recorded numbers had grown from about 1,500 in
1976 to 35,000 in 1985.” (Martial Law Museum)1

 On August 21, 1971, a political rally of the Liberal Party at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo,
Manila, was attacked with military grenades.

Expectedly, the Liberal Party, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), their
supporters, including a segment of the general public, blamed the Marcos regime for the
bloody incident. And because of that so-called Plaza Miranda bombing, nearly all the
Nacionalista Party candidates for the Senate lost in the 1971 national elections.

It turned out the Plaza Miranda bombing was a project of the CPP-New People’s Army
(NPA). This was what Col. Victor Corpuz and Salonga said in their respective books.
The explosive that severely wounded the leaders of the Liberal Party was thrown by
Danilo Cordero of Caloocan City, a trusted commander of the NPA. Cordero was killed
later on by his own military organization, the NPA. (Arilllo, 2017)2

 “WHEREAS, in order to carry out, as in fact they have carried out, their premeditated
plan to stage, undertake and wage a full scale armed insurrection and rebellion in this
country, these lawless elements have organized, established and are now maintaining a
well trained, well armed and highly indoctrinated and greatly expanded insurrectionary
force, popularly known as the “New People’s Army”, which has since vigorously
pursued and still is vigorously pursuing a relentless and ruthless armed struggle against
our duly constituted government and whose unmitigated forays, raids, ambuscades,
assaults, and reign of terror and acts of lawlessness in the rural areas and in our urban
centers brought about the treacherous and cold-blooded assassination of innocent
civilians, military personnel of the government and local public officials in many parts of
the country, notably in the Cagayan Valley, in Central Luzon, in the Southern Tagalog
Region, in the Bicol Area, in the Visayas and in Mindanao, and whose daring and

1
Martial Law Museum
2
Arillo, 2017
 wanton guerrilla activities have generated and sown fear and panic among our people;
have created a climate of chaos and disorder, produced a state of political, social,
psychological and economic instability in our land, and have inflicted great suffering
and irreparable injury to persons and property in our society”;” (Official Gazette)3

 Tracing their roots back to the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines,
the Hukbalahap, the New People’s Army was founded on March 29, 1969 after the
party’s reestablishment on December 26, 1968. Established by Jose Mara Sison, the
CPP’s Central Committee chairman, and a number of other members, the NPA and the
new CPP was established as a Maoist organization after a split within the party against
pro-Soviet members. The NPA’s objective is the overthrow of the Philippine government
through armed struggle and the establishment of a new democratic government with
socialist goals. In addition, the NPA was opposed to the Marcos dictatorship’s endemic
corruption and abuse of the working class and peasantry. The NPA’s support base was
primarily from the working class and agrarian peasantry of the provinces. However, as
the group grew in number and influence, the NPA’s membership came to include
thousands of university students and professors especially after the implementation of
martial law under President Marcos. Also, at one point, the NPA could boast its
presence and activity in every province of the islands despite its humble beginnings in
Tarlac. The NPA ranks of armed fighters numbered in the thousands, with its peak of
25,000-34,000 well-armed fighters in the 1980s. The NPA engaged in extensive and
intensive guerilla warfare against the Philippine military throughout the islands,
targeting military personnel, police, judges, and even U.S. military members in NPA
areas. In the 1970s, as the revolutionary movement in the country began to grow,
Marcos declared the possibility of martial law to curb opposition to his regime. After a
series of bombings and attacks on government officials and sites, much of it suspect to
the Marcos regime itself, Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972 for the first
time in the nation’s history in order to clamp down on political opponents as well as
armed movements such as the NPA and Muslim rebels in the south. Despite a heavy
crackdown on NPA guerillas by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the NPA’s
guerilla activities evolved from a localized rebellion composed of a few thousand fighters
to a widespread and intensified military conflict with up to 34,000 guerillas with an
estimated 400,000 identifying with the CCP. (Nubla, n.)4

3
Official Gazette
4
Nubla
Arillo, C. (2017, June 28). Why President Marcos declared martial law. Retrieved from
https://businessmirror.com.ph/why-president-marcos-declared-martial-law-3/

CPP-NPA-NDF. (2012, November 28). Retrieved from

Nubla, A. (n.d.). Philippine Coup Attempts. Retrieved from

Proclamation No. 1081, s. 1972 | GOVPH. (n.d.). Retrieved from

The Philippines During Martial Law. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.philippine-

TIGLAO, R. D. (2017, February 08). The communist insurgency: The Marcos-Aquino curse on
the nation. Retrieved from https://www.manilatimes.net/communist-insurgency-marcos-
aquino-curse-nation/311056/

W. (n.d.). Declaration of Martial Law. Retrieved from