During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, a guerrilla army grew and eventually cleared the Japanese from most of the islands, Know as the Huks - an abbreviation of the Tagalog expression for "peoplets anti-Japanese army" - they were eventually repressed by the U.S,.-backed Government of President Magsaysay. By 1953 they had been crushed with most of their leaders either dead or in prison, The situation was very similar to that of Malaya, and a comparatively stable pro-U.S. regime was installed. However, things are now changing. Bands of up to thirty have been active in central Luzon (the main island) which is the rice bowl of the country.
At the height of their power in the struggle with the U.S.-puppet forces the Huks controlled most of this region and were estimated to have 10,000 men under arms. They organised the collection of taxes, local administration, etce, in much the same way the Vietcong do (although on a smaller scale). They are now picking up the strands of this previous organisation. They have adapted themselves to the new conditions of direct U.S. occupation; near the huge U.S. airforce base of Clark field a "honky tonk" town has grown up, Angeles, full of bars, gambling joints, brothels, and other sources of entertainment for the Americans. Many of these enterprises are run by Huk sympathisers and the proceeds thereof used for revolutionary activities, This again mirrors the Vietnam situation - most of the Vietcong's intelligence comes from girls who work in such establishments in Saigon and other large towns,
Huk guerrillas have, in the past year or two, been ambushing arny units so regularly that the Philippines Government has put into the field its crack fighters. The Philippines Communist Party, the main political wing of the Huks, is very active in the trade unions and universities, The factors giving rise to a renewal are partially external and partially internal. Externally the successes of the Chinese and African Revolutions have revived self-confidence after the defeat of the 1950's. Both the Chinese and Indonesian Communist Parties give support to their Filipino comrades. There is a large Chinese minority in Manila and other large ‘ towns which supports the Huks. The connection between the Indonesian and Philippines Communist Party goes back to the 1920's. There is, of course, a language, racial and cultural affinity between Filipinos and Indonesians. A major role was played in the formation of the © Philippines Communist © Tan Malaka, the internationally~minded Indonesian Communist pioneer who later fell foul of the Stalinists,.
The internal situation of the Philippines, despite certain surface appearances of prosperity, is a typical semi-colonial one. There are more than 700,000 unemployed, in May this year more than 100,000 students left school without a job to go to, more than 60% of the children drop out of school before they are ten. The poverty of the peasants is as bad as that anywhere in South East Asia. There has of late been a growing anti-U.5. feeling. The Americans have forced on to the country several extremely one-sided trade agreements, which have antagonised the Filipino middle class. The occupation of large areas by the U.S. forces has had an adverse effect on many sections of Filipino business and agriculture. Many Filipinos have been killed by the occupation forces through carelessness. Of late the main bone of contention has been the American desire to have Filipino forces fighting in Vietnam. Thus the American imperialists face the opening up of yet another front against them, Like any system which represents a-dying and outmoded social system, the more U.S. imperialism tries to preserve its positions the opposition it evokes.
Oa.