Huk Rebellion
The Hukbalahap, a Tagalog acronym for the Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon (People's Anti-Japanese Army), was founded in March 1942 as the military arm of the outlawed Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP), or the Communist Party of the Philippines. The Hukbalahap (or Huks) sought to defeat Japan, destroy the exploitative landholding system in Central Luzon that for decades had resulted in widespread peasant poverty, and ultimately establish a communist government. As a large and well-organized guerrilla group, the Huks inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese army, and, significantly, killed an estimated twenty thousand Filipino collaborators, class enemies, or personal rivals. When Japan surrendered, the Huks controlled many local governments in Central Luzon and had appointed governors of Pampanga and Laguna provinces.
Seven Hukbalahap-supported politicians, including Huk Supremo Luis Taruc, were elected to the Philippine Congress in 1946. Their expulsion from congress to ensure the passage of a constitutional amendment favorable to American economic interests and President Manuel Roxas's "mailed fist" policy drove the Hukbalahap underground and into armed conflict with the government. From the four Central Luzon provinces of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Tarlac, the original area of "Huklandia," the Huks increased their political activities in other Luzon provinces and on the island of Panay. The name of the Hukbalahap was changed in November 1948 to Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan (HMB) or the People's Liberation Army to reflect the PKP's goal of overthrowing the Philippine government.
The turning point in the Huk insurgency was President Elpidio Quirino's appointment of Ramon Magsaysay as secretary of defense in 1950 and an increase in American military assistance to the Philippines. A charismatic former guerrilla leader from Zambales province and a popular congress member with strong ties to the military, Magsaysay was given a free hand in reestablishing law and order. He reorganized the military, retiring or court-martialing corrupt and incompetent officers and soldiers, and worked to regain the confidence of the peasantry. Magsaysay pursued the Huks aggressively and took steps to protect the peasantry from Huk terrorism. He also established the Economic Development Corps (EDCOR) in December 1950 to relocate landless peasants in Hukbalahap-controlled areas to unoccupied land in Mindanao. By 1954, when Huk Supremo Taruc surrendered, the HMB was no longer a threat to the stability of the government. Although remnants of the Huks continued to operate in Central Luzon for more than a decade after Taruc's surrender, the movement was dead by 1970.
Further Reading
Kerkvliet, Benedict J. (1977) The Huk Rebellion: A Study of Peasant Revolt in the Philippines. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Lachica, Eduardo. (1971) HUK: Philippine Agrarian Society in Revolt. Manila, Philippines: Solidaridad.
Taruc, Luis. (1967) He Who Rides the Tiger: The Story of an Asian Guerrilla Leader. New York: Praeger.
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