Military Periscope :: New People's Army (NPA)/<DD>Communist Party of Philippines</DD>

New People's Army (NPA)/

Communist Party of Philippines

Group Name:

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) is an umbrella political organization. The CPP's armed guerrilla wing is the New People's Army (NPA).

Location/Area of Operation:

Philippines. The NPA operates mainly in rural Luzon, Visayas and parts of Mindanao. The NPA also has cells in Manila and other urban areas.

Stated Purpose:

The CPP/NPA seeks to overthrow the Philippines government through sustained guerrilla warfare. The CPP also opposes U.S. involvement in the Philippines.

Strength:

The New People's Army numbers about 7,500. There are also several thousand other CPP sympathizers.

External Aid and Links:

Early support was provided by China until 1976. There have been unconfirmed reports of CPP/NPA connections to Libya. It also receives assistance from fundraisers in Western Europe.

Activities:

Because of a split in the CPP, the NPA seems to be in disarray. Successful government counterterrorist operations and a lack of funding have also hampered NPA activities. However, there has been an increase in NPA activity since the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Philippines in late 2002.

The CPP/NPA is primarily based in rural areas within the Philippines, but it also makes use of urban cells, known as sparrow squads, to carry out assassinations. The NPA's targets include allegedly corrupt politicians, drug dealers, the police and U.S. citizens. The NPA has vowed to kill Americans involved in counterterrorist operations. The NPA has also begun to use land mines to protect its bases and camps.

The NPA has confined its attacks to the Philippines, but some of its political activities are centered on Western Europe.

The CPP also has a political wing called the New Democratic Front (NDF), which is based in the Netherlands. The NDF represents the CPP and 13 other communist groups in negotiations with Manila.

During the 1990s, the CPP and the Philippines government were involved in peace talks in the midst of sporadic fighting. Peace talks in 2001 collapsed when NPA rebels killed a Philippine congressman.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in clashes with these communist rebels since 1969.

Overview:

Jose Maria Sison established the Communist Party of Philippines in 1969. Since then, Sison has transformed the group into a revolutionary Maoist organization.

The CPP leadership lives in exile in the Netherlands. New Democratic Front leader Luis Jalandoni lives in Utrecht. Sison, who was granted political refugee status by the Dutch government in 1995, is now Jalandoni's chief adviser. He was arrested by Dutch police in August 2007 for the alleged involvement in the assassinations of three former associates in the Philippines. He was released two weeks later due to insufficient evidence. The investigation is ongoing.

The group is organized in the same fashion as most communist parties. There is a central committee, which directs many CPP policies. The NPA serves as the army of the CPP. There is also an organization for young people called the Patriotic Youth.

The government reported in 2008 that the CCP/NPA effort was weakening, although attacks by NPA continued throughout the year. The government is putting more effort into military actions against the rebels, including proposing a robust 2009 budget for military activities. The government resumed of informal contacts with militants in late 2008.

Group Chronology:

1969
After breaking from the pro-Soviet Partido Komunista Pilipinas, Jose Maria Sison founded the Communist Party of the Philippines. The organization attracted more members and evolved into a Maoist revolutionary group.

1972
Sison was imprisoned after President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law.

1976
Luis Jalandoni set up the New Democratic Front as the political wing of the CPP.

1981
Jalandoni established the Filipino People's Committee in Utrecht, the Netherlands, to seek support from and develop links with Western European trade unions, political parties and churches.

1986
President Corazon Aquino granted clemency to Sison, who was subsequently released from prison.

1987
Sison emigrated to the Netherlands.

1995
February: The Dutch Supreme Court granted Sison political refugee status based on the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention.

2001
The CPP met with Philippine government officials in Oslo, Norway. The peace talks were stalled in June after NPA rebels killed a congressman in the Philippines.

Nov. 28: Clashes in the southern Philippines left 18 soldiers and 10 rebels dead. This was the bloodiest battle between the NPA and government forces in more than a decade.

2002
Oct. 10: NPA guerrillas were suspected of planting a bomb on a bus in Kidapawan City that killed eight and wounded 19.

2003
March 8: About 300 NPA rebels attacked the town hall at Calbiga, stealing a supply of small arms.

Sept. 6: About 50 NPA rebels demolished the town hall at Esperanza in the southern Philippines. They planted a bomb that destroyed the entire building.

2004
The Philippine army claimed it had destroyed 20 percent of the NPA's fighting capability in 2004, reducing it from 2,217 armed regulars to 1,815. An NDF spokesman disputed the claims, estimating the NPA's strength at 14,000 armed guerrillas.

2005
Jan. 3: Following the conclusion of a holiday cease-fire, the military chief of the northern Luzon Command ordered more than 10,000 troops to go on an all-out offensive against the NPA in northern and central Luzon.

Jan. 18: A group of 50 NPA rebels voluntarily surrendered to the Philippine military on the island of Mindanao, reportedly citing the hardship of rebel life and broken NPA promises for help.

September: NPA rebels announced they were withdrawing from peace talks, saying there was no reason to negotiate with President Arroyo, who was nearly impeached after a scandal over elections.

October: Arroyo again withdrew safe passage and immunity from 97 NPA negotiators following the rebels' withdrawal from peace negotiations. Manila placed bounties on the heads of NPA leaders. Police Director General Arturo Lomibao ordered his forces to "initiate massive pursuit operations and pre-emptive strikes" against the NPA.

2006
May 17: Three NPA child soldiers were captured by the Philippine army during an operation in Mindanao. The children reported that other youths were still fighting for the rebels.

Aug. 16: At least five NPA insurgents were killed and a policeman was wounded during fierce fighting in the town of San Agustin in the southern Philippines. Dozens of NPA members failed to capture the police base. Policemen fought the attackers until they fled, according to local authorities.

Aug. 22: Three suspected NPA members were killed during a firefight with Philippine troops. Soldiers from the army’s 74th Infantry Battalion were on patrol when they encountered about 50 rebels.

Oct. 23: The Philippine government sought to recruit 11,000 more soldiers and militiamen to oppose the rebels. It was part of a plan to cut NPA strength in half by 2010.

2007
April 4: The Philippine army discovered a major NPA camp in Abra province while in pursuit of a group of rebels. The camp was believed to be the provincial headquarters of the NPA.

May 29: NPA militants ambushed a military convoy in the province of Aurora. The unit was being sent to a remote village in the area to check on the reported presence of armed persons. The army reported that eight soldiers were wounded in the ambush. After a 30-minute gun battle, the militants fled, the army said.

July 23: The army killed two NPA members during an assault in Tinghub in the central Philippines. Two civilians, including a 12-year-old boy, were also killed during the attack.

Aug. 16: Through a statement on its Web site, the CPP ordered the NPA to join forces with other rebel groups in the Philippines, supposedly to take advantage of low morale in the Philippine army. The potential allies include the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). The Philippine authorities said it was unlikely to create any cooperation among the NPA, MNLF and MILF.

Aug. 22: Around 20 heavily armed NPA members surrendered to the army. They received amnesty papers and cash assistance for their weapons. The government also offered livelihood support, all part of its effort to undercut the NPA.

Aug. 28: Sison was arrested in Utrecht, Netherlands, on suspicion of ordering the murder of three former CPP associates.

Sept. 3: The arrest of Sison apparently had a positive impact in the Philippines. The Army discovered two hastily abandoned NPA camps. About 100 NPA militants surrendered. The army said the insurgents were struggling to regroup. An army commander said the arrest of Sison had prompted the abandonment of the camps and that the aggressive government campaign against the rebels as well as dwindling support from the people was demoralizing the group.

Oct. 8: A band of 40 NPA militants, disguised as government troops, abducted three soldiers in a raid on an army base near Montevista in the southern Philippines. The militants also seized 15 weapons in the attack.

2008
Feb. 5: The military recovered a cache of NPA weapons in Leyte after a militant surrendered to an infantry battalion based in Kananga. In early February, the army also confiscated NPA weapons during a raid in Barangay Caghalo, Leyte. The army reported that many militants had defected from the NPA as a result of the government’s aggressive campaign in the North Leyte Front during the previous year. Officials also pointed to improved government services, economic development, and an integrated community safety system as factors in the decline of the CPP and NPA.

July 23: Suspected NPA militants wounded two soldiers, seized some firearms and burned mining equipment in two raids on copper and gold mining facilities in Davao del Sur Province.

Aug. 3: Components of the army’s 4th Infantry Battalion thwarted an attempted attack by NPA militants on the Kioya Patrol Base in the Mindanao region. The army was assisted by the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU). Two soldiers suffered injuries. The incident demonstrated the “high state of morale and bravery” of the CAFGUs, the army said.

Nov. 18: The Philippine government said it was considering conducting informal talks with the CPP, NDF and NPA. Norway proposed a resumption of a series of informal contacts. The agenda might include the imposition of "taxes" by NPA, the rebels’ recruitment of children and a framework for a cease-fire.

Dec. 26: Thousands of citizens staged anti-communist rallies protesting the actions of the CCP and NPA on the 40th anniversary of the party’s presence in the Philippines. The government also suspended military activities against the NPA for several days during the holiday season. The CCP/NPA released a military officer who had been captured in November.

2009
Jan. 1: The CPP urged the NPA to expand its activities. The CPP claimed a 5 percent increase in NPA membership, especially in the Mindanao region.

Jan. 2: NPA militants attacked a copper mining facility in South Cotabato province. One of the guards at the facility was briefly held by the militants and then freed.

Jan. 3: The CCP denied reports that party leader Sison had been removed as a result of intra-party feuding. Philippine security officials said that Sison had been removed for living a luxurious life in exile. Sison responded by saying he lives modestly because the Dutch government has prevented him from working and from collecting social benefits.

Jan. 6: A top army officer said the crackdown would continue against communist insurgents, but also conceded that military action must be reinforced by social, economic and political efforts to successfully thwart the communist movement in the Philippines.

Last Updated:

January 2009