The Philippine insurgency has been going on for 53 years already. It
has left a tragic tail of death, destruction, and human suffering with few
parallels in the world today. It has traumatized people to extremes of fear,
uncertainty, hopelessness, frustration, and desperation. Since Marcos’
proclamation of Martial Law and his regime’s desperation to end the
communist rebellion, how is it that it only continued to persist, and at some
point, extend to various places in the nation?&
Time and time again, the Philippines has always been met with
different attempts of suppression by the ruling classes taking hold on the
broader masses in order to better hold absolute power. Even before
Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s proclamation of Martial Law, a series of blood baths;
human rights violations, assassinations, as well as several deaths and
disappearances were already happening in the country. At this point in
Philippine history, its contribution and relevance continue to be
commemorated and discussed and became even more timely as the son of
the very man who pronounced the Martial Law crawled its way back to
Malacañang.&
There is a crisis and there is a nation. Both things existed at the same
time in a nation struggling. In this telltale, there is a need to understand the
very root of rebellion and how Marcos saw the need to declare Martial Law, as
well as suspend the writ of habeas corpus in an attempt to suppress this
rebellion. On September 18, 1972, Marcos issued a Letter of Instruction to
take over the media, mainly ABS-CBN and TV5. Even before his declaration,
state agents were arrested and imprisoned. Over the course of his reign, the
crisis had gotten worse as the debt increased. The income of agricultural
workers declined by at least 30% from PHP 42 in 1962 to PHP 30 in 1986. The
external debt went from $0.36 billion to $28.26 billion. These economic
declines continued. The basic commodities tripled and left the people in
starvation, all while the Marcoses and his cronies remained in power and their
wealth increased.&
And what breeds resistance if not the crisis itself?
The downfall of the Philippine economy that Marcos himself drove the
nation to, was met with protests, pleas, demands to overthrow, and human
rights investigations, which all were responded to with nothing but deafened
ears, unresponsive to the masses, and human rights abuses by the state.
Thus, this negligence caused the people to uprise. The nation continues to be
in crisis and in response, Marcos mobilized the AFPs and the PNP to further
subdue this resistance. Even as popular opposition continues to mount, the
Marcos administration persisted in ramming the authoritarian option down
the people’s throats. This leaves the people with practically no choice but to
exercise continuing vigilance and pursue a militant struggle for the
democratic rights and interests of the greater number against the self-
serving interests of a privileged few in the corridors of power. Thus, the
emergence of the New People’s Army. It is to take note that more than a
military objective, it was more of a political goal that was designed to abolish
