New People

The New People's Army, or NPA, is a paramilitary group fighting for communist revolution in the Philippines. It was formed on March 29, 1969. The Maoist NPA fights a "protracted people's war" as the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). The NPA is classified as a terrorist organization by the Philippine Government, the US, EU [1]and other Western countries. The NPA's roots can be traced from the Hukbalahap, the armed wing of the earlier pro-Soviet Philippine Communist Party. The Huks first mobilized and fought against the Japanese Empire's occupation of the Philippines during World War II. Under the leadership of Luis Taruc and communist party General Secretary Jose Lava, the Hukbalahap continued waging guerrilla warfare against the United States allies in the first independent governments before largely surrendering to President Ramon Magsaysay in 1954. By the early 1960s, the communist Huk campaign was waning.