The Rreality of the new Huk struggle

Title

Language

English

Source

Philippine Armed Forces Journal Volume IX (No. 6) April 1956

Year

1956

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

PHIUPPINES ARMED FORCES JDURNAL The Reality of the New Huk Struggle: I HE '"'my " ooly Wattmg tmpl•m•ntmg th• rollnwm, plm for us to relax ou1· guards. Docu- I. Creation of election machinements abound to show that the Com- •·ies like the organization of 1·lection munists' effort at subverting our na- committees among barJ"io folks. This tiona! life is not only a running at- plan, according to army intelligence, tempt, but it is a real one!" was put into effect by the Huks in This was declared by Lt. Gen. Je- isolated barrios, partieulal'ly h1 sus Vargas, AFP chief of staff, dur- southern Luzon, during the last elecing the proceedings of a command tions. · conference late last month dudng 2. Recruitment of candidate~ and which top officials of the defense de- canvassing of prospective inspt:etOJ'S, partment and the armed forces ex- watchers and poll clerks to carry out plained certain items which portray- Red instructions. The reco•·ds show ed the armed forces as "witch hunt- that while no direct recruitment of ing" and saying these merely to cam- candidates was made, some of the paign for a big budgetary outlay. candidates were actively supported EartJer, the officials exposed, sup- by the dissidents, as has been re\·ealported by authentic documents cap- ed in the past by General Var~as. tured from the Huks, what they des- 3. Intensifications of politicai prOcribed as an "elab01·ate and vicious paganda activities by distributing blueprint of subversion" followed by leaflets and pictures of Red-supportthe local Rt!ds in implementing their ed candidates o1· those whose election parliamentary or legal struggle in would directly or indirectly enhance the political, military, economic, so- the Red cause. This plot, acconling cia\ and cultural fields. to intelligence estimates, was put into In the political field, the Reds arc effect by the Huks during the last " elections. saboteurs and ultimately dislocate In the military field, intelligence national security and the military reports show that the Huks have preparedness program of the country. started implementing the following 2. Creation and training of legal plans: eadz·es which they intend to carry out 1. Organization of soldiers com- by' organizing cadres and workers in mittees (SOLCOM) from among ser- suitable places. From this mass base vicemen and reservists. The Huks of cadres, the Reds expect to recruit have actually started this project in into the active ranks three Huk remote barrios by encouraging active groups of varying strength per revolutionists to establish contacts quarter. with> armyrnen and reservists who are 3. Lifting of the "iron discipline" willifig to act as infiltrators and by peculiar to a communist military orcontacting prospective trainees with ganization, in order to prevent merna view to convincing them to serve as hers from defecting to the "enemy's" reyolutionary cadres when called to side. They intend to carry this out the colors for reserve training. By by considerably relaxing the normal this process, the CPP hopes to "ho- "stiff punishment" meted out to erthe armed forces - active ring comudcs. 4. N•W Hu.lr JlrUSISII•, IOSISI•d a, par/iamenlary •lruggle, aim• al, among alh•rr, crealian at eleclian cammllleer among barrio falkr Caunler-mea•uru and cammillur by lhe go~ ernmenl can ln•ure nalian againd new Jlralegy being uJed by local ltedJ-Ihe Huh. PRILrPPINES ARMED FORCES JOURNAL r'iuuption of nolion't economic ond 1odof •yflem•. Mor• ell•di~• impl•m•nlolion of gournm•nf• socio·.conomic progrom• i1 rite mou 1/tor con cited< rite enemy 1/treol•. munists into the military organiza· say on the United States bases issue, tion by encouraging members to sur- and General Vargas on the current render without arms but remain loy- Philippine stand on the SEATO and al to the Red cause and carry out for committing Filipino troops to party instructions. This particular foreign countries like Korea and aspect of the Red plan on military Vietnam. Army intelligence 'revealed subversion also includes the employ- that the Huks have distributed leaf· ment of "double faced" agents to un- lets in several barrios in Laguna atdertake sabotage jobs. tacking the President on the exist5. Intensification of insidious pro- cnce of US bases in the Philippines paganda drive through the magnifi- and General Vargas for favoriug the cation of alleged army abuses and SEATO and for sending PI troops to criticizing bitterly President Magsay- foreign countries. In the economic field, intelligence launching of a vigorous and nationestimates show that the Reds have wide attack on the tenancy Jaws, foreblueprinted and implemented initially ign capital investments, alleged gov.the following courses of action: ernment deficit spending, deflation o{ 1. Establishment of business the peso, and the Laurel-Langley "ftonts" particularly in the rUral trade accord. Another plot of the areas to serve as "listening posts", to Reds in this respect is to harass the dislocate the lO<:al economy and to Magsaysay administration by agitaserve those HMB organizers and cou- ting for more and unreasonable aids. riers who move from one place to an· In the social and cultural fields, the other. Camp Murphy recalled that following plans were unmasked: this was resorted to also before the 1. Infiltration of youth, civic and politburo was busted in 1950. This religious organizations, and governplan is reported to have been put in- ment and private institutions of to effect in interior barrios in Luzon learning, through the organization of an<\ elsewhere. legal cadres in these groups. 2. Infiltration of labor organiza- 2. Establishment of "reading centions, government, semi-government ters" that could serve as communist and government-controlled enterpri- "front" for the dessimination of Red ses, and commercial and business es· propaganda materials. tablishments. 3. Intensification of an extensive 8. Intensification of economic pro- propaganda drive by fanning the paganda drive. The latest evident flames of social unrest to create an move on the part of the Reds in im- atmosphere or nervousness and tense plementation of this plan was the social discontent among the masses. i new progr~:>m ' , unleo•h o propopnd~:> dri~• tho! includes" wigorou• ottod: on gowernmenl proiecls ond •~•n ogoinol the louref.tongler !rode osr .. menl •igned lod r•or in Wodlinglon, D.C.

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