Phillippines - The New People's Army (NPA)

The communist NPA is an outgrowth of the Maoist Communist Party of the Philippines founded in 1968. In 1969 they created an armed group called the New People's Army, the most powerful insurgent group in the Philippines. At their peak in 1988 there were 26,000 guerrillas and supporters but government fighting, assassinations, amnesties and defections have whittled them down. Also the biggest bane of rebel groups, a good economy has cooled their ardor for war. Once figured to be an anachronism, a recent government study found that the NPA have increased the number of guerrillas to 6,700, up 10 percent from 1996. DP figures the hardcore members are only about 3,000. They are gaining members in Mindanao and losing them in the north. It's really all about economics here. Former President Fidel Ramos' principal objective was to pursue peace with the NPA, which has been largely accomplished. JosÄ Mar'a "Joma" Sison is now in exile in the Netherlands. Ramos scored a success when he was able to persuade another NPA leader, Leopoldo Mabilangan, to leave the group. Mabilangan was later assassinated by NPA operatives.

New Peoples Army

NDF International Office

P.O. Box 19195

3501 DD Utrecht

The Netherlands

Tel.: +31 30 23.10.431

Fax: +31 30 23.22.989

E-mail address: ndfp@hkstar.com

Web site: http://www.geocities.com/~cpp-ndf/npa.htm