Abat went on to say that “the extent of graft and corruption under President Arroyo is worse. It is the government's money that is being used in corruption. That is how the Arroyo government is using government money.”

"We just have to pass this VAT to serve the purpose of this taxation, that is to collect enough taxes so that we can provide services to our people," - Sen. Franklin Drilon

In a secret interview with an American correspondent,

LUIS TARUC admitted that the "patriotic" movement

was communistic and it had relations with the communist

parties of Red China and the Soviet Union. 



In World War II, after the Japanese defeated the Philippine-

American defenses in the country, pockets of resistance against

the invaders continued throughout the islands. The people who

composed these resistance groups were either military personnel

who refused to surrender or civilians who had formed a people's

army to fight the Japanese. One of these guerrilla groups was

the " Hukbalahap " (Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon), a contrac-

tion of the phrase meaning People's Army Against the Japanese.

The Huks as they were commonly known, became a serious threat

to the new Philippine Republic after the war. The Huks control-

led large portions of the sugarcane and rice growing areas in

Central Luzon and they had extended their military and politi-

cal operations to the other parts of the archipelago. The Huks,

being the armed faction of the Communist Party of the Philippines

(CPP), shifted from the techniques of pre-war struggle or poli-

tical action, strikes and demonstrations to an armed confron-

tation with the government.



When the reality of war came, the CPP leadership quickly

seized the opportunity to identify itself with patriotism to

increase their power and prestige among the people. On December

10, 1941, two days prior to the outbreak of hostilities in the

Pacific area, the CPP issued an anti-Japanese manifesto pled-

ging support to the Allied war effort and simultaneously pre-

pared for guerrilla warfare on a united front. Through this

display of nationalistic ideals, many people who would have not

ordinarily joined them were attracted to the Huk resistance

movement.



   It was during this time that the Hukbalahap was really orga-

organized under the able leadership of Luis Taruc, chairman of

the military committee of the united front and concurrently

the field commander of the HMB. Throughout the armed conflict

of the Huks against the Japanese and thereafter against the

government, Luis Taruc was the dominating personality of the

Huk insurgency. Between March 1942 and August 1948, the Huks

became a trained and experienced force, well-equipped with US

Army weapons and well-prepared for its guerrilla warfare. The

initial force of 500 armed Huks which was organized into five

squadrons had increased to a fully-armed guerrilla force of

20,000 men.



The ultimate objective of the CPP is the overthrow of the

government by a violent revolution. On August 1948, the HMB

abolished their attempted reforms by parliamentary processes

and began their guerrilla warfare. However the CPP leadership

was apprehensive to engage in direct military confrontation

because they were unsure of the effectiveness of their organi-

zational set up. They also had to convince the peasants and the

workers that an armed revolution was the only remaining solu-

tion and the HMB had to perfect and expand their military units.



   Huk supremo Luis Taruc understood the principle that the momen-

tum of the insurgency movement had to be maintained. However the

concern for the total preparedness of the HMB and the mass base

inhibited increased military activities. With their failure of

government infiltration in the 1949 elections, the CPP decided

that it was time for guerrilla warfare. The year 1949 also wit-

nessed the successes of Mao Tse Tung in China and Ho Chi Minh

in Indo-China and with these victories, the HMB changed the

whole character of the struggle. They launched a general offen-

sive, not only attacking government troops and outposts but

entire civilian communities where they looted, killed and burned.



   In Pampanga on August 26, 1949, in observance of National

Heroes Day, the Huks entered the town of Arayat, disarmed the

police force, burned the townhall and looted the town. A simi-

lar raid took place in the adjoining Tarlac town where the civil

guard detachment was massacred. The year 1950 witnessed HMB

bolder operations with the capture of provincial capitals and

attacks on army and police installations as their objectives.

Although their raids were successful, the HMB normally used

hit and run tactics to conserve their forces and keep the AFP

off-balanced and demoralized in fruitless pursuits.



   Luis Taruc called the period from March to August 1950 as

the "Dress Rehearsal."10 In a secret interview with an American

correspondent, he admitted that the movement was communistic

and it had relations with the communist parties of Red China

and the Soviet Union. He further stated that the HMB has 25,000

well-armed guerrillas and that his mass base supporters numbered

about two million. On the other hand, the AFP estimated that at

the height of the Huk uprising, there were only 17,500 guerrillas

and a mass base of 100,000 supporters. Taruc in his book written

many years later admitted that his 1950 strength was only 15,000

armed guerrillas and that he could have mustered only 4,000 men

for the attack in the city of Manila.



   By mid-1950, the Huk attacks increased in unbelievable pro-

portions and the military reacted ruthlessly. In Maliwalu, Pam-

panga, with the belief that the people there were active Huk

supporters, constabulary troopers plundered the town and killed

several of the menfolk. The military inadequacies also reflected

in their lack of knowledge of the basic military skills. The

AFP did not have the EEI's about the enemy---who he was, how

he operated, what his objectives were, and most importantly,

how he gained the support of the people.



   The Huks, called the agrarian reformers by their propaganda

section somehow concealed the true nature of their movement

and this contributed to their initial success. Basic information

collection in the field was negligible and the evaluation of

any information acquired was haphazardly done. The AFP ignored

the political aspects of the Huks, especially the propaganda

portion which could have been a vital source of information.



   The Maliwalu incident and the infamous crime committed by the

Huks---the ambush-killing of the wife of the late President

Manuel Quezon and eight others---brought increased criticism

of the government.14 President Quirino therefore issued Executive

Order number 308 which provide the complete reorganization

of the entire armed forces. He also appointed Congressman Ramon

Magsaysay of Zambales as the new Secretary of National Defense,

charged with the responsibility of restoring peace and order.

Secretary Magsaysay instilled in the military that the lost poli-

tical base of action had to be regained by an integrated military,

political, and social approach. He emphasized that every soldier

must be a public relations man, political warfare specialist,

civil administrator, and an expert in guerrilla warfare.



   Underlying his policy was the belief, "Any democratic govern-

ment is neither of necessity nor automatically better than a

communistic government in the eyes of the Common Man. The local

government must clean its own house. A status quo that has bred

virulent communism cannot remain unchanged. Communism seldom

flourishes where the people are content and prosperous basically."15



   To implement his policy, Magsaysay had these goals:



1. Unity of command in the military

2. Trust and confidence of the people in the military

3. Active civilian support in military operations

4. Friendship between the people and the military



   His first step in the reorganization was to merge the Army and

the Constabulary under one command with the latter assigned to

police duty. He was opposed by the wealthy landowners and the

powerful elite in the government because the Constabulary was for

the protection of their wealth and properties. President Quirino

reluctantly supported this actions which included the relief of

the Chief of Constabulary and the Chief of Staff of the Armed

Forces.