NAME: ALLEN KYLE O.

MAGUNDAYAO
COURSE/SECTION: AB FOREIGN SERVICE/ FS201
SUBJECT: INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL TRADE
PROFESSOR: MR. JUMEL G. ESTRAÑERO

“Defying Terrorism in the Philippines”

The Communist Party of the Philippines is a terrorist group founded by Joma Sison and
was originally established to protest the Philippine government’s policies and graft and
corruption allegations during the Marcos administration, especially during Martial Law. Joma
Sison is said to believe in the ideology of Marxism in which that time, the Soviet Union and
other countries had been implementing. To defend the organization’s views, CPP formed NPA
and NDFP. NPA is a group of members trained specifically to safeguard the beliefs of CPP. On
the other hand, NDFP is group of coalitions comprised of trade organizations, labour groups,
indigenous rights activists and extreme leftist leaders who believe in a socialist form of
government which in their system, people live in a more unified social system regardless of
wealth and power and to abolish the former imperialist laws influenced mainly by the United
States of America. From 1968 up to the present, the CPP-NPA-NDFP have organized attacks
against the AFP and have planned attacks and take overs of areas specifically in Mindanao.
These incidents in Mindanao strengthened alliances of the CPP-NPA-NDFP with Muslim rebel
groups in some areas of Mindanao. Treason is defined as someone committing a crime because
of betraying one’s country in the form of attempting to kill a person in high office and also
attempting to attack or overthrow a government. Since the formation of the CPP-NPA-NDFP,
attempts to overthrow the government and attack those in the AFP is considered treason, a crime
against government and a crime against the citizens of the country.
As a whole, countries like United States and Australia as well as the European Union
have viewed the CPP-NPA as an international terrorist group formed to in an extreme view to
overthrow democracy and cause terror throughout the regions that they occupy in the
Philippines. Having the presence of terrorists in the country is viewed very negatively throughout
ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific region. The countries in these regions may show a cause of concern
for the Philippines knowing that there are rebellious terror groups freely wandering parts of the
country. This leads to neighbouring countries in ASEAN and Indo-Pacific region to having less
confidence in the Philippines when it comes to tourism and economic partnership opportunities
because of these rebel groups. Nations without insurgents and terrorists such as the CPP-NPA
can build a reputation of confidence because there are no rebellious terror groups threatening the
government and the military. This helps build stronger relationships with other countries when it
comes to trade, investments and tourism opportunities. The higher the trust in government, the
better the relations between the nations.
Colleges and Universities throughout the country have always been a developing ground
for the CPP. Students aged 16 and above, having learned the realities of life outside of their
homes and outside of the textbooks in grade school and high school, become more open to the
idea of protesting against what they feel is wrong and what needs to be changed in the political
system. The CPP finds these students around college and university campuses to support their
ideas since most of the time, protests were against government officials and government policies
effecting their way of life. Throughout the history of the CPP recruiting youth, many times the
students who are recruited are drawn in to the CPP because of the support they receive and this
lead some of the students to drop out of school to join others in the CPP-NPA, usually outside of
Metro Manila in specific provinces. The development of the CPP-NPA with more members
meant for them a larger influence throughout the country due to a larger membership. The
growing population and influence of CPP-NPA-NDFP would affect the development of the
country in a way that if these groups resorted to violence, it would harm the economy by scaring
the potential foreign investors therefore, disrupting our transactions with other partners. When
the youth members are recruited and joined other members in the provinces, they were usually
joined together in one area protected by the New People’s Army who were always armed and
ready to fight against the AFP or PNP who would try to approach them. Whether or not the
students were forced or convinced to join the CPP, their freedoms were compromised since
joining the CPP meant you were also rebelling against the Philippine government. Since the
Marcos administration, intelligence had always followed people who were suspected of rebellion
against the government in the form of red-tagging, or people associated with communist/terrorist
groups. Moreover, issues would arise since the large membership of any terrorist group
regardless if it is CPP-NPA or not, would mean a lot of trouble especially to safety of the citizens
by the time they initiate a rebellion and revolution.
As a student and a future professional, what I could do is to help advocating the basic
rights of the citizens. Most specially, the right to vote and though it is a basic right, it is often
misused and taken for granted. With proper education of their rights, it would give them
knowledge to decide on who to vote and not to vote, to have their preferences based on
qualifications and proven competency and not solely to name association. With these, we could
create a more just and humane government that is aligned with the people’s interest. I think it is
the best way to eradicate terrorist groups in this country peacefully. After all, what these leftists
and groups aiming for are to eliminate injustices and to change the rotten political system we
have today. Furthermore, when a country is safe, it attracts more opportunities in trade since it
gives an impression that the products coming from that country would be safe to use and
consume. Thus, lessening the strict inspection of the goods and a better flow of commodities.
The CPP-NPA-NDFP has always been a thorn on the side of the Philippine government.
As long as there is a leader such as Joma Sison and support from outside sources, these groups
will have an influence on how the Philippine government manages their own AFP and how the
government views and treats terrorists. What these groups have always wanted is for their voices
to be heard by their elected officials and although many of their policies and ideas are extreme
and viewed as anti-democracy, there can always be a way to start peace talks and compromise
between the Philippine government and the CPP and NDFP. Previous peace talks and deals had
unfortunately been ceased and broken but the only way to understand each side is to sit down
and hear each other’s grievances. When there is confidence in the government on the domestic
side, there will be more trust between the Philippines and other nations when it comes to trade
and economic opportunities. For the Philippines, groups such as the CPP-NPA-NDFP make it
difficult for the government to progress as a peaceful nation when other countries see the groups
as a threat to security and investor confidence. Areas in Mindanao that are known to be areas
where there are NPA presence have much potential to grow in terms of agriculture and natural
resources if there was more peace in the region. If there is government and civilian stability in
the region, there is a better chance for investor growth and prosperity which benefits the
Filipinos and the country as a whole.