The Philippine Hukbalahap Rebellion

The large variety of insurgent movements around the world has demonstrated that each of them belong its identifiable roots. Furthermore, instead of similar patterns in tactics, techniques and/or procedures used to achieve their ultimate goal, insurgencies are unique depending of their nature. This is the reason why each insurgency presents a dissimilar group of characteristic or principles that identify them. As a matter of fact, those characteristics should be managed with circumspection by any insurgency. The insurgent success or failure may depend of the manner as the organisation manages such important aspects. This work will study the Philippine ‘Hukbalahap Rebellion’ which provides interesting patterns of inadequate development of key characteristics proper of an insurgent movement. Furthermore, the main purpose on this paper is to provide in a critical manner an analysis of three significant characteristics of insurgencies. By analysing firstly the purpose and motivation, secondly the popular support, and finally the leadership and recruitment exercised in this egalitarian insurgency, this work will bring comprehensive arguments to understand the vitality of those characteristics.

The purposes and motivations that characterise an insurgent movement is perhaps the most valuable factor of success or failure. Initiating as a peasant revolution against Japanese intervention, the Huk insurgency had an altruistic and well accepted cause to fight. Indeed, the insurgency demonstrated successful guerrilla warfare against the Japanese forces. This based in the undisputable nationalistic ideology which provide strong feelings and popular acceptance. The purposes and motivations were effective to achieve the prime goal by t...

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...s organisation. As Galula emphatically asserts, this insurgency lost its cause, their popular support, and thus its existence as an iconic Philippine communist insurgency. The vague leadership and absurd recruitment arrangements exercised by this insurgency was also a critical cause of unproductiveness. On the other hand, the Hukbalahap insurgency should be studied by those counterinsurgent strategists because it offers significant references in terms of success but also transitions to failure. As a matter of fact, the analysed characteristics provide the negative view to this specific insurgency. Nevertheless, each characteristic is exercised in dissimilar manner depending of varied insurgent approaches. The fact is that in this particular case as the Philippine government as the Hukbalahap group have contributed for the insurgency and counterinsurgency studies.