Today is Tuesday, June 29, 2010 and it is now 1033 AM here in Quezon City, Luzon, Philippines. Why Quezon City? I will get to that...eventually...like everything else...
Recap: I was discussing pro-govt. paramilitaries in Mindanao.
Though the government didn't create the BLA, it has created several IP (Indigenous Peoples) paramilitaries: LUPAKA (now defunct), Bagani Force (Warriors Force), Alamara Command (Total War Command) and BDFs (Barangay Defense Forces), the spelling as such since the Filipinos have opted to use American spelling for their English, English being an official language here.
These paras come under an umbrella known as "Task Force Gantangan." TF Gantangan is under a protocol known as "OPLAN Alsa Lumad" (Operational Plan Hilltribes Rise). OPLAN AL is in turn a subsidiary protocol od "OPLAN Bantay Laya II," (Operational Plan Guarding Freedom II) which is itself formulated under the military's NISP-IP (National Internal Security Plan-Indigenous Peoples).
OPLAN BL II is the nationwide military strategy to deal with the Maoist Insurgency. I have to add that many things I am talking about can get me into serious hotwater but I have this curious tic, always playing the odds, go figure.
Bantay Laya II began in the beginning of 2007, and was just beginning to roll when I moved to Mindanao.
The NPA (New People's Army) is the military wing of the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines) and both are represented in dialogue by the NDF (National Democratic Front). All of them are the handwork of "JOMA," Jose Maria Sison, an ex UP (University of the Ph.) Professor currently in self-imposed exile in the Netherlands with the vanguard of the movement's leadership.
JOMA copped Mao's "Little Red Book' almost word for word, the same 3 Phases of Struggle, yada, yada. Anyone who cares can basicallly juxtapose Maoism Proper and it is going to be a 95% fit.
The date cited for the beginning of their "armed struggle" is 1969 but really is 1971, when Marcos declared Martial Law. 40 years later and they are the longest running insurgency in all of Asia, maybe the world. To put this in perspective, JOMA, their chief ideologue as well as founder, insists that they are but in the middle of their Phase I. There are, as I said, 3 Phases!
Though found in many parts of the country they are not a military threat, except on Mindanao where they control vast areas of the island, collect taxes, mete justice, run Checkpoints and so forth.
The paras are meant to help deal with this.
When I first came to this nation, in 1984, the NPA was at its apex. It was a nationwide threat and on Mindanao fielded batallion sized forces (700 to 1000 fighters), even routing the AFP (Ph Army) in head to head battle. But then they stalled.
JOMA had been arrested by Marcos in 1977 and from then until his release in 1984 (with the fall of Marcos) his movement expanded exponentially and outgrew its ideology.
The Manila and Negros factions of the party, operating primarily in urban environments gravitated towards orthadox Marxism-Leninism. In a nutshell, where as Maosim is a movement of rural peasents Leninism is a movment of urban workers, factoryhands and service people.
JOMA got out in 1984 and moved quickly yo crush this dissent, which translated into mass executions Khmer Rouge style, beaten to death with tree limbs to save bullets, etc.
Leninist ideologues would not be put off though, and the Manila and Negros factioned formed a Leninist movement of their own. Their armed wing is worth mentioning, ABB, Alex Boncayo Brigade.
ABB was fond of assasinating in urban settings, killing more than 100 police officers in 4 months at 1 point but gained most reknown for killing a CIA station chief in Manila, and Col Rowe, US pointman on COIN (Counterinsurgency).
Eventually a faction in Mindanao oriented towards that same Leninist ideology broke off as well as formed the RPM-M (Revolutionary Proletariat Movement of Mindanao).
RPM-M's armed wing made a name for itself though most killings by the Leninists resulted from communal warfare with the Maoists.
While the Manila-Negros organisation petered out, the RPM-M finished a drawn out peace process in 2007, shortly after I arrived after moving. They never disarmed but were never really a formidable threat to begin with.
The NPA, from 40,000 guerillas in 1986 are down to 5000, with 3500 on Mindanao. 3500 men with M16s and Claymore landmines can still do damage as the 2 Divisions fighting them would tell you.
In addition to 3500 Regulars (full time fighters living in the bush) there perhaps 10,000 Irregulars on Mindanao as well. Milisya ng Bayan (People's Militia) is the name of the NPA Irregular apparattus, the Maoist equivalent of CAFGU.
So, I began forming my "SS," I and 3 other landholders began holding regular meetings, coming to terms on costs, accessing, and began drawing a training outline. We decided on AR15s BUT also M16A1s. M16s would be our standard rifle, but soldiers with more than 1 year service would be elieble for an AR depending upon disciplinary record and personal review (how long in community, etc because of exceesive cost of the weapon)...
To be continued...
Recap: I was discussing pro-govt. paramilitaries in Mindanao.
Though the government didn't create the BLA, it has created several IP (Indigenous Peoples) paramilitaries: LUPAKA (now defunct), Bagani Force (Warriors Force), Alamara Command (Total War Command) and BDFs (Barangay Defense Forces), the spelling as such since the Filipinos have opted to use American spelling for their English, English being an official language here.
These paras come under an umbrella known as "Task Force Gantangan." TF Gantangan is under a protocol known as "OPLAN Alsa Lumad" (Operational Plan Hilltribes Rise). OPLAN AL is in turn a subsidiary protocol od "OPLAN Bantay Laya II," (Operational Plan Guarding Freedom II) which is itself formulated under the military's NISP-IP (National Internal Security Plan-Indigenous Peoples).
OPLAN BL II is the nationwide military strategy to deal with the Maoist Insurgency. I have to add that many things I am talking about can get me into serious hotwater but I have this curious tic, always playing the odds, go figure.
Bantay Laya II began in the beginning of 2007, and was just beginning to roll when I moved to Mindanao.
The NPA (New People's Army) is the military wing of the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines) and both are represented in dialogue by the NDF (National Democratic Front). All of them are the handwork of "JOMA," Jose Maria Sison, an ex UP (University of the Ph.) Professor currently in self-imposed exile in the Netherlands with the vanguard of the movement's leadership.
JOMA copped Mao's "Little Red Book' almost word for word, the same 3 Phases of Struggle, yada, yada. Anyone who cares can basicallly juxtapose Maoism Proper and it is going to be a 95% fit.
The date cited for the beginning of their "armed struggle" is 1969 but really is 1971, when Marcos declared Martial Law. 40 years later and they are the longest running insurgency in all of Asia, maybe the world. To put this in perspective, JOMA, their chief ideologue as well as founder, insists that they are but in the middle of their Phase I. There are, as I said, 3 Phases!
Though found in many parts of the country they are not a military threat, except on Mindanao where they control vast areas of the island, collect taxes, mete justice, run Checkpoints and so forth.
The paras are meant to help deal with this.
When I first came to this nation, in 1984, the NPA was at its apex. It was a nationwide threat and on Mindanao fielded batallion sized forces (700 to 1000 fighters), even routing the AFP (Ph Army) in head to head battle. But then they stalled.
JOMA had been arrested by Marcos in 1977 and from then until his release in 1984 (with the fall of Marcos) his movement expanded exponentially and outgrew its ideology.
The Manila and Negros factions of the party, operating primarily in urban environments gravitated towards orthadox Marxism-Leninism. In a nutshell, where as Maosim is a movement of rural peasents Leninism is a movment of urban workers, factoryhands and service people.
JOMA got out in 1984 and moved quickly yo crush this dissent, which translated into mass executions Khmer Rouge style, beaten to death with tree limbs to save bullets, etc.
Leninist ideologues would not be put off though, and the Manila and Negros factioned formed a Leninist movement of their own. Their armed wing is worth mentioning, ABB, Alex Boncayo Brigade.
ABB was fond of assasinating in urban settings, killing more than 100 police officers in 4 months at 1 point but gained most reknown for killing a CIA station chief in Manila, and Col Rowe, US pointman on COIN (Counterinsurgency).
Eventually a faction in Mindanao oriented towards that same Leninist ideology broke off as well as formed the RPM-M (Revolutionary Proletariat Movement of Mindanao).
RPM-M's armed wing made a name for itself though most killings by the Leninists resulted from communal warfare with the Maoists.
While the Manila-Negros organisation petered out, the RPM-M finished a drawn out peace process in 2007, shortly after I arrived after moving. They never disarmed but were never really a formidable threat to begin with.
The NPA, from 40,000 guerillas in 1986 are down to 5000, with 3500 on Mindanao. 3500 men with M16s and Claymore landmines can still do damage as the 2 Divisions fighting them would tell you.
In addition to 3500 Regulars (full time fighters living in the bush) there perhaps 10,000 Irregulars on Mindanao as well. Milisya ng Bayan (People's Militia) is the name of the NPA Irregular apparattus, the Maoist equivalent of CAFGU.
So, I began forming my "SS," I and 3 other landholders began holding regular meetings, coming to terms on costs, accessing, and began drawing a training outline. We decided on AR15s BUT also M16A1s. M16s would be our standard rifle, but soldiers with more than 1 year service would be elieble for an AR depending upon disciplinary record and personal review (how long in community, etc because of exceesive cost of the weapon)...
To be continued...
