Revolution in the Philippines: The Question of an Alliance between Islam and Communism

Abstract

With the continuing shock waves from the Aquino assassination, the embattled Marcos government finds itself facing an increasingly embittered and radicalized opposition rapidly becoming disenchanted with the impotence of peaceful protest. The government faces the danger that many such elements may join the armed opposition, whose major components are the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the New People's Army (NPA), both of which have been in conflict with the government for over a decade. Completely distinct and separate organizations, the MNLF and NPA have posed formidable challenges to the Marcos regime, and should these movements join together in a military alliance, they would create enormous military and political problems for the government. The government claims that such an alliance already exists, and it often has used this claim to argue for maintaining martial law, imposed in 1972. Both the MNLF and the NPA have denied an alliance exists.1 In addition, very real obstructions to such an alliance support the denials and seriously undermine the credibility of the government. Nevertheless, its claims cannot be completely dismissed. Field research has shown that some cooperation between the two movements has been taking place at the grass-roots level. From these contacts, a unique alliance between revolutionary forces of Islam and communism could grow and pose the greatest threat yet to the existence of the Marcos