The Filipino people are suffering from severe human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL) as the Marcos Jr. regime aims to eliminate the Communist Party of the Philippines by the end of 2024.
In rural areas, a state of virtual martial law prevails, with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) imposing curfews, food blockades, and restrictions on movement. These military operations are often accompanied by aerial bombings and artillery attacks, which devastate agricultural lands and disrupt the livelihoods of local farmers.
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) actively surveils, red-tags, and harasses local activists, coercing them into denouncing their organizations. Many individuals are misled into attending aid distribution events, only to find themselves participating in “surrender ceremonies,” where they are falsely portrayed as “armed rebels returning to the folds of the law.”
In urban areas, including Metro Manila, the military employs similar tactics, pressuring local leaders to “clear their names” and form parallel groups to undermine progressive organizations. The Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act are increasingly weaponized against mass leaders, people’s organizations, and development NGOs serving marginalized communities.
The Philippine government has ramped up legal actions against these groups in anticipation of a scheduled review by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in early 2025. In conflict-prone rural areas, numerous unarmed peasants have been extrajudicially killed or subjected to forced disappearances, torture, and illegal arrests. Captured members of the New People’s Army (NPA) are also killed, in blatant violation of IHL.
This brutal counter-insurgency campaign is a collaborative effort between the US and the Marcos Jr. regime, with the US providing the doctrinal framework for counter-insurgency operations in the Philippines.