ABSTRACT

On March 16, 1986, Fely, a frail-looking New People's Army (NPA) guerrilla with mournful eyes, stood in the forest of North Cotabato province and watched as several rebel companions shoveled dirt from a shallow, unmarked grave. Sometime around late 1984, CPP leaders in northern Mindanao began to grow suspicious after the failure of several NPA operations and other internal problems. The guerrillas were victims of an NPA purge so terrifying and brutal that hundreds of guerrillas and perhaps tens of thousands of civilian supporters deserted the formidable communist organization on Mindanao between 1985 and 1987. An investigation was launched in northern Mindanao's Bukidnon province in mid-1985, and several NPA members and supporters were taken into custody by their rebel comrades for suspected spying. The investigation broadened and eventually led to suspected spies in every city and region of Mindanao.