ABSTRACT
For most of the post-Marcos era, the left has not been a major player in Philippine politics. Following the election boycott fiasco in 1986, political and ideological disagreements deepened within the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), the dominant force in the left. The debates culminated in an acrimonious split in 1992–1993. Since then, the main body of the CPP-NPA has continued its armed struggle. Up to now, however, it has not advanced beyond the level of guerrilla warfare at a “strategic defensive” stage. Unable to move beyond a tactical and instrumental view of both peace negotiations and elections, the CPP-NPA and its legal fronts have not made much progress in either arena. Other left groups, including those that bolted away or were expelled from the CPP-NPA, have remained active in the mass movements, especially in the peasant and labor movements. But they have been weakened by splits and breakaways. With only a few seats in Congress and some scattered local elective posts, they do not pose much of a challenge to the overwhelming dominance of patronage-oriented politicians in Philippine politics.
