ABSTRACT
By the late 1970s, having experimented with tactics for much of their first decade, the New People's Army rebels had gained a measure of expertise in the tasks of organizing political support and waging guerrilla warfare. Military officers suddenly found themselves in potentially lucrative government jobs with the political and economic power to lord it over those outside the armed forces. The rapid expansion of the armed forces and broadening of their powers led to a breakdown of discipline within the ranks. Capitalizing adroitly on the combined effects of steadily worsening economic conditions and an increasingly abusive army, the communist guerrillas gained entree and won acceptance in an increasing number of villages throughout the Philippines. The military tried to "win" Barangay Naddungan and break the resistance of villagers through a variety of heavy-handed tactics. The soldiers practiced "strategic hamletting," forcing families to move into more populated areas under army supervision.
