ABSTRACT
Death, capture, and serious injury are ever-present occupational hazards for those adventurous enough to join the New People's Army’s (NPA). There is always a danger of being caught at a checkpoint or stumbling into a military patrol while moving in and out of relatively secure communist zones. Good relations with peasant supporters were assiduously cultivated, giving substance to the NPA's claim that it was a people's army. Political and ideological training inculcated high morale and the will to win in the peasant rebels. The strict egalitarianism was extended to virtually every aspect of life in the communist army. "The Party leads the army" was the NPA's guiding principle, and as a result political and ideological instruction occupied a significant part of the lives of NPA members. A strong theme of the political education provided to NPA soldiers was that US imperialism was largely to blame for the poverty and injustices in the Philippines.
