ABSTRACT
Fighting between the government forces of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (NPA) intensified during 2018 as the peace process stalled following President Rodrigo Duterte’s termination of formal talks in November 2017. The rebels continued to collect ‘revolutionary taxes’ in their areas of influence and attacked firms that failed to comply. The NPA also targeted a broad range of local opponents including village chieftains, tribal leaders, politicians and alleged military informants. The NPA is active in 70 of the Philippines’ 81 provinces, making it difficult for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to contain and ultimately defeat the group, especially as the Philippines is an expansive maritime nation with more than 7,000 islands. Poverty and underdevelopment have long fuelled grievances against the government, sustaining the NPA’s support and recruitment in rural areas. The NPA’s battlefield tactics in 2018 fell in line with historical trends, with the group ambushing state security personnel in the countryside.
