Huk Rebellion:
During World War Two, a organization originated which consisted of various communist political groups. They were struggling to liberate the Philippines from Japanese control. This group was called Hukbalahap, which was derived from the longer name of Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapan (Greenberg). In English this is translated as the ‘People’s anti-Japanese army’. The Huks began making their way to central Luzon to gain supporters of peasants and to attempt to rebel against the government. Like the Huks, the tenant farmers were mistreated by the government and were living in constant debt and poor conditions. Eventually because of this and the persuasion from a socialist, Luis Taruc, eighty percent of tenant farmers began to join the expanding Huk army (Greenberg). Ultimately, there were 15,000 armed soldiers and supporters on the Huk’s side (Greenberg). Besides gaining large numbers, the Huks created fighting tools and developed communication networks (Greenberg). This would help prepare them to rebel against the government in the future.
The United States aided the Philippines in recapturing Luzon from the Japanese in 1945 and they were soon granted independence on July 4th 1946. The Huks were involved in elections after Philippine independence but only gained one seat in congress (Greenberg). The Huks became enraged and demanded that the Philippines become communist. After the large amount of preparations, the Huks were ready to attack the capital city of the Philippines, Manila. However, the Filipino government was willing to resist this with having knowledge of the location of the Huk headquarters (Greenberg). From there, the United States aided the government in sending weapons and additional equipment to stop future Huk outbursts. Additionally, the presidency of Ramon Magsaysay aided the decrease of Huk supporters as a result of valiant political and economic reforms. This caused the loss of interest to support the communist movement. Soon enough, after vigorous military action and reformation of the Filipino government, the Luis Taruc surrendered in 1954 (Greenberg).
The United States aided the Philippines in recapturing Luzon from the Japanese in 1945 and they were soon granted independence on July 4th 1946. The Huks were involved in elections after Philippine independence but only gained one seat in congress (Greenberg). The Huks became enraged and demanded that the Philippines become communist. After the large amount of preparations, the Huks were ready to attack the capital city of the Philippines, Manila. However, the Filipino government was willing to resist this with having knowledge of the location of the Huk headquarters (Greenberg). From there, the United States aided the government in sending weapons and additional equipment to stop future Huk outbursts. Additionally, the presidency of Ramon Magsaysay aided the decrease of Huk supporters as a result of valiant political and economic reforms. This caused the loss of interest to support the communist movement. Soon enough, after vigorous military action and reformation of the Filipino government, the Luis Taruc surrendered in 1954 (Greenberg). 
The Huk Rebellion was one of the most known rebellious acts in the history of the Philippines. Throughout this event and its preperation, Luis Taruc was portrayed as the leading figure. Although he and the Huks approached with violence and were against the Filipino government, he did unify the lower class individuals in Luzon and gave attention that the government was not providing. Since the Huks refused to back down on numerous occasions, the Filipino government and the United States had no choice but to use force against them. This allowed the Filipino government to fight for the independence that they desired and they learned that with struggle comes great pride. In addition, the support for the government grew tremendously after Ramon Magsaysay’s presence throughout the rebellion. This helped unify parts of the Philippines and aided to the achievement of their ultimate goal: independence.
Katipunan:
In 1892, the Filipinos, who had an interest in overthrowing the Spanish rule, founded an organization called the Katipunan. Katipunan is an acronym in one of the languages that is spoken in the Philippines. “Katipunan” stands for "Highest and Most Respectable Association of the Sons of the People" ("The Katipunan"). This secret society was founded by Andres Bonifacio in Manila who wanted to prepare for a revolution to try to achieve independence of the Philippines from Spain ("The Katipunan"). This organization could have been extremely costly to the members if discovered; they were at risk of being tortured or killed. The secret society had confidential passwords, formulas, and ceremonies ("The Katipunan"). New members went through a thorough initiation including blood compact (process that involved multiple people extracting blood from the body and consuming each other’s. This is done as a tradition to seal the membership). Soon enough, Katipunan began to widely spread throughout the nation. Of the night before revolt against Spain in August 1896, there were 30,000 members, both men and women in the organization ("The Katipunan"). The majority of members of the Katipunan were peasants or from a low class.
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| The revolution flag of the Katipunan. |
A leader like figure who eventually rose up to aid in the revolt was Jose Rizal. Although not an initiated member of the Katipunan, Jose Rizal was highly admired as a leader by the organization. Upon his return to the Philippines in 1892 form Europe, he established a non-violent reform society ("Jose Rizal"). Rizal inspired the members to battle in 1896 against the Spanish, but were unfortunatley outfought. He was conisdered as a Philippine nationalist at the time of his existance but was only looking out to reform the Spanish government rather than to fully promote Philippine independence ("Jose Rizal"). He published many novels during his lifetime including two that discuss the evils of Spanish rule in the Philippines. Eventually, members were discovered and these Filipino revolutionaries were forced to retreat to northern Luzon and Rizal was executed in Manila ("The Katipunan"). Throughout the existence of the Katipunan, it was considered an organization that promoted nationalism throughout the Philippines.
