Hunting Specters: Paranoid Purges in Filipino Communist Guerilla Movement

Alex de Jong, Hunting Specters: Paranoid Purges in Filipino Communist Guerilla Movement, in the book, Genocide: New Perspectives on its Causes, Courses and Consequences (Page 113), Amsterdam University Press, 2016.

In "Hunting Specters: Paranoid Purges in the Filipino Communist Guerrilla Movement," Alex de Jong delves into the depths of paranoia that gripped the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) during the 1980s. Within this tumultuous period, the CPP became embroiled in a witch-hunting frenzy, where members were arbitrarily labeled as military spies for exhibiting traits such as excessive diligence or bravery. This paranoia was exacerbated by setbacks on the battlefield, including incidents where NPA commanding officers were betrayed and shot in the back after ambushing government forces. Through meticulous analysis, de Jong sheds light on how these paranoid purges unfolded within the CPP, illuminating the complexities and consequences of such internal strife within revolutionary movements. This narrative, featured in "Genocide: New Perspectives on its Causes, Courses, and Consequences," published by Amsterdam University Press in 2016, offers a compelling exploration of the interplay between ideology, suspicion, and betrayal within the context of guerrilla warfare.