The History of Insurgency and Peace Talks in the Philippines

Vocabulary terms covering the history of communist insurgencies, Moro secessionist movements, historical peace accords, and violent splinter groups in the Philippines.

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)

A communist organization founded in December 1968 by Jose Maria Sison.

New People's Army (NPA)

The armed wing formed in March 1969 by Jose Maria Sison and Bernabe Buscayno ("Commander Dante"), which peaked in the early 1980s with an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 armed regulars.

National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP)

The political umbrella organization representing the CPP-NPA in peace negotiations with the Philippine government.

Mendiola Massacre

The violent incident that caused the breakdown of the initial 1986–1987 peace negotiations initiated under President Corazon Aquino.

The Hague Joint Declaration

A 1992 structural peace framework establishing a four-point agenda: human rights, socio-economic reforms, political/constitutional reforms, and the end of hostilities.

Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG)

A 1995 agreement signed between the Philippine government and the NDFP to provide safety and immunity protections for negotiators during peace talks.

CARHRIOD

The Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law, a landmark agreement signed in 1998 under the Estrada administration.

Proclamation No. 374

A proclamation signed by President Rodrigo Duterte formally designating the CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization following the 2017 termination of peace talks.

Oslo Joint Communiqué

A formal agreement announced in November 2023, brokered by Norway under President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., aimed at restarting exploratory peace talks with communist rebels.

Jabidah Massacre

A 1968 event where Moro military recruits were allegedly executed by government forces, serving as the primary catalyst for the Moro secessionist rebellion.

Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)

A separatist organization founded by Nur Misuari following the Jabidah Massacre to fight for an independent Moro nation (Bangsamoro).

1976 Tripoli Agreement

A peace pact brokered by Libya under President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in which the MNLF agreed to abandon its demand for full independence in exchange for autonomy across 13 provinces in Mindanao.

1996 Final Peace Agreement

A peace pact signed under President Fidel V. Ramos that expanded the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and installed MNLF leader Nur Misuari as its governor.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)

A conservative breakaway faction founded in 1977 by Salamat Hashim after splitting from the MNLF to continue armed struggle for an independent state.

2000 "All-Out War"

A military campaign launched by President Joseph Estrada that captured the MILF's main headquarters at Camp Abubakar and displaced nearly a million civilians.

Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD)

A 2008 draft peace accord under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that triggered renewed fighting after the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional.

Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB)

A 2014 peace agreement achieved under President Benigno Aquino III where the MILF agreed to decommission its 10,000-strong fighting force and drop secessionist demands in exchange for an autonomous homeland.

Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL)

A 2018 law enacted under President Rodrigo Duterte that codified the CAB and led to the replacement of the ARMM with the BARMM following a public plebiscite.

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)

An autonomous regional entity established in 2019 to replace the ARMM, led by an MILF-managed transition government.

Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)

An extremist splinter group formed in the early 1990s by Abdurajak Janjalani that broke from the MNLF, becoming infamous for kidnappings-for-ransom, maritime piracy, and bombings.

Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF)

A breakaway group formed in 2010 by Ameril Umbra Kato that opposed the MILF's peace negotiations with the Philippine government and swore allegiance to ISIS.

Maute Group

A family-led, ISIS-aligned militant network that co-instigated the 2017 Siege of Marawi City alongside the Abu Sayyaf Group.

2017 Siege of Marawi City

A five-month urban armed conflict instigated by the Maute Group and the ASG that resulted in the declaration of island-wide martial law across Mindanao.