The New People's Army, or NPA, is a communist-based revolutionary group in the Philippines, formed in December 1969. The NPA is the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). The group is estimated to have around 10,000 members, much less than the 25,000 to 30,000 when Ferdinand Marcos was in power. This group was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States in April 2003. The NPA's founder, Jose Maria Sison, lives in the Netherlands in exile, where he is reportedly still directing the NPA and CPP. The group is sometimes accused of being more of an extortionist than a revolutionary group. Recently, the NPA has been accused of having connections with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The NPA operates mostly in the rural areas but also has urban assassination squads called Sparrow Units. The NPA's targets often include politicians, military, police, former comrades and occasionally U.S. soldiers. Sometimes in rural areas the police are also rebels. Communism is a term that can refer to one of several things: a social and economic system, an ideology which supports that system, or a political movement that wishes to implement that system. ... This article is in need of attention. ... The Republic of the Philippines is a country of South East Asia, located in the western Pacific Ocean some 1,210 km (750 mi) from mainland Asia. ... 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Edralin Marcos (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was the tenth President of the Republic of the Philippines. ... Terrorism refers to the use of violence for the purpose of achieving a political, religious, or ideological goal. ... The United States of America — also referred to as the United States, the U.S.A., the U.S., America, the States, or (archaically) Columbia—is a federal republic of 50 states located primarily in central North America (with the exception of two states: Alaska and Hawaii). ... 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December _ → A timeline of events in the news for April 2003. ... The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). ... See Exile (disambiguation) for other meanings. ... Extortion is a criminal offense, which occurs when a person obtains money, behaviour, or other goods and/or services from another by wrongfully threatening or inflicting harm to his person, reputation, or property. ... The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is an active Islamic movement in the Southern Philippines. ...

The NPA's roots can be traced from the Hukbalahap, a resistance group formed during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. The Hukbalahap was the militant arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), formed in 1942 to fight the Japanese occupation in the Philippines during World War II. The term is a contraction of the Filipino term Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon which means Army of the...

External links

• CPP website (http://www.philippinerevolution.org/)