Magsaysay And Asian Communism

Outside the village and beyond the church, Filipino soldiers patrol for Huks still hiding in the recesses of a now useless mountains. Asian communists had been defeated by Asians, and a victory was a victory of a native Asian leader Philippine president Ramon Magsaysay as he talked from my camera I could feel the strength and honesty of the man ... system people that made them Huks and communists so we established a 'laboratory' in camp Murphy in the same manner that the doctor puts out on his own laboratory to find out what 'germs' are inside his patient in order to know how to kill the disease. In this army laboratory we question there hundreds of surrendered and captured Huks or communist especially from the breadbasket of this country, Central Luzon. After three months we found out that the 'germ' which drove this people into the mountain and became communist are food and shelter. They were mad with the government and they feel they're at the end of the line that there is no way out but to become communists so we started to give the 'medicine' to kill this germ the medicine is the farm of their own title a farmhouse, carabao, plow we made the settlement very attractive. Electric lights, running water community life, school buildings, basketball courts because we wanted to show the communists in the mountain that those who surrendered are given land that there is no more need no more need to stay in the mountains with the rats, snakes and malaria. That its worthwhile going down surrendering to the government. Many surrendered almost 9,500 of them when I was Secretary of Defense. Standing on the foot of Mt. Arayat in Central Luzon. This is the area known as the 'breadbasket' of the Philippine Islands on that mountain even today there are Huks - communist guerrillas but most of them have come down from the mountain and rejoined the society of free men their story is the success story in the fight against communist aggression in Asia The best success story in the Philippines is the one you get from the man behind a plow Ignacio is once an educated city man but then for eight years a tough communist guerrilla, had such a story Let's sit down here Mr. Jones we can talk here Ignacio, few Americans have had the opportunity to talk with a Philippine communist. What brought you down from Mt. Arayat? Mr. Jones the reason are all about us. For eight years I was a Huk guerilla we had to move every night food was scarce, we were often hungry this is Edgardo he was born out in those hills there was no chance for him to play there. And this is my wife Mina. We have been together for eight years some good times, some very bad times but she is a good wife. Lets go back to the beginning what made you a Huk? When the Japanese came I ran into the Hills to fight against them as a guerilla even then communists were among us gradually we were converted. Until recently things were very bad here I don't know how to say this but what I mean is we were afraid of the Army, for them our government was crooked and corrupt we just had no faith. So I became a communist official a political director among the Huk guerrillas we had been on several raids many innocent civilians were killed I protested very much this was not the People's Liberation Army I had believe in it was then that the communists band against me I was ambushed this bulletwound is what I got for eight years of service to the Huks but even before that I knew they were wrong One last question in you opinion majority of the people here feel that communism has failed in the Philippine Islands? Yes. I think I understand those sentiments Ignacio. Thank you very much and goodbye.