Luis Taruc

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Luis Taruc (June 21, 1913 - May 4, 2005) was a Philippine political figure and communist revolutionary. He was the leader of the Hukbalahap rebel group between 1942 and 1954. His involvement with the movement came after his initiation on the problems of agrarian Filipinos when he was a student in the early 1930s. Under his leadership, the Hukbalahap became a potent force combating the foreign aggressors during the Second World War. Taruc, together with 7 of his colleagues, were elected to the House of Representatives but were not allowed to take their seats in Congress driving them back to the hills. The Taruc faction opposed the parity rights that the U.S. wanted to enjoy post-independence Philippines. In the next 5 years, Taruc gave up on the parliamentary struggle and once more took up arms. At the height of its popularity , the Hukbalahap reached a fighting strength of 10,000 to 15,000.

[edit] Early life

He was born of peasant folks in the farming town of San Luis, Pampanga. He went to the University of Manila for a few years but returned to his hometown without getting a degree to set up a haberdashery. At this time he came under the influence of Pedro Abad Santos, a wealthy intellectual, and Juan Feleo, a peasant leader. They were the two leading lights of the emerging communist movement in the 1930's. At age 22,he became officially a member of the Philippine Communist Party, to which he would devote his life for the next 2 decades.

[edit] Legacy

In early 1954, Benigno Aquino, Jr., then a news reporter, was appointed by president Ramon Magsaysay to act as personal emissary to Luis Taruc. After four months of negotiations, Taruc surrendered unconditionally to the government. This effectively ended what is now in Philippine history as the Huk rebellion. He was brought to court and sentenced to twelve years in prison. After his release, he continued to work for Agrarian reforms. His struggle for justice on behalf of the poor and oppressed farmers encouraged local and national leaders to push for changes in relations between landlord and farm workers and the equitable distribution of farm lands. Many of the issues that drove him and fellow Huk members to rebellion still prevail in many parts of the Philippines.