The Huks were a group of armed communist rebels in the Philippines whose main objective was to gain independence for the nation and a more equitable society. The group first rebelled against Japan during World War II, and would later fight the American-supported Filipino government after they gained independence. Their movement grew during World War II, diminished in the mid-1950s, then returned during the late 1960s. In 1941, Japan had taken control of the chain of islands after defeating American and Filipino forces. Since the Huk rebels originated in the fight against Japan in WWII, the name "Huk" is short for Hukbalahap, which is a contraction of the phrase, “Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon”, which means “People’s Anti-Japanese Army.”
Most support of the Huks came from peasants living in central Luzon, the largest and most important island of the Philippines, both economically and politically. 80 percent of the local farmers in the region were living with oppressive debt and were struggling to get by. Because of this, the communist ideals of the Huks began appealing to the peasants, because they thought it would help them become equal to all other citizens. At the time, the rebels and peasants were unaware of the potential of a communist society to make everyone equal, but "equally poor."
The Huks were led by socialist Luis Taruc, who pushed for nationalism and agrarian reforms. He had previously been a peasant organizer during the 1930s in Luzon and this helped the Huks train their supporters in political theory and fighting strategy during the war.
By the end of the war, the Huks had amassed about 15,000 armed soldiers and many other supporters. They obtained weapons from retreating Filipino soldiers and old battlefields and used mainly guerilla tactics to interfere with the passage of Japanese food and military supplies while also disrupting the Japanese from collecting taxes.
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