The Huks fought alongside the Filipinos to defeat the Japanese in World War to, but quickly became a challenge for the new Flipino government as they sought to infiltrate communism into the Philippines. Hukbalahap, short for Hukbong Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon which translates to “People’s Anti-Japanese Army” in Filipino. This communist party was created to overthrow the Japanese and end their occupation of the Philippines. The Huks killed thousands of Japanese soldiers and Filipinos linked with the Japanese which played a key role in Japan’s defeat. In 1946, a democratic government was established in the Philippines. Their newly-acquired independence was accompanied with opposition from the Huks. During the postwar elections, the Huks only gained one spot in the Filipino congress. The government saw this as a threat to the democracy and denied the Huks the power to hold this seat leading to the reestablishment of the Huk guerrilla organization. They fought against their own government and were condemned worldwide for their ambushes, robberies, and kidnappings. The Huks captured and killed Aurora Quezon, the wife of President Manuel Quezon. Although the United States supplied them with weapons to fight the guerrillas the Filipino government was approaching defeat as the Huks gained momentum throughout the country. The Huks planned an assault on the capital city of Manila but were located by Filipino government before the attack. The main leaders of the Huk were arrested, marking an end to this conflict.
