SUMMARY
After four hundred years of colonialism, the Philippines gained independence from the United States on 4 July 1946. Previously, it was ruled by Spain before becoming an US protectorate in 1898. During the Second World War, the Philippines was briefly occupied by Japan until the defeat of Japan in 1945. The majority of the population is unified by a shared Roman-Catholic cultural and religious background. The most significant minority group is the Muslims in Southern Philippines, primarily in Mindanao; Islam reached the South as early as the 14th century. The Philippines has experienced a significant level of violence throughout the years, continuing in the 2020s. Since 1946 the Philippines has experienced the intra-state, non-state and one-sided categories of UCDP organized violence.
2025
In 2025, violence occurred mainly within the Philippines: Government conflict between the Government of Philippines and CPP. The number of fatalities remained on similar levels as previous years. Although the government forces suffered a number of fatalities, most casualties were on the side of the insurgents. At the end of 2023, the warring parties issued a joint statement comitting to work toward resuming peace negotiations. However, while exploratory contacts continued, 2024 and 2025 saw no resumption of formal negotiations or major agreements.
Organized violence in the Philippines
There have been three types of intrastate conflicts since 1946: one with communist insurgency groups over government, another territorial nature with various Muslim separatist organizations in Mindanao, and lastly a series of military coup attempts in the late 1980s.
The first had its beginnings in the first decade of independence; repression of dissent and a mishandled land redistribution policy set the stage for an intensification of the Hukbalahap (Huk) Rebellion which begun in 1946 and ended in 1954, led by activists from the Filipino Communist Party, PKP. In the early 1960s, increasing criticism of U.S. involvement in Filipino affairs and the inspiration of successful revolutions in China and Cuba incited young PKP members to continue the armed struggle against the government. These activists decided to establish the Communist Party of Philippines (CPP) in 1968. The group has engaged in armed struggle from its inception and well into the 21st century, continuing their conflict with the Government of Philippines even in 2025.
The second type of intrastate conflict dates back to colonial times and the formation of the Moro identity and the idea of an independent Moro homeland in Southern Philippines. The term ‘Moro’ comes from a Spanish Reconquista-period term for Arabs or Muslims. However, it was not until the 1970s and 1980s that Moro nationalists organized into various rebel groups, infused with Islamist ideology. The most significant rebel groups involved in the Moro struggle have been the Mindanao Independence Movement (MIM), the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM). In recent years, some of these groups have pledged allegiance to Islamic State. IS appointed ASG leader Isnilon Hapilon as the emir of the Islamic State forces in the Philippines in 2016, marking the creation of the Islamic State in the region.
The Government of Philippines, as well as both Muslim and Communist rebels have employed one-sided violence as a part of their tactics.
Non-state conflicts in the 90s, 00s and 10s
There have been five non-state conflicts in the Philippines, mainly occurring in southern parts of the country. particularly in Mindanao. Although the number of direct victims could be considered relatively low, the conflicts caused the displacement of a large number of civilians. A majority of the conflicts have appeared between clans or tribes. These conflicts have either come about because of, or concerned, land disputes. The conflict between Christians (Philippines) and Muslims (Philippines) erupted in the early 90s, when tensions between the two groups turned into small-scale violence inflicted either as disputes over land or acts of revenge over long-running vendettas. Moving on, the outbreak of violence in 1998 between the Hadji Faizal Abdulkarim clan and the Hadji Masir Ahalul clan can be explained both by the killing of a son of Ahalul by a Abdulkarim clan member and by land disputes.
Disputes over land and resources also occurred between the indigenous groups named Lumad and Moro, reaching the level of inclusion by definition of UCDP in 2006. A year later, the conflict between the Forces of Jing Caludtiag and the Forces of Randy Karon began. With the help of an MNLF chairman, the two parties were able to negotiate a peace agreement, although fighting continued approximately a month later. Finally, a conflict between BIFM and MILF appeared after the first-mentioned group was created by a splinter from the latter separatist rebel group in 2011. Fighting erupted over agricultural land in sporadic clashes.
Pre-1989 conflicts
In 1986–1990, a conflict subsisted between disgruntled factions of the Filipino armed forces and the government, following the successful popular uprising against the Marcos dictatorship in 1986.
Since independence, the Philippines has not been a primary party in any interstate conflict. However, due to the strong military and economic ties to the United States, Filipino troops participated in the Korean War (1950–1953), and non-combatant engineers later augmented U.S. forces in Vietnam. Crucial to U.S. military action in the Vietnam war were bases located in the Philippines; these bases came courtesy of a (later-amended) 99-year lease on a number of Philippine military and naval bases in which U.S. authorities had virtual territorial rights.
