The Philippines Rebels Left and Right

By Howard G. Chua-Eoan

Only one railroad line runs the 250 miles from Manila to Naga, a city of 100,000 people located on the narrow, volcano-filled Bicol peninsula. Early last week that line was dramatically severed as 500 men, dressed in military fatigues and believed to be guerrillas of the Communist New People's Army, hijacked a train bound from Naga to the capital. They commandeered it to the town of Del Gallego and attacked the local constabulary headquarters, killing at least five policemen and three civilians. To cover their rear, the rebels blew up a key railroad bridge and effectively cut off train service between the capital and the rest of the peninsula.

The hijacking seemed to be the latest attempt by the N.P.A. to wrest the strategic region from President Corazon Aquino's government, which was shaken and nearly toppled on Aug. 28 by a violent military mutiny. In the past four weeks alone, the Communist rebels have dynamited four bridges and torn up railway tracks along the Manila-Naga line. "It looks like a scenario for cutting off the north-south transportation of the country," said a Western military analyst. Some politicians warned that the N.P.A. might soon isolate Bicol from Manila and form a provisional government.

In addition to its strategic position, the region is politically important to Aquino, having heavily favored her over former Dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the disputed 1986 presidential election. At last week's Cabinet meeting -- the first gathering of that body since Aquino purged it of some of its more controversial members -- the President vowed to "look very carefully into the Bicol area."

Rebel activity in Bicol, as elsewhere, has sharply escalated in the month since loyal generals headed by Armed Forces Chief Fidel Ramos put down the military rebellion. The number of armed clashes with the Communist rebels is up 140%, while the government's military casualties have increased from a daily average of three to 4.4. Seeking to bolster the efficiency and loyalty of her army, Aquino early last week authorized a middle-level military reshuffle to replace 21 officers, some of whom are thought to have been involved in the August coup attempt. |

Most notable among the changes was the official cashiering of Colonel Gregorio ("Gringo") Honasan from his command of special operations at a provincial fort. Honasan, the leader of the failed revolt, remained at large with as many as 2,000 renegade troops. According to press reports, Honasan has been secretly slipping in and out of Manila under the protection of military guards. Members of the business community may now be funding him, and some observers predicted he would launch a new coup attempt within a few weeks. If so, he could win support among government troops and officers, a majority of whom continue to sympathize with Honasan's professed goals of an all-out offensive against the N.P.A. and higher living standards for soldiers. There was even speculation that the well-organized Bicol attacks were Honasan's work. Indeed, late last week the N.P.A. denied responsibility for the bombings and hinted that Honasan may be trying to set up his own power base.

The colonel has also been accused of being behind the assassination two weeks ago of Leandro Alejandro, 27. The much admired secretary-general of Bayan, the Philippines' largest legal left-wing coalition, Alejandro was shot down by unidentified gunmen outside Bayan headquarters. Honasan's friends deny that the renegade officer was responsible.

Honasan was linked to the murdered leftist in at least one respect: Aquino has appointed special task forces both to pursue the elusive colonel and investigate the Alejandro assassination. Meanwhile, leftist groups were planning mass protests to accompany this week's memorial service for their latest martyr. That event is expected to be the country's largest public funeral since 1983, when 2 million Filipinos mourned Benigno Aquino, the President's murdered husband.

With reporting by Jay Branegan and Nelly Sindayen/Manila