Word: taruc
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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Neatly dressed in gabardine slacks and lightweight lumber jacket, a battered copy of Reader's Digest clutched in his hands, Prisoner Luis Taruc stood before the bar of justice in Manila last week. The man who had led the bloody, Communist Huk rebellion for eight years heard his sentence: twelve years in jail, a $10,000 fine. Taruc beamed, relatives happily pounded his back, bussed his cheeks. Then, with colossal effrontery, the rebel leader announced: "I can take anything for the sake of the peace of our country...
Ever since Taruc surrendered voluntarily and amicably to his emissaries last May, talk of a deal has persisted: the Philippine government seemed almost as anxious as Taruc to stop the costly bloodletting. Despite Taruc's acknowledged involvement in killing, the government had not asked the death sentence, but it had plainly expected a lifetime jail sentence. "I am shocked," said President Ramon Magsaysay. "For the No. 1 Communist of all to get such a light sentence is a mockery of justice." Magsaysay forthwith ordered his legal aides to 1) appeal the light sentence, 2) press murder charges against Taruc...
Though he had just acknowledged crimes punishable by death, Taruc appeared unworried as he read a 20-minute statement: "I represent the feelings and sentiments of thousands of militant peasants compelled to take up arms since 1946 as a last resort to defend ourselves [against] calculated persecutions." Then he went on to attack his own Communist leadership, in Communist lingo, for having followed "a criminal adventurist policy of armed seizure of power through national uprising." He even praised the "U.S. Government and farsighted Filipino leaders [who] boldly decided to seize the initiative by compelling reform," and saluted President Ramon Magsaysay...
Whether this doubletalk meant that Taruc was a changed (though unrepentant) man or was simply proclaiming a new tactical retreat of the party was hard to determine from his speech. The one-time Huk leader never once referred to his surrender (TIME, May 24), instead preferred to say that he "came down" to Manila. It was plain that the Magsaysay government was happy to have him in its hands instead of on its hands : the campaign against the Huk hideouts is going well, but is also costly...
Significantly, the government did not ask the death sentence for Prize Prisoner Taruc, instead demanded life imprisonment...