Former NPA Leader Recounts Mindanao Rebellion in Memoir Launch

The first in a series of Philippine launches of "Deeper Ground, Darker Shadows: The Making of a Mindanao Rebel," the memoir of Eddie L. Quitoriano, a former leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Mindanao, was held on July 23 at the UP BGC campus. Published by Ateneo de Manila University Press in arrangement with the University of Wisconsin Press, the book recounts the life of Mindanawon Eddie Quitoriano, who hails from Initao, Misamis Oriental, in two parts. The first part, “Walay Sapatos,” details his recruitment into the revolutionary movement and his rise as one of the top organizers of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and a commander of the New People’s Army (NPA), particularly within the Mindanao Commission. Mindanao became the fastest-growing zone of the revolutionary movement until internal purges contributed to its decline, with the Party decimating its own ranks. The second part, “Deeper Ground, Darker Shadows,” follows Quitoriano’s journey abroad as an envoy tasked with seeking military assistance from sympathetic governments and other radical movements. His travels took him from the Sandinistas in Nicaragua to Syria, Libya, North Korea, Peru, Brazil, and Yugoslavia. The memoir also narrates how Quitoriano picked up the pieces of his life, reintegrated into mainstream society, and built a career beyond the revolutionary movement. He is now the managing director of Visus Consulting and an independent consultant on international risk management, conflict resolution, and security. Separate launches of the book are also scheduled for Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City.