WHEREAS, in March 1942, when the fall of Bataan became imminent, a group of Filipino peasants and workers led by Luis M. Taruc banded together in a barrio in Central Luzon to organize a resistance movement, otherwise known as the Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon (HUKBALAHAP) directed against the Japanese Imperial Army during the occupation of the Philippines;

WHEREAS, the active participation of these guerilla fighters must be recognized by the government of the Philippines;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree:

SECTION 1. The former members of the Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon (HUKBALAHAP) who actually fought the Japanese at any time during the period from 1941 to 1915 under Luis M. Taruc are hereby recognized officially as elements of the underground forces of the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines during World War II.

SEC. 2. The Philippine Veterans Affairs Office shall make a listing of these members of the HUKBALAHAP who fought the Japanese during World War II, in
coordination with the existing agencies concerned.

SEC. 3. The Philippine Veterans Affairs Office shall process the said claim in coordination with the existing agencies concerned. It shall establish such rules and
regulations necessary to establish the service record of these members, in coordination with the organizers, staff, or commanders of the HUKBALAHAP under Luis M. Taruc.

SEC. 4. Agencies implementing the pertinent laws on veterans benefits are hereby enjoined to receive, process, adjudicate and grant, if warranted, the claims of HUKBALAHAP members or their dependents for hospitalization and scholarship, notwithstanding any previous deadlines established to the contrary.

SEC. 5. Such provisions of existing laws, decrees, rules or regulations inconsistent with the provisions of the Decree, are hereby modified accordingly.

SEC. 6. This decree shall take effect upon approval.

Done in the City of Manila, this 7th day of October, in the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-seven.

			(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS President of the Philippines
	By the President:
	(Sgd.) JACOBO C. CLAVE
		Presidential Executive Assistant