Brigadier General Victor Navarro Corpus (born October 4, 1944) is a retired

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

military officer and public official best known for his 1970 defection from the

Armed Forces of the Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ( fil, Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy (including the Marine Corps). The P ...

(AFP) to the

New People's Army The New People's Army ( fil, Bagong Hukbong Bayan), abbreviated NPA or BHB, is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), based primarily in the Philippine countryside. It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aimi ...

of the

Communist Party of the Philippines The Communist Party of the Philippines ( fil, Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas) is a far-left, Marxist-Leninist-Maoist revolutionary organization and communist party in the Philippines, formed by Jose Maria Sison on 26 December 1968. It is desi ...

during the

authoritarian regime Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic votin ...

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

, for his defection from the NPA in 1976, his return to the AFP after the 1986

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

, and his later role as chief of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP). A member of the

Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( fil, Akademiyang Militar ng Pilipinas / es, Academia Militar de Filipinas) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of ...

Class of 1967, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General of the AFP in May 2003, and retired with that rank when he reached retirement age in October 2004.

Early life and education

Corpus was born on 4 October 1944 in San Pablo City, Laguna. His father was Col. Vicente Corpus of the AFP Medical Corps. He took his elementary and high school studies at De La Salle University, and then on his father's insistence, entered the Philippine Military Academy in 1963. Corpus eventually graduated from PMA as part of the "Dimasupil" class of 1967.

Career

He entered the Philippine Army, where he received Airborne and Special Forces training. He later transferred to the Philippine Constabulary. Disgruntled by corruption in the armed forces, he opted for an assignment as instructor at the PMA.

1970 PMA Armory raid

On 29 December 1970, Corpus formally defected to the

and led a raid on the PMA armory. Timing the raid when most cadets were out on Christmas vacation and the PMA's senior officers including its Superintendent, General Ugalde had left the camp to meet President Ferdinand Marcos upon his scheduled arrival in nearby Baguio City. Corpus, who was PMA's designated officer of the day (OOD), guided the NPA raiding team which managed to escape with Browning Automatic Rifles, carbines, machine guns, and various other weapons and ammunition.

1976 surrender

Disgruntled with the

, Corpus decided to surrender to government in 1976, and spent the rest of the

Marcos dictatorship At 7:17 pm on September 23, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos announced on television that he had placed the entirety of the Philippines under martial law. This marked the beginning of a 14-year period of one-man rule that would effectively last ...

in prison. After Marcos was deposed in the peaceful 1986

EDSA Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of c ...

, Corpus was granted clemency by President

Corazon Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...

Return to the AFP and retirement

In 1987, Corpus was reinstated into the Armed Forces of the Philippines, with a rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General of the AFP in May 2003, and retired with that rank when he reached retirement age in October 2004.

References

Living people 1944 births Philippine Military Academy alumni Philippine Military Academy Class of 1967 Defectors Filipino political commentators {{Philippines-bio-stub