The then defense secretary Juan Ponce Enrile inspects the intercepted landing of arms from China—a haul that included automatic rifles, ammunition, bazookas, mortars and anti-aircraft guns.
Mao’s huge role was crucial for the growth of Sison’s party, that there was even a five-man delegation in Beijing that was a liaison for this. This episode has been reported in detail in Mario Miclat’s book Secrets of the Eighteen Mansions, which I reviewed in a 2010 column “Secrets of the Communist Party.”