Alex Boncayao Brigade
- proper noun
:
Brigada Alex Boncayao
- The Alex Boncayao Brigade was infamous for its daring attacks in Manila during the 1980s.
Examples
-
Historians note that the Alex Boncayao Brigade influenced urban revolutionary tactics in Southeast Asia.
-
Several members of the Alex Boncayao Brigade were arrested following a government crackdown on insurgent groups.
-
The Alex Boncayao Brigade was notorious for its urban guerrilla tactics.
-
Did you know about the Alex Boncayao Brigade in the Philippines?
-
The Alex Boncayao Brigade carried out several high-profile operations against government officials in the Philippines during the late 1980s.
-
During the 1990s, the Alex Boncayao Brigade was involved in numerous armed confrontations in urban areas.
-
Many discuss the legacy of the Alex Boncayao Brigade as a significant part of Philippine revolutionary history.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Alex + Boncayao + brigade
A learner who knows 'brigade' would correctly infer this is an organized military-style group and that the phrase names it after a person/place (Alex Boncayao), so the basic notion of 'a group called Alex Boncayao Brigade' is derivable. However, the specific sense — that it was a communist urban guerrilla organization active in the Philippines and known for armed operations — cannot be inferred from the proper names alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The Alex Boncayao Brigade took its name from a man called Alex Boncayao. One popular story says he became a local hero after he died. The word Brigade means a small armed unit, so the name came to mean 'an armed urban guerrilla group'.
