Nice to hear that some foreigners in this side of the internet are getting interested on our side of the world lol. But yeah, I'm a local Flip residing on the southern part of the country, close to where Mayor 30 came from.
So to help you keep up to speed, this is the big picture in the Philippine setting:
The key players are
The MNLF are muslims residing in the south who want to split from the Philippines, since after all they were just dragged into this mess during the treaty of Paris when Spain barely gained a foothold on one muslim stronghold claiming they have conquered the region, when they in fact, have not. The MILF are like the MNLF, except they have come to terms with reality and changed their terms to be an Autonomous state in the Philippines. Think Hong Kong of China.
The NDF and its armed forces, the NPA, are commies. Their roots are from displaced farmers and tribesmen who were ousted from their lands when the new Philippine Administration circa 1950s thought it was a good idea to let the densely populated Christians migrate to the south and grab whatever lands they could find. I'm not well versed with their history since I don't live on the regions where the Commies stir shit, but from what I know, they bribe the shit out of locals for "protection" from the government forces, and engage the army guerilla style.
These two main groups were hostile rebels against the Philippine Government, mainly because they were misplaced, and needed to get their rights back.
Then we have the Islamic extremists, the Abu Sayyaf, the BIFF, and the new Maute Group, who were former MNLF/MILF influencials/officers who came in contact with terrorist recruiters under the guise of Arabian missionaries. They're then financially backed and supported by the Al Qaeda, and recently ISIS, to stir shit up in the Southeast Asian region. Thanks to the ceasefire under Duterte's administration though, they're getting pinned hard by the Philippine Army, while the rebels with a negotiable cause are welcomed back with open arms.
Then we have the case of the corrupt establishment. USA and Chinese political pawns in the administration, business sector, and drugs. I'm not well versed on the story behind these guys, so I'll stop here for now.