Zambales: The Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) on Tuesday asked militant groups why a number of their members have ended up caught in between the government’s armed encounters with communist rebels.
According to Philippines News Agency, PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala stated that the responsibility for the “tragic loss of young lives falls squarely on the Kabataan Party-List [and militant group] Anakbayan, and their allied front organizations that radicalize the youth and lead them into armed struggle.” He questioned why these groups have members consistently ending up in combat zones, wielding firearms against government forces, following recent deadly clashes in Toboso and Cauayan towns in Negros Occidental.
The April 19 clash in Toboso resulted in the deaths of 19 NPA rebels, many of whom were young individuals. The May 16 encounter in Cauayan left five persons dead, including former student leader Vince Francis Dingding, reportedly a member of Kabataan Party-list’s Cebu chapter. Dema-ala emphasized that beyond the body count lies a greater tragedy: the communist terrorist groups’ terror-grooming scheme, which deprives deceived students of the chance to abandon the armed struggle and lead peaceful, productive lives.
Dema-ala also criticized the recent “National Fact-Finding and Solidarity Mission” by Anakbayan, labeling it as “cheap worn-out propaganda” linked to CTGs like the New People’s Army (NPA) to mask their defeat. Meanwhile, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) mentioned that Dingding’s parents, Romulo and Rica, in a letter dated May 18, appealed to the public to address all matters related to their son’s death through their barangay captain to spare the family further distress. The letter also included a postscript indicating the family’s decision not to claim his remains in Negros Occidental.
The NTF-ELCAC highlighted the profound grief of a family that lost a son to a movement that gradually pulled him away from home and loved ones. They questioned the true beneficiaries of the struggle, sacrifice, and revolution advocated by the CTG, noting that it is ordinary Filipino families that bear the highest cost.
Furthermore, Dema-ala acknowledged the neutralization of Rolando Dantes, the notorious Southern Negros counterpart to NPA hitman Roger Fabillar. Dantes, who evaded multiple arrest warrants for murder, was the key suspect in the killings of a barangay official in Cauayan, a 74-year-old woman in Kabankalan City, and 50 other victims last year. Dema-ala credited the community’s timely information for the success of security operations against the CTG remnants and assured justice for the victims of CTG atrocities.
