Another sad tale: Reporter-turned-terrorist killed
THE National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and the Philippine Army is calling on the country’s education officials to remain “vigilant” in guarding educational institutions from the continuing recruitment efforts by terrorist groups, particularly, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), after another student and promising local journalist ended up dead during an encounter between the New People’s Army (NPA) and elements of the 94th Infantry Battalion in Bgy Santol, Binalbagan, Negros Occidental last July 6, 2022.
This, after discovering that among the 4 NPA fatalities in the encounter was Nikka Ledesma Dela Cruz, 26, aka, ‘Chai,’ who hailed from Cebu province.
The profile of Dela Cruz disclosed that she came from a “well-to-do” family in Cebu and always dreamed of becoming a journalist.
After graduating with a degree of Bachelor of Arts Major in Communication at the University of San Jose-Recoletos, she had a short stint in the Cebu media scene.
At school, however, Dela Cruz had ended up being recruited by ‘Kabataan,’ a front organization of the CPP.
Sometime last February Dela Cruz decided to “go underground” and was deployed at the Central Negros front of the CPP-NPA.
The military said they earlier recovered a video clip showing Dela Cruz during a ‘cultural performance’ along with other CPP-NPA recruits inside a terrorist camp in Negros that confirmed her parents’ fear that she has become an active member of the communist terrorist group (CTG).
Aside from Dela Cruz, also killed in the clash were NPA members, Ruel Gemina Udtuhan, 46, aka, ‘Roel Daguit/Caloy;’ Rowel Sagun Ladera, 32, aka, ‘Jack’, both from Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental and, Alden Cabañog Rodriguez, 21, aka, ‘Jack,’ from Majuyod, Negros Oriental.
Referring to the sad tale of Dela Cruz, Capt. Kim Apitong, spokesperson of the 3rd Infantry Division, said, “Now is the time for the government, through its educational institutions, to be more vigilant in resolving the CPP-NPA-NDF recruitment inside state universities and colleges, particularly in major cities like Cebu City.”
The clash follows the surrender 4 days previously, on July 2, 2022, of 19 NPA combatants in Central Negros thru the 94th IB, in Bgy. Tambo, Ayungon, Negros Oriental.
According to them, they were already fed-up with the false promises of their NPA leader and decided to leave the armed struggle due to internal conflict, lack of medical support and leadership problems.
Meanwhile, both the NTF-ELCAC and the local government of Mapanas, Eastern Samar, condemned the CPP-NPA for its continued and indiscriminate use of ‘improvised explosive device’ (IED) that resulted to the serious wounding of 7 soldiers from the 63rd Infantry Battalion, 8th Infantry Division, last July 5, 2022.
The casualties are members of the battalion’s community support program team when they were blasted by the NPA in the vicinity of Bgy. Magsaysay, Mapanas, Northern Samar.
“The CPP-NPA-NDF has adopted the use of banned anti-personnel mines as a matter of policy in their terroristic attacks against soldiers, policemen, and civilians.
“This most recent atrocity directed against soldiers conducting community-based peace keeping operations is a clear and glaring proof that the CPP-NPA-NDF is, and will always be, an enemy of peace and of the Filipino people,” said NTF-ELCAC spokesperson, Flosemer Chris Gonzales.
“Let this incident remind us, time and again, that the only way to peace when dealing with the CPP-NPA-NDF is for them to surrender unconditionally and for them to face the consequences of their decades of crimes and atrocities against the Filipino people before our courts of law,” he added.
Newly-elected Mapanas mayor, Atty. Ronn Michael Tejano, said he vehemently condemned the incident, in a brief statement he released thru the military.
Tejano said the incident clearly showed the NPA’s refusal to give the people of his town the right to live in peace and free from violence.
“Sa kabila ng nasabing pangyayari, makakaasa po ang buong Mapanas na hindi maaapektuhan ang kapayapaan at kaayusan sa buong bayan ng Mapanas.
Nanawagan at hinihikayat ko po ang ating mga kababayan na ipagpatuloy ang inisyatiba ng pamahalaan tungo sa kapayapaan,” the mayor added.
Records show that it was not the first time the CTG resorted to the use of IEDs against government troops and the police and even innocent civilians in Northern Samar.
Last April 2, 2022, two local policemen were killed and several soldiers were also wounded after the NPA blasted them in Bgy. San Miguel, Las Navas.
In an earlier attack in the same area on April 17, 2019, 10-years old Armando Jay
Ramonde Naguit, was killed after being blasted by an NPA IED planted along the road being used by civilians.
